Outdated land laws threaten urban planning

EZULWINI – Eswatini needs to modernise its land laws and close administrative gaps to prevent unplanned settlements as towns and surrounding communities expand.

United Nations Resident Coordinator George Wachira said this during the second Eswatini Urban Forum at Ezulwini Palazzo.

Wachira said Eswatini was urbanising at an annual rate of 2.7 per cent, with the urban population projected to reach 35 per cent by 2050.

He said the relatively gradual pace of urbanisation gave the country an opportunity to plan settlements properly, provided it addressed longstanding land governance challenges.

Wachira identified fragmented land administration as a major obstacle, saying different legal systems and land tenure arrangements needed to be better integrated.

He called for a comprehensive framework to coordinate land administration, improve spatial planning and prevent conflicts over land use.

Prime Minister Russel Mmiso Dlamini making his remarks during his official opening of the second Eswatini Urban Forum yesterday at Ezulwini Palazzo. (All pics: Mnelisi Dlamin_)

He also said Eswatini’s planning framework needed modernisation, noting that urban development continued to be guided by legislation originating from the Town Planning Act of 1961.

Wachira said urban growth was concentrated along the Mbabane-Manzini corridor, with settlements spreading beyond municipal boundaries into peri-urban areas and Swati National Land.

He warned that poorly managed expansion could contribute to informal settlements. Globally, he noted, about 1.1 billion people already lived in unplanned conditions.

To prevent similar challenges, Wachira called for the ongoing revision of the National Land Policy to guide development around towns, the completion of national planning frameworks and the upgrading of existing settlements through legal tenure arrangements, including 99-year leases.

He said municipal financial constraints also affected physical planning and living standards, making improved revenue collection essential for infrastructure development.

Reliable land data and clear institutional responsibilities were equally important for implementing spatial plans, he added.

Wachira commended the ongoing revision of the National Land Policy, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s Strategic Plan for 2025–2030, and the Gwamile Voctim Eco-City initiative in Sidvokodvo, undertaken with UN-Habitat.

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