The lilangeni (plural: emalangeni,

ISO 4217 ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that defines alpha codes and numeric codes for the representation of currencies and provides information about the relationships between individ ...

code: ''SZL'') is the currency of

Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...

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 The South African rand, or simply the rand, (currency sign, sign: R; ISO 4217, code: ZAR) is the official currency of South Africa. It is subdivided into 100 Cent (currency), cents (sign: "c"), and a comma separates the rand and cents. The Sou ...

is also accepted in Eswatini. Similar to the

Lesotho loti The loti (plural: maloti) is the currency of the Kingdom of Lesotho. It is subdivided into 100 '' sente'' (pl. ''lisente''). It is pegged to the South African rand on a 1:1 basis through the Common Monetary Area, and both are accepted as legal te ...

, 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.

History

It was introduced in 1974 at par with the

through the

Common Monetary Area The Common Monetary Area (CMA) links South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini into a currency union, monetary union. The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) includes all CMA members in addition to Botswana, which replaced the South African ran ...

, 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 The Swati or Swazi ( Swati: ''Emaswati'', singular ''Liswati'') are a Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa, inhabiting Eswatini, a sovereign kingdom in Southern Africa, and South Africa's Mpumalanga province. EmaSwati are part of the ...

who migrated to Swaziland in the 18th–19th centuries.

Coins

The currency's name derives from ''emaLangeni'' ("people from the Sun"), a term used to describe the ancestors of the

who migrated to Swaziland in the 18th–19th centuries. 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. 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

fraud In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...

ulently in British

vending machine A vending machine is an automated machine that dispenses items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or payment is otherwise m ...

s with the value of L1 decreasing from £0.36 in 1986 to £0.05 in 2015, when those L1 coins were demonetised.

Banknotes

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. In 1981, the Central Bank of Swaziland took over paper money production, first issuing notes commemorating the

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th annivers ...

King Sobhuza II Sobhuza II (; also known as Nkhotfotjeni, Mona; 22 July 1899 – 21 August 1982) was ''Ngwenyama'' (King) of Swaziland (now Eswatini) for 82 years and 254 days, the longest verifiable reign of any monarch in recorded history. Sobhuza was bo ...

. 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 Mswati III (born Makhosetive Dlamini; 19 April 1968) is the ''Ngwenyama'' (King) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family. He heads an absolute monarchy, as he has veto power over all branches of government and is constitutionally immune fr ...

and the 40th anniversary of independence. On November 1, 2010, the Central Bank of Swaziland has issued a new series of banknotes with enhanced security features.Swaziland new 10-, 20-, and 50-emalangeni notes confirmed
BanknoteNews.com. Retrieved 2012-03-31.

References

Sources

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External links