The lilangeni (plural: emalangeni, ISO 4217 code: SZL) is the currency of Eswatini and is subdivided into 100 cents. It is issued by the Central Bank of Eswatini (in swazi Umntsholi Wemaswati) and is authorised by the king and his family. The South African rand is also accepted in Eswatini. Similar to the Lesotho loti, there are singular and plural abbreviations, namely L and E, so where one might have an amount L1, it would be E2, E3, or E4.
 Swazi coins | |
| ISO 4217 | |
|---|---|
| Code | SZL (numeric: 748) |
| Subunit | 0.01 |
| Unit | |
| Plural | emalangeni |
| Symbol | L or E (pl.) |
| Denominations | |
| Subunit | |
| 1⁄100 | cent |
| Banknotes | E10, E20, E50, E100, E200 |
| Coins | 10, 20, 50 cents, L1, E2, E5 [1] |
| Demographics | |
| Date of introduction | 1974 |
| User(s) |  Eswatini (alongside South African rand) |
| Issuance | |
| Central bank | Central Bank of Eswatini |
| Website | www |
| Valuation | |
| Inflation | 4.9% |
| Source | Central Bank of Swaziland, March 2010 |
| Pegged with | South African rand at par |
History
editIt was introduced in 1974 at par with the South African rand through the Common Monetary Area, to which it remains tied at a one-to-one exchange rate.
The currency's name derives from emaLangeni, a term used to describe the ancestors of the Swazi people who migrated to Swaziland in the 18th–19th centuries.[2]
Coins
editThe currency's name derives from emaLangeni ("people from the Sun"), a term used to describe the ancestors of the Swazi people who migrated to Swaziland in the 18th–19th centuries.[3][4][5][6][2]
In 1974, coins for 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and 1 lilangeni were introduced, with the 1 and 2 cents struck in bronze and the others struck in cupro-nickel. Except for the 1 lilangeni, the coins were not round, with the 1 and 50 cents dodecagonal, the 2 cents square with rounded corners and the 5, 10 and 20 cents scalloped.
The 2 cents was last struck in 1982, whilst, in 1986, round, copper-plated steel 1 cent and nickel-brass 1 lilangeni coins were introduced. These were followed, in 1992, by nickel-plated-steel 5 and 10 cents and nickel-brass-plated-steel 1 lilangeni coins. In 1995, 2 and 5 emalangeni coins were introduced.
From 2009 to 2011 new coins were introduced in copper-plated steel (5c and 10c), nickel-plated steel (20c, and a 50c piece which was never released into circulation) and brass-plated steel (L1). These were similar sizes to the existing coins but lighter due to the changed metal composition.
In February 2016, a new series of coins dated 2015 was introduced and all previous coins were recalled and demonetised.[1] The new coins have similar designs to the previous coins, but with slightly different sizes and weights. The 10c-50c are in nickel-plated steel and the L1-E5 are in aluminium-bronze. 1c-5c coins are no longer in use.
The nickel-brass L1 coin dated 1986 and brass coins dated 1995-2009 had the same dimensions and composition as the British £1 coins introduced in 1983, and thus have sometimes been used fraudulently in British vending machines with the value of L1 decreasing from £0.36 in 1986 to £0.05 in 2015, when those L1 coins were demonetised.[7]
Banknotes
edit
On 6 September 1974, the Monetary Authority of Swaziland introduced notes in denominations of 1 lilangeni, 2, 5 and 10 emalangeni, with 20 emalangeni notes following in 1978.[8] In 1981, the Central Bank of Swaziland took over paper money production, first issuing notes commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of King Sobhuza II. Between 1982 and 1985, it introduced non-commemorative notes for E2, E5, E10, and E20. The 50 emalangeni notes were introduced in 1990. The E2 and E5 notes were replaced by coins in 1995, whilst 100 and 200 emalangeni notes were introduced in 1996 and 1998, respectively, with the E200 notes commemorating the 30th anniversary of independence. On September 5, 2008, the Central Bank of Swaziland issued 100-, and 200-emalangeni notes to commemorate the 40th birthday of King Mswati III and the 40th anniversary of independence.[9] On November 1, 2010, the Central Bank of Swaziland has issued a new series of banknotes with enhanced security features.[10][11]
| Banknotes of the Swazi lilangeni (06.09.10 issue) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Value | Obverse | Reverse | Watermark |
| [1] | 10 emalangeni | King Mswati III | Princesses at the Ncwala (kingship ceremony) | King Mswati III and electrotype 10 |
| [2] | 20 emalangeni | Flower, corn, and pineapple; steer; refinery | King Mswati III and electrotype 20 | |
| [3] | 50 emalangeni | Central Bank of Swaziland building | King Mswati III and electrotype 50 | |
| [4] | 100 emalangeni | Elephant, rhinoceros, lion, flowers, and bird | King Mswati III and electrotype 100 | |
| [5] | 200 emalangeni | Swazi straw huts; goats; warrior; rock formation | King Mswati III and electrotype 200 | |
| Current SZL exchange rates | |
|---|---|
| From Google Finance: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD ZAR |
| From Yahoo! Finance: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD ZAR |
| From XE.com: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD ZAR |
| From OANDA: | AUD CAD CHF CNY EUR GBP HKD JPY USD ZAR |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Central Bank of Swaziland". Archived from the original on 2018-01-09. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
- ^ a b Gillis, D. Hugh (1999). The Kingdom of Swaziland: Studies in Political History (PDF). Contributions in Comparative Colonial Studies, Number 37. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0313306702. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2018.
- ^ Corum, Claudia W. (March 19, 1985). "Siswati: Special Skills Handbook". The Corps – via Google Books.
- ^ Fleischer, Anthony (March 19, 2001). Children of Adamastor. iUniverse. ISBN 9780595205431 – via Google Books.
- ^ Ndlovu, Sambulo (December 30, 2021). Naming and Othering in Africa: Imagining Supremacy and Inferiority through Language. Routledge. ISBN 9781000485493 – via Google Books.
- ^ Bryant, Alfred T. (March 19, 1964). A History of the Zulu and Neighbouring Tribes. C. Struik. ISBN 9780598443144 – via Google Books.
- ^ Your counterfeit £1 coin questions answered The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-04-06.
- ^ Linzmayer, Owen (2012). "Swaziland". The Banknote Book. San Francisco, CA: www.BanknoteNews.com.
- ^ Swaziland issues new 100- and 200-emalangeni notes BanknoteNews.com Retrieved 2012-03-31.
- ^ Swaziland new 100- and 200-emalangeni confirmed BanknoteNews.com Retrieved 2012-03-31.
- ^ Swaziland new 10-, 20-, and 50-emalangeni notes confirmed BanknoteNews.com. Retrieved 2012-03-31.
- Krause, Chester L.; Clifford Mishler (1991). Standard Catalog of World Coins: 1801–1991 (18th ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 0873411501.
- Pick, Albert (1994). Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: General Issues. Colin R. Bruce II and Neil Shafer (editors) (7th ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87341-207-9.
External links
edit| Preceded by: South African rand Ratio: at par |
Currency of Eswatini 1974 – Concurrent with: South African rand (legal tender until 1986, and circulated unofficially thereafter) |
Succeeded by: Current |
