By Mangaliso Mkhatshwa

It is has long been said that people from the capital of Swaziland, Mbabane and Manzini, the biggest city are different from each other. People from Manzini claim to spot someone from Mbabane with ease and vice versa. Both sets of people have over the year's stereo typed each other and with each passing generation the stereo types are being perpetuated. In previous years there have been literal battles between the two sets of people.

These were battles of supremacy, ego and the notion of being thought off as being better than the other. As someone who grew in one of these cities I was exposed early to these stereotypes and I took some of them to my heart. Some of these stereotypes seem to be real while other lack substance and are base less. But in the eyes of those who perpetuate them, at least they are real.

If you are from the capital, you probably have had one of your colleagues labeling people from Manzini as "jacks", (whatever that word means), uncouth ( bamacaba ) uncultured, like staring and have got no style. The extreme one would be "those guys are criminals". Because of the perceived high incidence of crime in Manzini, "Mbabanenites" will tell you to mind your clothing when coming down the valley.You probably have said the same things too, if you are from Mbabane. (A little heaven as someone told me when trying to write this article). Typical Manzini people are not style conscious and there is something about them that differentiates from Mbabane people. I'm not sure about that but at least that's what I heard. Those were just some of the stereotypes on people from Manzini.

There are also generally long held attitudes and stereotypes on the city itself. Some of these attitudes one must admit are based on events that have happened in the city. Others are based on facts and there are others that lack truth and substance .Manzini is a crime ridden and infested city, that's what you will hear from a typical Mbabane person. The town is congested and there are a lot of Mozambicans. Well, that is true, the city is congested and has more Mozambicans than Mbabane. The weather isn't helping either, Manzini is known as very hot place (but not hotter than Big-Bend).

Are all these stereotypes true, and do they hold base? Certain events that have happened in Manzini have perpetuated some of these stereotypes and as such reinforced the attitudes that Mbabane people have on the city and its people. The countless number of crime incidents, from pick pocketing, sexual assault, sex in the open, shootings, have all contributed. Even though some of these incidents were isolated cases, it did not matter much to the minds of our friends from Mbabane as such incidents have become synonymous with the Manzini. The high number of foreign nationals, especially Mozambicans, has also contributed to Mbabanenites shunning Manzini. The less said about the weather the better as this is not a creation of Manzininites but it is a natural occurrence.

Manzini is at the center of the country, thus christened the hub of Swaziland. The city has become the hub of business in Swaziland. Its proximity to industrial Matsapha has not helped at all when it comes to the alleged congestion in the city. The city has become a business melting pot and over the years has attracted a lot of people. There isn't much that can be done about this .Manzini people on Mbabane people have not been kind either. They have labeled Mbabane citizens as the "know it alls" ( bacabanga kutsi bayati ), not real, living in a false world and being too conscious about style, fashion and like eating out a lot. They say Mbabanenites, have different attitude in the way they do things, which is totally different from Manzini citizens. The latest term given to Mbabane citizens is bo-Cheese Boy . If you are from the capital of Swaziland you probably have long been labeled a softy, ( if you are male) or sissy ( if you are female) by Manzini people.

About the author

Mangaliso Mkhatshwa Holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (with a major in Marketing) obtained from the University of Swaziland. He is a Marketing Executive at Knotell and also writes Swazi related articles for Infoshoswaziland.com

© 2007 all rights reserved. This article may be republished online as is. Get more interesting Swazi articles from infoshopswaziland.comFor print publication, please contact info@knotell.co.sz info@knotell.co.sz

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Mbabane and Manzini People's attitudes towards each other and its impact on business