Swaziland
Newsletter No. 923 – 17 April 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.
Rule
of Law Under Strain in eSwatini: A Submission on Judicial Independence and
Civic Space
International
Commission of Jurists, 13 April 2026
On April 10, 2026, the ICJ
filed a submission to the Human Rights Council’s Working Group on the Universal
Periodic Review of Eswatini, in preparation for the review of the human
rights situation in the country scheduled for November 2026.
In this contribution to the
Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Eswatini, the International Commission of
Jurists (ICJ) raises concerns and makes recommendations about the following
concerns:
• Failure to secure judicial
independence;
• Failure to safeguard the independence of lawyers;
• Repression of rights to dissent, and protest; and
• Failure to investigate human rights abuses.
Eswatini accepted numerous
recommendations on those concerns during its Third (2021), Second (2016), and
its First UPR Cycle. Eswatini has repeatedly accepted UPR recommendations
relating to the suppression of the rights of human defenders, the failure to
investigate human rights violations against human defenders, and the
enhancement of judicial independence. Despite this, little, if any, progress
has been made in implementing such recommendations. In fact, the Eswatini
government has doubled down on the application of repressive laws and the
suppression of dissent to such an extent that the chilling effect on human
rights defenders remains at a point of crisis.
Read the full
submission here
https://www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FINAL-ESWATINI-ICJ-UPR-SUB-10-APRIL-2026.pdf
eSwatini police officers embark on crackdown against
pro-democracy activists ahead of King Mswati’s forty (40) years on the Throne
celebration
By Musa Mdluli, Swaziland News, 15 April 2026
MBABANE: Eswatini police are allegedly fabricating criminal charges just to detain members of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) to ensure that King Mswati’s forty (40) years on the Throne and birthday double celebration is held without any disturbance or protests.
But this Swaziland News reported on the 27th February 2026 that, between the 14th and 24th April 2026, Eswatini police will embark on a crackdown on pro-democracy activists to ensure that, the event “takes place without protests”, this was after Swaziland News editor Zweli Martin Dlamini obtained a draft intelligence report that was used to compile an operation order.
Indeed
on Wednesday this week, the police raided the home of ex-PUDEMO Deputy
President Zodwa Mkhonta and went on to list a leader of the PUDEMO Youth League
Nontsetselelo Nkambule as a wanted person, the cops fabricated attempted murder
charges against her.
But apart from detaining the
political activists, it has been disclosed that, the police officers “want to
grab their cellphones and go through the political organization’s Whatsap Group
and communications with other political leaders to identify plans and
strategies”, of the organization.
Senior Superintendent Phindile
Vilakati, the Eswatini Police Spokesperson, declined to comment.
Eswatini is ruled by King
Mswati as an absolute Monarch, the country where political parties are banned,
is not a democracy.
See also
State Police
Intelligence conducting investigation to ascertain why pro-democracy leaders
are quiet amid fears political activists are planning to topple King Mswati’s
undemocratic regime, PUDEMO Spokesperson says struggle stronger in silence (Swaziland
News)
https://swazilandnews.co.za/articles/529
King to army: Stand against invisible enemies dividing
nation
By Joseph Zulu, eSwatini News, 11 April 2026
King Mswati III during the 53rd Army Day |
NOKWANE: Eswatini has a new threat – invisible enemies.
His Majesty King Mswati III
has urged the nation’s armed forces to confront what he described as ‘invisible
enemies’ that are increasingly threatening national unity and stability, saying
modern security challenges extend far beyond traditional warfare.
In his speech, His Majesty
warned that Eswatini now faces evolving threats that include instability,
lawlessness and growing national division. He called on soldiers to remain
alert not only to external dangers, but also to internal forces that weaken national
cohesion.
This is what the King said:
“The nature of our enemies has evolved. Today’s soldier must stand firm not
only against physical aggression, but also against instability, lawlessness and
division within society.”
Ingwenyama delivered the
remarks during the 53rd Army Day held at the Umbutfo Eswatini
Defence Force (UEDF) headquarters in Nokwane yesterday. The army was created in
1973. It is now 53 years old. The event was attended by among others,
Mathews Phosa, the former Treasurer General of the African National Congress
(ANC) and ex-Premier of Mphumalanga Province.
Members of the royal family,
Cabinet ministers, senior government officials, diplomats and members of the
public gathered to mark the annual event that honours the country’s military.
The Head of State also highlighted the importance of adapting to technological
changes shaping modern warfare. He urged the army to continuously train and
upgrade their skills to remain effective in a changing global environment.
However, he cautioned that
technology should never replace human discipline and presence, insisting that
‘boots on the ground’ remain essential to maintaining peace and security.
On the issue of invisible
enemies, the King expanded on his warning, noting that division among citizens,
disregard for law and erosion of shared national values can be just as
dangerous as external threats. He implored them to remain observant and
to support efforts that promote respect, discipline and national cohesion
across all communities.
He also highlighted the
importance of leadership within the armed forces, encouraging senior officers
to continue guiding younger soldiers with integrity and a strong sense of duty.
Ingwenyama said discipline
within the ranks is crucial in maintaining an effective and trusted defence
institution He said Army Day is a moment to recognise the commitment, courage
and sacrifice of soldiers who continue to serve the nation under difficult and
often harsh conditions along the borders and within the country.
To read more of
this report, click here
Four men deported by US to eSwatini have right to see
lawyer, court rules
By Rachel Savage, The Guardian (UK), 10
April 2026
JOHANNESBURG: Four men
deported by the US to Eswatini and denied in-person legal counsel for nine
months while detained in a maximum security prison have the right to see a
local lawyer, Eswatini’s supreme court ruled.
The men, from Cambodia, Cuba,
Vietnam and Yemen, were sent to the small southern
African country, formerly
known as Swaziland, in July despite having no connection to the country, as
part of Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to ramp up deportations.
The US government had labelled
the men dangerous criminals. Their lawyers said they had already served
sentences for crimes committed in the US. Eswatini’s correctional services
refused to let a local lawyer see the men, although they allowed them to make
calls to their US lawyers, the lawyers said.
The court rejected the
government’s argument that “the inmates persistently showed no interest” in
meeting the human rights lawyer Sibusiso Magnificent Nhlabatsi, in a judgment handed down on Thursday.
The three judges ruled: “There
can be no real harm in granting the respondent access to the detainees … it
then will be up to the detainees, if they do not wish to see the respondent, to
tell this to the respondent to his face.”
To read more of
this report, click here
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/10/trump-administration-deport-men-eswatini-court-rule
See also
Supreme Court
ruling on legal access offers limited relief for US deportees (Amnesty
International)
The emperor has no clothes: how rhetoric fuels
repression in eSwatini
By Melusi Simelane, Washington Blade (US),
10 April 2026
King Mswati III’s anti-LGBTQ
comments can have deadly consequences
In an absolute monarchy, the
words spoken by the sovereign can swiftly become a baton striking a citizen.
When King Mswati III speaks, his words do not simply drift into the air as
political “opinion”; they often quickly turn into, sometimes violently, state
policy. This reflects the reality of Eswatini, where the right to freedom of
expression, including the right to hold dissenting political views, is
increasingly being systematically eroded by the very voice that claims to
uphold “traditional values.”
To understand the current
crisis facing the LGBTIQ+ community in Eswatini, one must view it through the
lens of a broader strategy: the weaponization of culture to justify the erosion
of democratic institutions, the rule of law, and human rights protections. As
observed across Africa, from the streets of Harare and Dar es Salaam to the
parliamentary courtrooms of Dakar and Kampala, African leaders are increasingly
using the marginalised as an entry point to dismantle civil society. In
Eswatini, this strategy has manifest its most brutal expression in the king’s
recent harmful rhetoric concerning sexual orientation and gender
identity.
The danger of the king’s words
lies in how the state apparatus interprets them as a divine mandate for
persecution. Recently, we have seen this “Rhetoric-to-Policy Pipeline” operate
with chilling efficiency. Shortly after the Minister of Education made public vitriol against the existence of LGBTIQ+ students,
reports emerged of children being expelled from schools. In a country where the king is
culturally and traditionally called the “ingwenyama” (the lion), the
bureaucracy acts as his pride; when leadership suggests that a particular group
is “un-African” or “deviant,” the machinery of the state, along with the
emboldened segments of the public, moves to purge that group from society.
For an openly gay man who has
dedicated most of his adulthood to advancing equality and dignity for all,
especially marginalized communities, these are not merely policy changes; they
pose existential threats. When a powerful leader speaks, they offer a moral
shield for the dogmatist and a legal roadmap for the policeman. In Eswatini,
where political parties are banned, and the “tinkhundla” system
(constituency-based system) — a system that systematically silences dissent and
favors those aligned with the sovereign — is celebrated as the sole “authentic”
form of governance, any identity that falls outside the narrow, state-defined
“tradition” is seen as treason. By branding LGBTIQ+ rights as “ungodly” and
essentially unwelcome in Eswatini, the monarchy effectively views the mere
existence of queer Swazis as a subversive act against the crown.
To read more of
this report, click here
(Melusi Simelane is the
founder and board chair of Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities. He is also
the Civic Rights Program Manager for the Southern Africa Litigation Center)
King Mswati’s senior wife Inkhosikati Nomsa
LaMatsebula urges Nation including corporate companies to support Autism eSwatini
By Musa Mdluli, Swaziland News, 11 April 2026
MBABANE: Autism Eswatini
Patron King Mswati’s senior wife Inkhosikati Nomsa LaMatsebula has urged
Nation, the business community, and development partners to support the
organisation in raising ten percent (10%) of the total cost required to
construct a dedicated autism centre in Eswatini, Government online platforms
reported.
Speaking during the 2026
Autism Challenge Hiking event in Kholwane on Saturday as part of the
Commemoration of the World Autism Awareness Day, Inkhosikati framed autism “not
as a burden” but as a different way of experiencing the world.
“Autism is not a tragedy to be
ignored; it is a different way of experiencing the world-one that requires our
respect, compassion, and deliberate action. We need to intensify our efforts
and be strategic in pulling the required resources for creating sustainable
systems that will strengthen support for all persons with autism in Eswatini.
Together, we can make this possible,” she said.
On another note, Minister of
Health Mduduzi Matsebula supported the Inkhosikati’s call, revealing that 1 in
6 emaSwati have autism, accounting for 16.7% of the population, according to
the results of the first autism survey conducted in the Lubombo region.
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