Born: 1858, Swaziland
Died: 1925
Country most active: Swaziland
Also known as: Gwamile
Nicknamed Gwamile for her strength of character, Labotsibeni was Swaziland’s queen mother from 1894 to 1899 and then regent from 1899 to 1921. Growing up in the royal court under the tutelage of Queen Mother Thandile, she married King Mbandzeni in 1874. Noted for being a remarkably intelligent, articulate, and astute spokesperson for the Swazi nation, she opposed domination of the kingdom by outside forces.
For most of the three-year South African War, Labotsibeni was, with the support of a co-regent and her council, the last independent ruler in Africa south of the Zambezi. During this time she adopted the habitual stance of a Swazi monarch and sought to preserve Swaziland as a neutral region and maintained a diplomatic relationship with the South African Republic. She largely succeeded in keeping Swaziland out of the war. Ever pragmatic, Labotsibeni encouraged her people to accept Western education as the path to financial success, seeing it as the source of much of the power held by white people.