Mswati III is one of many sons fathered by the previous king, Sobhuza II (who had more than 125 wives during his reign of 82 years), and the only child of Ntfombi Tfwala, also known as "Inkhosikati" LaTfwala, one of Sobhuza's younger wives. He was born at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Manzini, four months before Eswatini attained independence from the United Kingdom. When he and his mother were discharged from the hospital, they went to live at one of Sobhuza's residences, Etjeni, near the Masundwini royal residence. His birth name was Makhosetive (lit. "Kings of Nations", in reference to the heads of state who visited eSwatini that year for the independence celebrations), and his half-siblings included Mantfombi, a future queen of the South African Zulus.