Swaziland Newsletter No. 891 – 22
August 2025
News from and about Swaziland, compiled by
Global Aktion, Denmark (www.globalaktion.dk)
in collaboration with Swazi Media Commentary (www.swazimedia.blogspot.com),
and sent to all with an interest in Swaziland - free of charge. The newsletter
and past editions are also available online on the Swazi Media Commentary
blogsite.
King
Mswati’s recent trips cost over R500million public funds amid shortage of drugs
in public hospitals, amount includes traveling allowances for delegation
By
Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 16 August, 2025
MBABANE: King Mswati’s recent trips came
at huge costs for taxpayers, over R500million public funds have been spent in
the last six (6) months according to information sourced from the Ministry of
Finance-Treasury Department.
This disclosure comes at the time when the
country is facing shortage of drugs in the various public hospitals, dozens
have died since the crisis erupted triggered by rampant corruption in the
public administration.
The costs include transport with the
private jet, traveling allowances for the King, his children and a huge
delegation with over one hundred(100) people for each trip.
The delegation normally include the King’s
security personnel, Cabinet Ministers, King’s Office officials, members of the
royal family including King’s children and their wives, girlfriends and
boyfriends, each member of the delegation normally receives over five hundred
thousand Rands (R500,000.00) as a traveling allowance.
But it has been disclosed that, as a
result of the huge royal expenditure, “the payment of eSwatini Government
suppliers is normally halted to allow or enable the King to have enough funds
for his trips”.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=9754
PM
meets drug suppliers, stresses zero tolerance for corruption
By
Timothy Simelane, Times of eSwatini, 21 August 2025
MBABANE: Prime Minister (PM) Russell
Dlamini convened a meeting with medical suppliers in a move calculated to end
the decade old health crisis and iron out procurement concerns.
The highlight of the meeting, held at
Private and Cabinet, was that the PM stressed zero tolerance to corruption,
urging suppliers to report any unethical practices to the Anti-Corruption
Commission (ACC) or law enforcement.
The meeting follows serious concerns
raised by suppliers on the proposed procurement of medical supplies worth about
E1 billion.
A statement by the Acting Government
Spokesperson, Thabile Mdluli, said the aim of the meeting was to understand and
appreciate the challenges that health suppliers face as they work with
government and to also update them on government’s strategic direction and on
addressing the challenges currently being faced by the country’s health
sector.
Present at the meeting were suppliers and
service providers, including those specialising in pharmaceuticals, medicinal
supplies, medical equipment, catering and security. “The prime minister
reaffirmed government’s commitment to working with health suppliers in building
a world-class health system that delivers quality care to all emaSwati. He
emphasised the need for innovation, efficiency and accountability in
transforming the country’s health sector.
“He outlined Government’s Programme of
Action under the ‘nkwe’ mandate, which aims to shift the
health system from being reactive to proactive, focusing on prevention,
first-class infrastructure and technology-driven solutions,” Mdluli said.
She said the PM highlighted ongoing
reforms, including maintaining the procurement system, restructuring the
Central Medical Stores into a parastatal and leveraging electronic health
management systems to improve transparency.
See also
eSwatini
Health crisis: ESPPRA halts E570m medical supply tenders (eSwatini Observer)
https://eswatiniobserver.com/eswatini-health-crisis-esppra-halts-e570m-medical-supply-tenders/
UK
cuts bilateral aid to eSwatini
By Sibusiso
Dlamini, Sunday Observer (eSwatini), 17 August 2025
The United Kingdom has cut its bilateral
development assistance to Eswatini to zero for the current financial year,
marking a significant shift in how the country will receive support from
London.
The announcement comes as part of wider
cuts to Britain’s aid budget, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer having told
the House of Commons in February that the world had changed and rising security
threats, particularly from Russia, required increased defence spending.
To fund that rise, the UK has reduced its
Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocation from 0.5% of gross national
income to 0.3%.
Since then, the British government has
been conducting a review of its aid spending, with a clear priority on
multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and the World Bank and on
strengthening areas it deems most critical – humanitarian response, global
health, climate and nature, and reform of the global financial system.
British High Commissioner to Eswatini
Colin Wells confirmed the decision, describing it as “a difficult but necessary
choice” in light of the UK’s security obligation.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://eswatiniobserver.com/uk-cuts-bilateral-aid-to-eswatini/
Taiwan
rice worth over R10million hidden at the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, to be
distributed to MPs and used by Ambassador in influencing upcoming eSwatini’s
Tinkhundla undemocratic elections
By
Musa Mdluli, Swaziland News, 18 August, 2025
MBABANE: Taiwan donated rice worth over
R10million but the food was kept by the National Disaster Management Agency
(NDMA) under the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office.
Eswatini is an absolute Monarchy where
about 70% of the population lives below the poverty line, the tiny Kingdom is
the only country in Africa maintaining diplomatic relations with the Chinese
Province in complete defiance of the United Nations (UN) Resolution 2758 of
1971 that recognized the “One China Principle”.
It has been disclosed that, the rice will
be distributed strategically, to emaSwati in Constituencies under Members of
Parliament (MPs) who are loyal to Taiwan, and, the alleged intention is to
support them win the next elections and protect Taiwan interests in eSwatini.
But MPs recently voted in favour of a
R5.2billion Strategic Oil Reserve Bill, the tender marred by allegations of
corruption, was awarded to a Taiwan company as commanded by King Mswati.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=9776
PM Dlamini praises youth as partners
in change
eSwatini
Observer, 18 August 2025
Government, in partnership with the
European Union, has reaffirmed its commitment to equipping young people with
the skills, opportunities, and resources they need to become active drivers of
the nation’s sustainable development agenda.
Speaking during the International Youth
Day commemoration held at Gege Inkhundla last Thursday, Prime Minister Russell
Mmiso Dlamini praised the country’s young people for their energy, creativity,
and role as partners in change.
He said government’s focus was on aligning
all youth-targeted investments with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure measurable progress.
“Whether it is quality education, decent
work, health and well-being, or climate action, our youth are central to
achieving all the SDGs,” Dlamini said.
He noted that young people aged 15–34 make
up 37.4% of Eswatini’s population, making them a crucial demographic in shaping
national priorities.
The prime minister announced that the
Eswatini National Youth Policy (2020) would be fully operationalised, with
concrete, funded programmes rolled out in collaboration with the Ministry of
Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs and the Eswatini National Youth Council
(ENYC).
 |
The PM also visited some of the
stalls owned by the youth
To read more of this report, click here
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