Swaziland Newsletter No. 944 – 18 September 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.
About one in four teens reported attempting suicide
By Sabelo Majola, eSwatini Observer, 12
September 2026
An alarming picture of the
mental health challenges facing young people in the country has emerged, with
the ministry of health revealing that one in four learners aged between 13 and
17 years reportedly seriously considered suicide.
The figures were highlighted
by the ministry of health as the country joined the global community in
commemorating World Suicide Prevention Day 2026 under the theme ‘Changing the
Narrative on Suicide’, with the call to action: ‘Let’s Start the Conversation’.
Delivering the Minister of
Health MP Mduduzi Matsebula’s speech, Acting Deputy Director of Public Health
Dr Adman Shabangu said the figures were particularly concerning given that more
than half of the learners surveyed reported having nobody to talk to about
their worries.
The revelations place renewed
focus on the emotional and psychological wellbeing of children and adolescents,
while raising questions about the support available to young people
experiencing distress.
“Suicide is also among the
leading causes of death among our adolescents and young people,” Shabangu said.
He said the statistics should
not be viewed merely as numbers, but as an indication of lives at risk and the
wider impact suicide has on families, communities and the country.
The ministry also cited the
latest World Health Organization (WHO) estimate, which places the country as
having the second-highest suicide rate in the African region after Lesotho. The
figure cited by the ministry was 31.8 deaths per 10 000 population.
To read more of
this report, click here
https://www.eswatiniobserver.com/about-1-in-4-teens-reported-attempting-suicide/
Two U.S. government workers accidentally shot by
soldiers during anti-smuggling operation in eSwatini
By Associated Press, 15 September 2026
Soldiers in the African nation
of Eswatini accidentally shot two U.S. government personnel last week, the
country's government said.
The U.S. personnel were shot
during an anti-smuggling operation by the Eswatini army in a rural region in
the northeast of the country late Friday, Eswatini's government said in a
statement late Monday.
The Americans sustained
"minor injuries" and there was an investigation underway, Eswatini
government spokesperson Thabile Mdluli told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The Eswatini government didn't
immediately identify the U.S. personnel or say why they were present. The U.S.
State Department said that it was aware of the shootings and the "affected
U.S. personnel are safe," but also didn't immediately identify who they
were. It said it was working with the Eswatini government on an investigation.
Army sources told Swaziland News that the soldiers accidentally shot a U.S. diplomat
at a military roadblock. The sources told the outlet that soldiers were unaware
that a car that made a U-turn next to a military roadblock was driven by an
American diplomat and thought someone was illegally avoiding the roadblock.
Eswatini army spokesperson
Sandile Gwebu told the AP that it was now "a diplomatic issue"
handled by both countries and didn't give further details.
The Eswatini government said
in its statement that "the incident is being treated with the seriousness
it warrants."
Eswatini is a small kingdom of
around 1.3 million people on the border between South Africa and Mozambique. It
is ruled by King Mswati
III, who holds supreme political
power and is Africa's last absolute monarch.
See also
‘Accidental
Maphiveni Military Roadblock shooting of diplomat won’t compromise eSwatini
diplomatic relations with the United States’ (Swaziland News)
https://swazilandnews.co.za/articles/38784
Questions raised online after U.S.
government personnel accidentally shot by eSwatini soldiers (Briefly News,
South Africa)
Rural schools expose teacher hardships
By Mlondzi Nkambule, Times of eSwatini, 16
September 2026
MBABANE: Crumbling classrooms,
makeshift staffrooms and pupils repairing school walls have exposed the
conditions teachers face in rural schools.
The conditions were uncovered
during a tour by the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), the
Government Negotiations Team (GNU) Secretariat and representatives of the
Hhohho Regional Education Office (REO).
The team visited selected
schools in the Hhohho Region to assess the challenges faced by educators and
determine the extent to which rural conditions justify the hardship allowance
being pursued for teachers.
At Gobolondlo Primary School,
the team was shown two structures which were previously used as classrooms but
have remained derelict since their roof was blown off in 2019.
The structures have not been
rehabilitated seven years later after construction experts reportedly advised
that they were beyond repair.
The state of the classrooms
formed part of the evidence being gathered by the team as it assesses the
working conditions of teachers in rural schools.
From Lufafa, the team
proceeded to Gobolondlo Primary School, where another picture of the challenges
facing rural schools emerged.
At Lufafa, pupils were found
mixing water and sand to repair damage to a stick-and-mud structure currently
being used as a staffroom.
Information gathered during
the visit indicated that the structure was previously used as a teacher’s
quarter before being converted into a staffroom.
The conditions observed during
the tour have added weight to SNAT’s argument for teachers working in
identified hardship areas to receive an allowance.
SNAT Secretary General Lot
Vilakati said the assessment would continue in other parts of the country, with
the next stop being the Shiselweni Region, specifically Gege.
Vilakati said the purpose of
the tours was to establish the realities faced by teachers before the parties
continue discussions on the proposed hardship allowance.
“Upon completion of these
tours, we are hopeful that the discussions we will have will yield positive
results for the educators in the country who need this allowance,” he said.
He said teachers would not be
subjected to different treatment once schools qualifying for the allowance had
been identified.
“There will be no special
treatment or preference. Everyone who deserves it will get the allowance,” said
Vilakati.
The tour is expected to
provide the negotiating parties with first-hand information on the conditions
at schools, particularly those located in rural and difficult-to-reach areas.
The team is expected to
continue assessing schools as part of the process before further negotiations
on the hardship allowance.
 |
A stick and
mud structure at Lufafa Primary School that is used as a staffroom and
sometimes as a chicken shed by agriculture learners. (Pic: The SNAT Platform
Facebook page)
See also
Remote Schools
Assessed for Hardship Allowance (eSwatini Positive News)
https://eswatinipositivenews.online/remote-schools-assessed-for-hardship-allowance/
Civil Society wants Human Rights Commission Bill
strengthened
By Phiwase Phungwayo, eSwatini Observer, 15
September 2026
The country’s long-awaited
watchdog over human rights and public administration could finally be given the
teeth to do its job, but civil society wants Parliament to go further before
the proposed law is passed.
Melusi Simelane, Human Rights
Policy Analyst and Head of Civic Rights at the Southern Africa Litigation
Centre, said the Human Rights Commission Bill of 2025 presents a crucial
opportunity to establish an independent and credible institution capable of holding
the Executive to account.
He said while the Bill
proposed significant new powers for the commission, including subpoena powers
and unannounced inspections of detention facilities, several provisions still
needed to be strengthened to ensure the institution could effectively fulfil
its constitutional mandate.
He said the Bill of 2025 was,
therefore, significant because it sought to strengthen the commission’s powers
and potentially pave the way for its accreditation by the Global Alliance of
National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI). Among the proposed powers welcomed
by civil society are the ability to subpoena individuals and documents and to
conduct unannounced visits to detention facilities.
However, Simelane said the
Bill still contained provisions that needed to be addressed if the commission
was to operate independently and effectively.
One of the major concerns, he
said, was the commission’s accountability.
Simelane argued that the
commission should report to Parliament rather than the Executive, as its
mandate included scrutinising public administration and holding government
institutions accountable.
He also raised concerns about
its funding, saying the legislation appeared to provide primarily for the
commission’s salaries and administrative costs without adequately funding the
activities necessary for it to fulfil its mandate.
To read more of
this report, click here
https://www.eswatiniobserver.com/1civil-society-wants-human-rights-commission-bill-strengthened/
Ministries urged to put disability in their budgets
By Lindelwa Myeni, eSwatini Positive News, 15
September 2026
MBABANE: Disability inclusion
should no longer remain a policy commitment on paper, but must be backed by
actual Government budgets, programmes and resources capable of improving the
everyday lives of persons with disabilities.
This was the central message
delivered to Government ministries and key stakeholders during sensitisation
workshops on the Costed Eswatini National Disability Action Plan 2024–2026.
Hosted by the Deputy Prime
Minister’s Office and the Federation Organisation of Disabled People in
Eswatini (FODSWA), with support from UNESCO, the workshops sought to strengthen
understanding of the national plan and help ministries translate its commitments
into practical action.
Participants were encouraged
to ensure that disability inclusion is considered from the earliest stages of
Government planning instead of being treated as an afterthought once programmes
and budgets have already been finalised.
At the heart of the
discussions was disability-responsive budgeting — ensuring that Government
ministries deliberately allocate resources towards removing barriers that may
prevent persons with disabilities from accessing services, opportunities and
participating fully in society.
UNESCO Regional Office for
Southern Africa Officer for Social and Human Sciences Memory Zulu stressed that
disability inclusion requires financial commitment across Government.
To read more of
this report, click here
https://eswatinipositivenews.online/ministries-urged-to-put-disability-in-their-budgets/
See also
When silence
speaks: deaf rights are human rights (eSwatini Positive News)
https://eswatinipositivenews.online/when-silence-speaks-deaf-rights-are-human-rights/
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