Manzini,
popularly known as the hub of Swaziland due to its
geographical location, is the administrative centre of the Manzini region and is situated in the centre of the country
- about 38km from the capital city, Mbabane. Being
centrally located, all transportation networks to
various parts of the country go via the city hence elements
such as overcrowding and congestion has over the years
tended to be associated with the city.
Manzini
was declared a city in 1992 after 100 years of existence. It
is ideally located closer to the Matsapha Industrial
Site and the University of Swaziland. As a result, services
provided by the city are heavily utilized by the
outlying areas of the Matsapha /Manzini corridor,
commonly referred to as ‘greater Manzini’.
The Manzini
region is the most populous in the country, constituting
30.3% of the country’s population, and it is the most
urbanized with 32% of the population living in
the urban area .The population of the city, including
greater Manzini, is estimated at close to 100 000 people
while people living within the urban boundary ar estimated
at around 35 000. The city covers an area towards
Hhelehhele ,which consists of farmland. Again, these
informal settlements are dependent on services availed by
the city save for infrastructure provision and refuse
collection.
