Swaziland Newsletter No. 919 – 20 March 2026
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.
eSwatini starts administering lenacapavir to curb
spread of HIV
By Lunga Masuku, Reuters, 17 March 2026
MBABANE: Eswatini joined a
handful of countries to officially roll out new HIV prevention drug
lenacapavir on Wednesday, announcing that 2,000 Swazis had received the jab
since December.
The United States, where the
drug was formulated, and seven other African countries with high HIV
prevalence rates have introduced it so far.
“People have been very
receptive,” Sindy Matse, programme manager for the Eswatini National AIDS
Programme, told Reuters, adding that stock was nearly exhausted by the
initial uptake.
U.S.-based Gilead Sciences'
drug lenacapavir is a subcutaneous injection given twice a year. It aims to
overcome problems associated with daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis pills
(PrEP), such as forgetting to take them and failing to acquire enough pills
to keep taking them consistently.
Matse said the programme aimed
to have it available in all 206 health facilities that had been offering PrEP.
Eswatini is a small South
African kingdom formerly known as Swaziland.
Around a quarter of Swazis
between the ages of 15 and 49 carry the virus, according to the latest data,
from 2023, from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. But new infections fell
by nearly threequarters between 2010 and 2024, to 4,000 from 14,000, owing
to better prevention and treatment, the CDC says.
Arrival of four more men under United States unlawful
removal deal
Amnesty International, 13 March 2026
Four
more men removed by the United States arrived
in Eswatini on 11 March and are being detained in
the Matsapha Correctional Complex,
a maximum-security prison located some 2 kms from the
country’s international airport.
According to information
received by Amnesty International, the men – two Somali nationals, one
Tanzanian national and one Sudanese national – arrived at around 11PM
on a flight originating
from Phoenix, Arizona.
“This
latest unlawful transfer makes clear that the United States is
continuing to send people to Eswatini under a secretive
third-country removal arrangement, and that Eswatini is continuing to
hold them in unlawful detention without
transparency or adequate legal safeguards,” Amnesty
International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Vongai
Chikwanda, said.
“People with no known ties to
Eswatini are transferred there and arbitrarily detained while their
fate is decided behind closed doors. The authorities in Eswatini
must immediately disclose the legal basis for these detentions,
guarantee regular and confidential access to lawyers and families,
and guarantee due process to ensure that no one is held arbitrarily.”
In July 2025, the
US removed a first group of five people to Eswatini
where they were kept in arbitrary detention. This was followed by
the removal of a further 10 individuals from the
US to the Southern African country in October 2025. None
were known to have ties with Eswatini, where human rights under the absolute
monarchy continues to be curtailed.
“No one should be removed to a
country where they face a real risk of unlawful detention, onward refoulement
or other serious human rights violations. Both Eswatini and the United States
must end this deeply abusive practice,” Vongai Chikwanda said.
Background
Under a Memorandum of Understanding signed on 14 May 2025 and published in the
United States following a Freedom Of Information Act
(FOIA) request, the government of Eswatini agreed to accept up to
160 third country national removed from the United States, in exchange
for $5.1 million USD “to build its border and migration management
capacity”.
According to media
reports, three men
previously deported from the United States to Eswatini have filed a
complaint before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, alleging
that their prolonged detention is unlawful.
Education sector policy blamed for rise in teenage
pregnancy
By Khaya Simelane, Times of eSwatini, 13 March
2026
MBABANE: While the Swaziland
Education and Training Sector Policy (EDSEC) has long been praised as a
progressive step within Eswatini’s education sector, fresh concerns are
emerging from communities and experts who fear that the policy may be
unintentionally contributing to a rise in teenage pregnancies by normalising
early motherhood.
The policy, adopted in 2011,
guarantees pregnant learners the right to continue their education and return
to school after giving birth. Supported by the country’s national Gender
Policy, EDSEC explicitly states that schools must not permanently expel learners
due to pregnancy.
Instead, school administrators
are required to allow pregnant pupils to take time off to care for their babies
and then return to the classroom to complete their studies.
Government directives issued
in 2020 further reinforced the policy by instructing schools to ensure that
pregnant learners are allowed to return to class, particularly to sit for
examinations and complete their academic programmes.
The Ministry of Education and
Training refers to this approach as the “re-entry rule”, a measure designed to
ensure that teenage mothers are not permanently excluded from the education
system.
The policy is rooted in the
recognition of education as a fundamental human right, as outlined in the
United Nations (UN) human rights framework, to which Eswatini is a signatory.
However, while the policy has
been applauded for protecting the rights of vulnerable learners, statistics on
teenage pregnancy continue to raise alarm, prompting some communities to
question whether the policy is achieving its intended goals.
Data from international and
national reports indicate that teenage pregnancy remains a persistent and
growing challenge in the country.
A 2024 incidence report
released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) recorded more than 530
teenage pregnancies within specific regional contexts across the country.
Broader national statistics
also paint a worrying picture.
Eswatini has one of the
youngest populations in the region, with young people aged between 10 and 24
making up approximately 34 per cent of the population, translating to nearly
400 000 individuals out of the country’s 1.2 million people.
Population projections suggest
that this youthful demographic will continue to grow in the coming years.
Education sector reports
indicate that teenage pregnancy remains one of the leading causes of school
dropouts among girls.
To read more of
this report, click here
Toilets, showers for 85 arrested illegal foreign
nationals
By Sibusiso Tsabedze, eSwatini Observer,
14 March 2026
Toilets, movable showers and
sanitation have been allegedly promised to the 85 foreign nationals arrested
for contravening the Immigration Act on Wednesday.
This comes after Minister of
Health Mduduzi Matsebula was reported to have assessed the holding cells at the
Mbabane Police Station, following complaints from the suspects over sanitation.
The news was revealed by the
Crown and Desk Officer Inspector Akhona Dludlu at the Mbabane Magistrate’s
Court where the suspects appeared.
During proceedings, concerns
were raised regarding the conditions at the Mbabane Police Station where the
accused persons are currently being held.
The suspects complained about
a lack of proper sanitation facilities at the police station, particularly the
unavailability of toilets and showers.
Defence attorney Nqobile
Muringani informed the court that the ministry of health should be requested to
assess the conditions at the police station to ensure that the health of the
accused persons was not compromised.
He submitted that the police
station needed to be assessed to determine whether it was suitable to house
such a large number of detainees.
Responding to concerns raised
by the defence, the Crown informed the court that Minister Matsebula had
already visited the Mbabane Police Station to assess the conditions of the
holding cells.
The Crown submitted that the
minister had acknowledged the sanitation challenges and had promised that the
matter would be addressed, including the provision of showers and improved
sanitation facilities.
Meanwhile Inspector Dludlu
also addressed the court regarding the matter. “We cannot run away from the
truth. The minister of health came to assess the situation and they are working
on fixing the issues,” the officer said.
The court emphasised the
importance of ensuring that the accused persons were treated with dignity while
in custody.
…. The accused persons include
nationals from China, Brazil, Indonesia, Taiwan and Cambodia and they appeared
before Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi facing two counts related to
unlawful entry and illegal employment in the country.
According to the charge sheet,
the accused persons were allegedly found at one of the hotels in Mbabane on
March 11.
The suspects were alleged to
have wrongfully and unlawfully entered and remained in the country without
possessing valid permits authorising them to do so.
On the second count the
accused were charged for not being holders of valid permits allowing them to
work in the country.
 |
Court
orders sanitation and showers for 85 foreign nationals detained at Mbabane
Police Station after complaints about poor holding cell conditions
See also
Pastor’s wife questioned, 6 more
foreigners arrested (Times of eSwatini)
SACBC strengthens
mission for migrants, refugees, and anti-human trafficking in eSwatini (SABC)
PM admits corruption in police service
By Nokuphila Haji, eSwatini Observer, 13
March 2026
Prime Minister Russell Mmiso
Dlamini says there is a ‘cancer’ in the country that must be fought, admitting
that corruption exists within the police service.
The prime minister was
responding to allegations raised by Mayiwane MP Sicelo Dlamini, who claimed
that some police operations, particularly in northern Hhohho, were being
influenced by drug dealers and Asian nationals.
The PM applauded Dlamini for
raising concerns about drug dealers allegedly influencing police operations,
saying he had highlighted an important issue regarding corruption within the
police service.
He said it was good that the
matter had been raised in the presence of the police service.
“It is there and it is a
cancer that we must fight. Individuals participate in corruption and spread it
within institutions.
“Corruption is not
institutionalised and I hope the podcasts you are referring to will clarify,”
he said.
He also called for increased
funding for new police vehicles, recruitment and promotions within the police
service.
The PM said this would help
the police service counter the alleged infiltration by drug dealers, as raised
by the MP.
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