It is not common for a leader of a country to change the name of a nation but Swaziland’s King Mswati III has dared to do so by changing the name Swaziland to “The Kingdom of eSwatini.”

King Mswati III announced of the change during Independence Day celebrations at a packed sports stadium in the country’s second city of Manzini.

“I would like to announce that Swaziland will now revert to its original name. African countries on getting independence reverted to their ancient names before they were colonised. So from now on, the country will be officially be known as the Kingdom of eSwatini,” said the King.

Unlike some countries, Swaziland did not change its name when it gained independence in 1968 after being a British protectorate for more than 60 years.

The name Swaziland had for so long been angering some people who faulted it because it is a mix of Swazi language and English.

The move to change the name had been proposed for years with lawmakers considering the issue in 2015. It is also reported that the King had used the new name in previous official speeches.

Among other African countries that changed names after gaining independence are, Zimbabwe which was previously known as Rhodesia, Botswana previously known as Bechuanaland and also Malawi which was previously called Nyasaland.