Labor Mobilization for the War Effort in Swaziland,1940-1942

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Periodical article

Title:	Labor Mobilization for the War Effort in Swaziland,1940-1942
Author:	Simelane, Hamilton S.
Year:	1993
Periodical:	International Journal of African Historical Studies
Volume:	26
Issue:	3
Pages:	541-574
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Swaziland - Eswatini
Subjects:	military recruitment World War II Labor and Employment History and Exploration Military, Defense and Arms
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/220478
Abstract:	Using the testimony of some surviving veterans, this paper analyses military labour mobilization in Swaziland during World War II. It traces military labour mobilization from 1940, when most of the recruiting was done by South African military officials, to the period when Britain extended her recruiting efforts to the High Commision Territories. The two main waves of recruitment (1941, 1942) were achieved through contrasting means of mobilization. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the paper shows that voluntarism is insufficient as an explanation for the enlistment of Swazi men. Swazi men resisted recruitment for war service, and this reaction forced the ruling classes to adopt more coercive strategies. The paper further gives a brief analysis of the socioeconomic impact of the recruitment of Swazi men for war service and shows that some of the problems created by the recruitment for war service were similar to those arising from the recruitment of men for mine labour in South Africa. Notes, ref.