Queen Ntfombi, The Queen Mother, Ndlovukati of Eswatini (born Ntfombi Tfwala; 27 December 1949) is the current

Ndlovukati Ndlovukati (literally, "She-Elephant", pl. ''tiNdlovukati''; also spelled Indlovukazi) is the Siswati title for the female monarch of Eswatini. The title is given preferentially to the mother of the reigning king (styled the ''Ngwenyama'', "Lion ...

and joint

head of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

of Eswatini, serving since 1986. She was also

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of Eswatini from 1983 to 1986. She is the mother of King

Mswati III Mswati III (born Makhosetive; 19 April 1968) is the king ( Swazi: Ngwenyama, Ingwenyama yemaSwati) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family. He was born in Manzini in the Protectorate of Swaziland to King Sobhuza II and one of his young ...

Early life and marriage

Ntfombi married King

Sobhuza II of Swaziland 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 wa ...

, with whom she had a son, Prince Makhosetive Dlamini. In 1982 King Sobhuza designated another of his wives, Queen Dzeliwe, as the ''Ndlovukati'' to reign as joint sovereign with his future successor. Instead of recognizing one of her sons as his

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

, he indicated to his '' Loqoqo'' that he wanted Prince Makhosetive Dlamini to succeed him on the throne. In June 1982 he also extended the authority of the ''Loqoqo'', empowering it to act as a "Supreme Council of State", free to appoint an "Authorised Person" to exercise the

royal prerogative The royal prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege and immunity, recognized in common law and, sometimes, in civil law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy, as belonging to the sovereign and which have become widely vested in th ...

if a regent was deemed unable to do so properly.

Regency of Queen Dzeliwe

In the

power vacuum In political science and political history, the term power vacuum, also known as a power void, is an analogy between a physical vacuum to the political condition "when someone in a place of power, has lost control of something and no one has repla ...

that resulted from the death of Sobhuza II, ''Indlovukati'' Dzeliwe became

Queen Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...

during the minority of the designated heir to the throne, but the ''Loqoqo'', consisting mostly of King Sobhuza's senior relatives, chiefs and advisors, usurped her authority and sacked Sobhuza's prime minister, Prince

Mabandla Dlamini Prince Mabandla Ndawombili Fred Dlamini (born 11 November 1930) was Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a ...

, whom ''Loqoqo'' members apparently feared would strip them of their new role. Once Prince Makhosetive Dlamini attained his majority and officially became king, his mother would then be expected to be designated as the new ''Indlovukati''.Magongo, Ellen Mary
Kingship and Transition in Swaziland, 1973–1988
Master of Arts in History dissertation.

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...

. November 2009. However, Queen Dzeliwe was placed under house arrest in 1983. Following a 9-day period during which Swaziland was ruled by

Prince Sozisa Dlamini Prince Sozisa Dlamini of Swaziland (c. 1912 – 1992) was Chief of Gundvwini. He became the Authorized Person of Swaziland from 1982 to 1985 after the death of King Sobhuza II, and in 1983 was briefly the acting Regent of the country, after he depo ...

, Ntfombi was selected as

queen regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state ''pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy, ...

''Indlovukazi''

In 1986, when he turned 18, Makhosetive was crowned King Mswati III. Upon becoming king, as was the custom, he declared his mother to be the ''Indlovukazi'' (a title roughly corresponding to

queen mother A queen mother is a former queen, often a queen dowager, who is the mother of the monarch, reigning monarch. The term has been used in English since the early 1560s. It arises in hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarchies in Europe and is also u ...

, literally translated as ''Great She-Elephant'') and, as such, joint head of state. As queen mother, Ntfombi is seen as the spiritual and national head of state, while her son is considered the administrative head of state. The Indlovukazi's image has been widely disseminated in the

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

since her inclusion in

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the Art movement, visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore th ...

's portrait series during her exercise of the regency for her son, as one of four '' Reigning Queens'', along with Queens

Beatrix of the Netherlands Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix is the eldest daughter of Queen Juliana and her husban ...

Margrethe II of Denmark Margrethe II (; Margrethe Alexandrine Þórhildur Ingrid, born 16 April 1940) is Queen of Denmark. Having reigned as Denmark's monarch for over 50 years, she is Europe's longest-serving current head of state and the world's only incumbent femal ...

and Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

. Muchnic, Suzanne
The Art Galleries: Downtown
articles.latimes.com; 20 December 1985.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ntfombi, Ndlovukati of Eswatini 1950s births Place of birth missing (living people) Living people Women rulers in Africa Swazi women in politics Swazi monarchs African queens 20th-century women rulers Year of birth missing (living people)