MANZINI: THE CITY THAT KEPT THE NATION MOVING

For 40 years, Manzini has stood at the centre of Eswatini’s commercial life, but its story is no longer only about trade and traffic. It is also a story of urban planning, infrastructure expansion, township development, social investment, and economic inclusion. From its declaration as a city in 1992 to its present-day role as a more structured and ambitious urban hub, Manzini’s transformation reflects the broader national development journey under His Majesty King Mswati III’s reign.

What makes Manzini’s story especially compelling is the scale of measurable change. The city’s surfaced road network has grown from 40 kilometres to 72 kilometres, an 80 percent increase, while its urban footprint has expanded from 1,443 hectares to 2,849 hectares, an increase of about 97.4 percent. More than 2,000 entrepreneurs now trade in formal market spaces, while major public-private investment projects are expected to generate over 2,500 jobs.

A city whose rhythm shaped the kingdom

Few places capture the pulse of Eswatini’s economic life more vividly than Manzini. Long recognised as the kingdom’s business heartbeat, the city has evolved from a fast-moving marketplace into a more deliberate urban centre shaped by policy, planning, and long-term development vision. The 1992 declaration of Manzini as a city was a defining milestone, giving sharper institutional direction to its growth and setting the stage for more strategic expansion in the decades that followed.

“Manzini’s growth over 40 years tells the story of a city that did not merely expand in size, but matured in structure, ambition and purpose.”

Planning a more organised future

A major pillar of Manzini’s rise has been the strengthening of its planning systems. Since 1994, the city has developed three Town Planning Scheme documents, giving it a firmer basis for land use management, zoning, and the balancing of residential, commercial, environmental, and recreational needs. The current 2024–2029 Town Planning Scheme goes further by introducing agricultural-use precincts, while also preserving 29 properties as open spaces for recreation and environmental value.

The city’s planning journey deepened further in 2013 with the introduction of its first Strategic Plan and Integrated Development Plan. These frameworks strengthened coordination, improved resource allocation, and aligned Manzini’s growth trajectory with broader development agendas such as Agenda 2030, Agenda 2063, the New Urban Agenda, and the Paris Climate Agreement.

The infrastructure that kept Manzini moving

If planning gave Manzini structure, infrastructure gave it momentum. The city’s surfaced road network expanded from 40 kilometres to 72 kilometres over the 40-year period, with today’s surfaced roads accounting for 65 percent of the network. Key upgrades included Tenbergen Street in the city centre, the D98 Road in Ngwane Park, the Central Distributor Road, the Northern Distributor Road in Fairview, the Southern Distributor Road in Wilmer Park, and Mentjies Street in the CBD.

The Manzini City Interchange has become one of the clearest symbols of this transformation. Along with the Nkoseluhlaza and Bosco bridges, it strengthened mobility, eased congestion, and reinforced the city’s role as the country’s transport and business artery. Supporting infrastructure also expanded, with 113 high-mast lights and 148 streetlights installed across the city, a combined total of 261 lights that improved safety and extended activity after dark.

“From 40 kilometres to 72 kilometres of surfaced roads, Manzini’s transformation can be read in the very routes that keep the city and the nation in motion.”

Growing outward, while investing in people

Manzini’s expansion has not only been about roads and buildings. It has also involved widening access to urban opportunity. The municipality facilitated the development of six formal townships, Helemisi, Mkhosi, Ndumbu, Ntunja, Madonsa, and Sikhunyana, while also supporting the upgrading of William Pitcher and Moneni townships. Together, these upgrading efforts delivered 603 plots through the formalisation of previously informal areas.

At the same time, the Urban Boundaries Expansion Programme increased the city’s footprint from 1,443 hectares to 2,849 hectares, allowing growth areas such as Ngwane Park and part of Moneni to be more fully integrated into formal planning and service delivery systems. This expansion helped ensure that urban growth was matched by stronger tenure, governance, and municipal oversight.

Economic growth beyond the CBD

Manzini’s economic story has also been one of inclusion. On the large-scale investment side, the city conceptualised three major public-private partnership projects, Manzini Mall, Manzini Arch, and Fairview Mixed-Use Shopping, expected to create more than 2,500 jobs. These projects point to a city that continues to reinforce its status as Eswatini’s commercial powerhouse.

At the grassroots level, the city has expanded market access for ordinary traders. The Trade Hub, the extension of the Manzini Main Market, and the second-hand clothing market at the bus rank now provide trading opportunities for more than 2,000 entrepreneurs from across the country. In addition, the Youth Empowerment Fund benefits more than 50 young people annually, while entrepreneurship training supports more than 250 SMEs each year with skills in bookkeeping, packaging, product development, and marketing.

“Manzini’s economic strength is not only measured in big projects, but also in the thousands of entrepreneurs, young people and small businesses finding space to participate in the city’s growth.”

A city growing with social purpose

The city’s development story also includes important social investments. Partnerships helped establish the LaMvelase Help Centre, which serves more than 17,000 HIV and AIDS patients, while the Manzini City Autism Centre supports more than 260 children from the city and surrounding communities. These institutions show that urban transformation in Manzini has not been limited to commerce and transport, but has also reached into health, care, and community well-being.

Yet the city’s growth has not come without pressure. Financial constraints linked to inconsistent payment rates continue to affect delivery capacity. Urban poverty remains visible, with eight social centres providing daily meals to more than 1,500 children, while ageing infrastructure and weather-related disasters continue to stretch municipal resources. Even so, the broader direction remains clear: Manzini has become more planned, more resilient, and more strategically developed over the last four decades.

The shape of a modern Manzini

Forty years on, Manzini stands as more than Eswatini’s busiest business centre. It is a city whose roads, townships, market spaces, lights, social centres, and planning frameworks tell the story of steady urban transformation. It is a city still facing real pressures, but one whose progress is visible in hard numbers and lived experience alike. In that sense, Manzini has not only kept the nation moving. It has shown what sustained, purposeful urban growth can look like over a generation.