Manzini

Manzini is Eswatini's industrial and commercial heartland—the kingdom's most populous region, containing the city of Manzini (the largest urban center) and forming the southern anchor of the Manzini-Mbabane corridor. While Mbabane serves as administrative capital, Manzini functions as the economic capital: manufacturing, commerce, and services concentrate here. The region sits in IPC Phase 2 (Stressed), with 20% of the urban population (18,716 people) at this level and 80% in Phase 1 (Minimal)—among the best food security outcomes in Eswatini. Natural events in December 2024-January 2025 impacted some households, but the region's relative prosperity buffers shocks better than Lubombo or Shiselweni. The Sustainable Market-Led Program (SMLP) includes Manzini among its target regions, though the region's urban character means fewer smallholder farmers than the eastern and southern periphery. Eswatini's economy—projected at 4.9% growth for 2024—flows primarily through Manzini's commercial infrastructure: the main highway to South Africa, wholesale and retail centers, and manufacturing facilities. Yet even Eswatini's wealthiest region cannot escape the kingdom's structural vulnerabilities: 25.8% unemployment, deep dependence on South African trade (90% of imports), and governance concentrated in an absolute monarchy that limits political and economic diversification.