Swaziland achieved independence from British protection on September 6, 1968, making it one of the last sub-Saharan African states to do so. Sobhuza II had been paramount chief since 1921 and king under the new constitution, having outlasted the entire colonial period — a reign that would ultimately extend to 1982, the longest documented of any monarch in recorded history. This silver issue was part of the first national coinage struck for the independent kingdom, produced to mark that transition.
Swaziland achieved independence from British protection on September 6, 1968, making it one of the last sub-Saharan African states to do so. Sobhuza II had been paramount chief since 1921 and king under the new constitution, having outlasted the entire colonial period — a reign that would ultimately extend to 1982, the longest documented of any monarch in recorded history. This silver issue was part of the first national coinage struck for the independent kingdom, produced to mark that transition.