Mary Mdziniso (1924 – 1 June 2000) was a

Swazi Swazi may refer to: * Swazi people, a people of southeastern Africa * Swazi language * Eswatini Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked coun ...

educator and politician. She was appointed to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

in 1968, becoming the country's first female member of

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

Biography

Mdziniso was born in Bhobokazi in

Manzini District Manzini is a region of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland), located in the center-west of the country. It has an area of 4,093.59 km² and a population of 355,945 (2017). Its administrative center is Manzini. It borders all three other re ...

in 1924.Shokahle R. Dlamini (2002) "Swazi Women's Professionalism: The Power that Lies in Money and in Books, 1920 to 1950", ''Asian Women'', volume 15, pp95–120 Her mother died while giving birth and her father (Efrom Dlamini) took her to the mission at

Bethany Bethany ( grc-gre, Βηθανία,Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p152/ref> Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܥܢܝܐ ''Bēṯ ʿAnyā'') or what is locally known as Al-Eizariya or al-Azariya ( ar, العيزرية, " laceof Lazarus"), is a Palestinian town in the West B ...

in South Africa. Aged four, she was transferred to a mission at Mbuluzi, where she was fostered by Mary Peak Brown, whose first name she took. In 1929 she started her education at Mbuluzi Girls' School. After leaving school in 1937, she attended

Inanda Seminary School Inanda Seminary School is one of the oldest schools for girls in South Africa. It was founded in 1869 at Inanda, a settlement just over north of Durban, by Daniel and Lucy Lindley, an American missionary couple. History On 20 November 1834 Dani ...

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ...

, where she trained to be a domestic science teacher.Mary Mdziniso
Portrait of a Swazi Woman After three years of training, she returned to Mbuluzi Girls' School and began teaching. During her time in Inanda, she met Mdziniso, who was training to be a pastor. The couple married in 1947. She subsequently worked at the Swazi National High School. In 1965 she entered the civil service as a Domestic Science Field Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture. She founded the Lutsango lwaka Ngwane women's organisation two years later. Following the

1967 elections Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establ ...

, Mdziniso was appointed to the Senate by King

Sobhuza II Sobhuza II, (; also known as Nkhotfotjeni, Mona; 22 July 1899 – 21 August 1982) was the Paramount Chief and later Ngwenyama of Swaziland for 82 years and 254 days, the longest verifiable reign of any monarch in recorded history. Sobhuza was ...

, becoming the first female member of parliament. In 1994 she became Deputy President of the Senate,Election of Deputy President of Senate
Swaziland Government Gazette, 18 March 1994 remaining a Senator until 1998. She also served on the board of the Swazi Red Cross and Dairy Board, and was awarded an honorary doctorate of law by the

University of Swaziland The University of Eswatini (or UNESWA; formerly known as the University of Swaziland, or UNISWA) is the national university of Eswatini. It was established by act of parliament in 1982. The university developed from the University of Botswana, ...

. She died on 1 June 2000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mdziniso, Mary 1924 births Swazi educators Women educators Swazi civil servants 20th-century women civil servants Swazi women in politics Members of the Senate of Eswatini 2000 deaths 20th-century women politicians People from Manzini Region