When the country name of Swaziland was changed by King Mswati III to Eswatini at his 50th birthday celebration last week, the business community was taken by surprise.
“No one was consulted. The cost in new stationery alone will be significant,” said Sandile Nxumalo, a purchasing agent for a Manzini-based outlet of the Pick n Pay chain. How much time businesses have to make changes is one of many unanswered questions.
Will major companies like Standard Bank Swaziland, Swaziland Railway and Swaziland Breweries be legally required to change their names?
Logistics companies contacted by FTW fear confusion as shippers adjust, and they are concerned about delivery delays. However, mixups have been common – even with the present name that has been in use since the 1900s, when the “e” was dropped from “Swazieland.”
For instance, last week FTW correspondent James Hall received a magazine in the post addressed to Mazizini, Zanzibar. Hall lives in Manzini, Swaziland, 3776 km away.
“I’m tired of Swaziland being confused for Switzerland,” King Mswati said as one reason for the change that instantly made the world’s maps obsolete.
