Swaziland Newsletter No. 885 – 11
July 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.
Calls
for urgent reforms as prisons overflow
United
Nations Development Programme, 8 July 2025
Eswatini is grappling with severe
overcrowding in its correctional facilities, with nine out of the country’s 11
prisons holding inmates who have been detained for more than 12 months without
trial. This was revealed in a recent assessment conducted by the Commission on
Human Rights, Public Administration and Integrity.
The assessment report launched on 04 July
at the UN House in Mbabane, shows that the nine facilities accommodating
pre-trial detainees have exceeded their combined capacity of 3,090 by nearly 50
percent. The Commission’s report highlights that while pre-trial detention is
intended to ensure the attendance of accused individuals in court, extended
periods in detention – particularly without trial – raise significant human
rights concerns.
These impacts are especially severe for
vulnerable groups such as the indigent, women, children, and juveniles, as
prolonged detention exacerbates their hardships and undermines opportunities
for rehabilitation.
According to the Assessment of
Pre-Trial Detainees in Correctional Facilities in the Kingdom of Eswatini report,
the primary cause of prison overcrowding is systemic delays in the judicial
process. These delays are attributed to several factors, including:
Pending committals
Expired contracts for judicial officers
Delays in judgments and sentencing
Inefficiencies among legal representatives
Inability to afford bail
Lack of legal representation for accused
persons
To address these challenges, the
Commission has put forward several recommendations:
Grant full jurisdiction to Magistrates’
Courts for rape and robbery cases (although now Magistrates Courts have been
given jurisdiction for these cases)
Implement the Integrated Electronic Case
Management System.
Strengthen judicial oversight mechanisms.
Resuscitate the Criminal Justice Sector
Forum.
Promote continuous professional
development for justice sector actors.
Introduce alternatives to pre-trial
detention.
Review the Criminal Procedure and Evidence
Act to address the needs of offenders with psychosocial disabilities.
Develop reintegration guidelines for
offenders.
Establish a systematic strategy to follow
up on cases where co-accused individuals are out on bail
Create consistent processes for handling
cases presided over by acting judicial officers
To read more of this report, click
here
https://www.undp.org/eswatini/news/calls-urgent-reforms-prisons-overflow
50%
of children in eSwatini living in poverty
By
Nokwanda Mamba, Swaziland Democratic News, 9 July 2025
MBABANE: More than half of children living
in rural Eswatini are suffering from multidimensional poverty, with 51.8%
deprived in at least three key areas such as nutrition, health, education,
housing, child protection, sanitation, and access to information.
This alarming revelation is part of a
Child Poverty Analysis Report released on Wednesday by the Ministry of Economic
Planning and Development, with financial backing from the United Nations
International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
The report puts the national child poverty
rate at 46.6%, with rural children disproportionately affected (51.8%) compared
to their urban counterparts (23.1%). Regionally, Lubombo tops the list with
55.4% of children living in poverty, while Hhohho has the lowest rate at 39.5%.
Principal Secretary Thabsile Mlangeni
launched the report at the Hilton Garden Inn on Wednesday.
“These are not just statistics, they
represent the daily realities and struggles of our children. They also serve as
a guiding light to refine policies and better allocate resources,” said
Mlangeni, as quoted by Eswatini Positive News.
70% of the population in Eswatini lives
below the poverty line, in stark contrast to the lavish lifestyle of the royal
family.
AfDB
approves $47.5m loan to support eSwatini reforms
APA
News, 4 July 2025
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has
approved a $47.5 million loan to Eswatini to support urgent economic reforms
and address soaring youth unemployment, the bank announced.
The funding will launch the Enhancing
Economic Resilience and Competitiveness Programme (EERCP), a two-year
initiative aligned with Eswatini’s National Development Plan (2023–2028).
The programme aims to strengthen fiscal
sustainability, stimulate private sector-led growth and improve livelihoods in
a country grappling with declining gross domestic product (GDP) and mounting
fiscal pressures.
AfDB deputy director general for southern
Africa Moono Mupotola said the programme was essential at a time Eswatini is
navigating “challenging economic conditions while implementing ambitious
reforms.”
“Our support will help the Kingdom build
fiscal resilience while creating an enabling environment for private sector-led
growth that can generate jobs for young people and women,” she said.
Eswatini’s economy faces significant
headwinds, with GDP growth declining from five percent in 2023 to an estimated
3.6 percent in 2024, primarily due to the impact of extreme droughts on
agricultural output.
The fiscal deficit has widened from 1.5
percent in 2023 to an estimated 1.7 percent in 2024, driven by underperformance
in customs revenues and increased public spending pressures.
The EERCP focuses on two pillars: fiscal
and public financial management reforms, and competitiveness enhancement to
promote inclusive and green growth.
It builds on AfDB’s previous support for
economic recovery and includes technical assistance in state-owned enterprise
reform, procurement modernization, and gender policy implementation.
Expected outcomes include reduced domestic
arrears, increased private sector contribution to GDP, expanded renewable
energy share, and improved scores on the AfDB’s Country Policy and
Institutional Assessment tool.
EU launches skills programme to
tackle youth unemployment in eSwatini
By Press
and Information team of the Delegation to eSwatini, 4 July 2025
The European Union (EU) in Eswatini,
in partnership with GIZ (German Cooperation Agency), has launched
the Skills for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship in Eswatini
(S4YEEE) programme to help tackle youth unemployment in the Kingdom.
Launched on 01 July 2025 in
Mbabane, this EU-funded programme worth 14 million Euros
(approx. SZL 300 million), aims to contribute to human capital
development and social inclusion by strengthening TVET systems to align
with labour market demands and national skills needs. The programme
particularly focuses on economic development and the inclusion of youth,
women, and other disadvantaged groups.
Government representatives present during
the launch of the programme, applauded the initiative, noting its potential to
position Eswatini among the region’s leaders in TVET excellence and reduce
youth unemployment while fuelling entrepreneurship.
Speaking during the launch, EU Head of
Cooperation Eva-Maria Engdahl, reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to ensuring
that this programme benefits the youth of Eswatini and remains socially
inclusive, in line with the EU–Eswatini Multi-Annual Indicative
Programme (MIP) 2021–2027.
The programme is funded by the
European Union and implemented by the German Cooperation Agency
(GIZ) under the WE4D programme. GIZ experts were introduced and
shared their extensive regional and international experience. They are in the
country to conduct further field work.
The Nurse’s Orders: how a student
nurse is turning social media into a lifesaving tool
By Nokukhanya Musi–Aimienoho, Vaccines Work, 4 July 2025
Armed with evidence and a gift
for simplifying medical jargon, Meluleki Ndwandwe is on a mission to empower
Eswatini’s youth with facts, not fear.
As the sun rises over Eswatini,
21-year-old nursing student Meluleki Ndwandwe sits, hunched over his desk in
his university dorm room, uploading posts to social media.
Numerous tabs are open on his screen –
research papers and studies on cervical cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV)
vaccine info sites and health-related news. He has made it his business to post
the latest and most accurate information, to catch the youth up on health
issues that might affect them.
One recent development he’s broadcasting
to his following is the news of the recent extension of
the HPV vaccination programme to young women between 15 and 20 years of age.
Hitherto, the jab was publicly available only to girls between 9 and 14 years
of age.
I noticed that the youth do not listen to
traditional radio health shows and are always on social media. Leveraging this
newfound community that is literally in the palm of our hands became my first
objective.
His aim, he says, is to spread awareness
of the importance of vaccination, to clear up misconceptions, and present
people with well-substantiated information on which they can base the choices
that might save their lives.
Ndwandwe’s social media crusade is
responding to a very present threat. Cervical cancer accounts for a
staggering 54.6% of
all cancer cases among women in Eswatini, with a five-year prevalence of 185
cases per 100,000 women.
 |
Meluleki Ndwandwe
Driven by a personal purpose after
observing friends and relatives harmed by health misinformation, he formed an
organisation called The Nurse’s Orders,
an online consultation service, in 2024, to empower young people through the
provision of accurate health information.
“I had the idea for a long time but it was
officially implemented last year to disseminate health educational information
to the young demographic. I noticed that the youth do not listen to traditional
radio health shows and are always on social media. Leveraging this newfound
community that is literally in the palm of our hands became my first objective.
So I launched our Facebook and YouTube pages,” he shares.
To read more of this report, click
here
Opinion
by Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 9 July, 2025
King Mswati is fully aware that, this
country is struggling with cash flow challenges and his lavish or extravagant
lifestyle is contributing to this unfortunate situation.
Cash flow problems in this context, occur
when Government spends more money than the generated revenue, leading to
difficulty in paying bills or meeting financial obligations and this, is
exactly what is helping in this country.
But in the midst of this unfortunate
situation, King Mswati used millions of public funds to travel to Ghana in
search for witches(batsakatsi) to be used in performing rituals during the
Incwala ceremony at the end of the year.
The King subsequently travelled to Spain
to attend the International Conference on Financing Development and upon
return, he informed the Nation that,he named a cow “Mbabane” saying that would
market the country as the cow travels across Europe”.
It was very disappointing to note that,
while emaSwati were expecting leadership or direction amid a serious health
crisis threatening the existence of this Nation, the King was thrilled to name
a Spanish cow-Mbabane.
Personally, I cannot entirely blame
Cabinet regarding the health crisis because I’m fully aware that, Mswati is
addicted to money, looting and witchcraft, traveling to Ghana and spending
millions of public funds just to ‘interview’ witches for his own ritual beliefs
while this country is in such crisis, was literally a demonstration that, he
doesn’t care or is out of touch with reality.
Billions were stolen in the public coffers
by Mswati and his alleged corrupt friend SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff
and, if the money was stolen, it means it’s no longer there.
Indeed, there’s a huge possibility that
some of the billions are kept within the King’s ‘pockets’ because there was no
way this Indonesian alleged corrupt thief could have stolen such huge amounts
of money in this country without being arrested if, he was not receiving
support, backing or protection from King Mswati who is above the law.
It is therefore unjust, for the King to
put pressure on Cabinet or Health Minister Mduduzi Matsebula, where is the
money to buy or supply the drugs in public hospitals?.
King Mswati must remember that we are not
fools, we know exactly what is happening in this country, the King is rich but
emaSwati are poor with no access to medical care.
As a Head of State, he cannot divorce
himself from this health crisis, a Health Minister is too junior for this
national crisis and it’s the King who must demonstrate leadership and allocate
money for the supply of drugs in public hospitals and if need be, he must
transfer all the billions he has been stealing, back to public coffers.
It is important to state that, we must
provide Health Minister Mduduzi Matsebula all the necessary resources
particularly, the money to buy drugs and then demand accountability or
criticize him, what is happening now is a fallacy.
We can’t have a King who use millions of
public funds to ‘interview’ witches in Ghana while emaSwati die in public
hospitals but, he expects us to blame Health Minister Mduduzi Matsebula, the
Member of Parliament (MP) from Siphocosini was not even in Cabinet at the time
of the looting that triggered the health crisis.
Mduduzi Matsebula must only be blamed for
uttering outright lies while emaSwati die in public hospitals, at some point,
he was seen off-loading a few boxes saying drugs have been delivered, maybe he
was under pressure.
But lies are just lies, whether you lie
under oath, pressure or duress, lies must be discouraged and truth must be told
so that, emaSwati “can make informed decisions in the midst of the health
crisis”.
But what is of paramount importance now
and, pending the arrest of SwaziPharm Director Kareem Ashraff and the other
alleged multibillion drugs shortage thieves, is the allocation of a sufficient
budget for the supply of drugs in public hospitals.
See also
Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini
confirms situation in hospitals worsening amid shortage of drugs, appeals to
Parliament to fully support efforts to address health crisis
https://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=9466
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