Mixed results after eSwatini name change The African nation of eSwatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is now dealing with the logistical fallout from the recent name change. The decision came in April, when King Mswati III -- one of the world's last absolute rulers -- marked 50 years since his country's independence from British colonial rule by announcing that it would now be known as eSwatini ("land of the Swazis"). IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES