Swaziland Newsletter No. 779 – 2 June
2023
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.
Pro-democracy
groups in eSwatini urge SADC not to neglect their plight
By Ditaba Tsotetsi, SABC
News (South Africa), 27 May 2023
Pro-democracy organisations in
Eswatini have called on the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
region not to neglect their plight.
Economic Freedom Fighters
(EFF) Eswatini led the demonstration outside the Eswatini High Commission in
Pretoria on Friday.
They also handed a memorandum
of demands, calling the democratic reforms to be expedited in the Kingdom.
They say it’s an uphill to
climb but victory is certain.
The demonstration comes as the
Kingdom of Eswatini gears up to go to the elections this year.
EFF Eswatini National
Convenor, Wandile Luhane, expressed mixed feelings about the polls.
Meanwhile, an official from
the Eswatini High Commission accepted the memorandum of demands and he was not
keen to speak to SABC News when requested for
an official comment.
Give wives power to say no to umgcaki – some MPs
By Sabelo Majola, Times of eSwatini, 26
May 2023
MBABANE: Members of Parliament (MPs) want women to have the power to say
no to polygamous marriage in the kuteka custom.
The kuteka custom entails that a man can have more than one wife but
they have an obligation to report to the first wife about their intentions.
However, the reporting does not mean the man must get consent from the wife. It
is courtesy that the man makes his first wife aware of his intentions.
However, the legislators, particularly the female MPs, want it to be
incorporated in the Marriages Bill, 2022 that the woman, during consultation
with her husband on marrying a second wife, should have the power to put her
foot down and deny the husband marrying another wife.
Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Portfolio Committee
Chairman MP Sibusiso Mabhanisi Dlamini moved for the adoption of the report of
the committee on the Marriages Bill, 2022 and he was seconded by Manzini North
MP Macford Sibandze. Shiselweni Region MP Nokuthula Dlamini submitted that
there was no better time for the Bill to be enacted into law because many
people were miserable in their marriages but there was no way out. She
even enquired from the committee chairman on why the Bill took long as people
were enduring very toxic marriages and said the legislation was a ray of
hope. “I am very pleased about this law; it will restore peace, respect
and dignity in many marriages. The fact that the Bill gives women many grounds
of divorce, even in the traditional wedding, is something to celebrate,” she
said.
Manzini Region MP Busisiwe Mavimbela echoed MP Nokuthula on her
submissions, stating that it was giving her a lot of joy to see the committee
putting so much effort into a legislation that sought to give women a voice in
marriages. “Women have the right to say no to a second wife and the law
should also incorporate that. If the couple does not reach a consensus that
favours the woman, that should be ground for divorce and she should be allowed
to leave that marriage,” she submitted. Deputy Prime Minister Themba
Masuku was one of the legislators who supported the Bill and he also touched on
the issue of the right of the woman to decline a request from his husband to
marry a second wife.
“Is there room for the woman to say yes or no when consulted by the
husband on his intentions to marry a second wife? Does the legislation give her
power to come out of that marriage if her opinion is not considered as far as
being in a polygamous marriage is concerned?” he asked. However, most of
the MPs were against the proposed amendment giving women power to deny their
husbands marrying another wife. Minister of Labour and Social Security
Phila Buthelezi, enquired if it would not be in conflict with the traditions
and customs of the country if women were given that power. The minister said
the proposed legislation had many conflicts with the customs of the country and
if given the green light, it could stain them heavily.
MP Prince Mfanawemakhosi said the danger in this proposed provision was
that many would land in hospital after a beating from their wives as they
consult to have a second wife. He said as much as it was a norm to alert
the wife on one’s intention to have a second wife, it was improper to get
consent because chances of getting a positive response were next to
zero. It should be noted that the Bill was withdrawn by the chairperson of
the committee after MPs complained that it had too many gaps.
All
males must be forced to marry at 40 years – MP Timothy
eSwatini
Observer, 28 May 2023
Nkilongo Member of Parliament, Timothy
Myeni wants all males to be compelled to have a wife if they are beyond 40
years.
Myeni has also recommended that all males
be given at least E30 000 to start building a home after getting
married.
He made the submission during the debate
of the withdrawn contentious Marriage Bill of 2022 portfolio committee report,
which had been tabled by Kwaluseni MP Sibusiso Dlamini.
Myeni said he fully supports the Bill,
particularly because it discourages cohabitation.
The MP said every male should be compelled
to marry beyond 40 years of age mainly because it was highly unlikely for males
to be sexually inactive by this age.
Therefore, he wondered who these males
were engaging in sexual activities with.
“I suggest that males who are not married
beyond 40 must be forced to do so.
This will help promote creation of happy
families and avert early pregnancies as well,” said Myeni.
See also
Six new grounds for divorce
http://new.observer.org.sz/details.php?id=20469
SNAT
sues Pastor Sihle for E75m
MBABANE: SNAT is suing King’s Office Estate Manager Sihle Dlamini for a
sum of E75 million.
The Swaziland National Association of
Teachers (SNAT), alleged that Dlamini, who is also the King’s interpreter and
pastor at Jesus Calls Worship Centre (JCWC), purportedly accused the
association of being a terrorist group. As a result, SNAT wants the High Court
to order him to compensate it to the tune of E75 million. According to the
association, Dlamini also accused it of financing, supporting and promoting
terrorism in the Kingdom of Eswatini.In its particulars of claim, SNAT
submitted that on February 10, 2023, at Nkoyoyo in Mbabane, Dlamini held a
television interview in which certain utterances and statements were published
on the electronic media and television.
According to the plaintiff (SNAT),
Dlamini’s statements were widely distributed in the Kingdom of Eswatini and
were heard by the general public and international community. “During the
publication and interview by the defendant at Chanel Yemaswati, the defendant
uttered words to the effect that, the plaintiff was promoting, supporting and
financing terrorism within the country, (the Kingdom of Swaziland) and that the
plaintiff was a terrorist group and called on the whole Christian community to
stand up against this organisation and reject the organisation,” alleged
SNAT. The plaintiff contended that the words that were purportedly uttered
by Dlamini, in the context of the aforesaid publication, were wrongful and
defamatory to the plaintiff in that they were intended allegedly by the
defendant and were so understood by the general and international public, who
heard and listened to the interview, to mean that the plaintiff was a terrorist
organisation and was financing and supporting terrorism and terrorist
activities within the Kingdom of Eswatini.
It was further the plaintiff’s averments
that the words that were allegedly uttered by Dlamini during the interview also
meant that the organisation and its office bearers were engaging in criminal
activities and, therefore, liable to arrest and prosecution. The plaintiff
further claimed that the words were accordingly intended to reduce its standing
in the eyes of all the recipients of the words. These are allegations
contained in particulars of claim, whose veracity is still to be tested in
court and the defendant is yet to file his papers. “As a result of the
defamation, the plaintiff suffered damages in its reputation which amounted to
E75 million. The plaintiff has suffered immense damage to its reputation, both
locally and internationally and with its affiliates who are generally known to
the public, as being associated with terrorist groups/union and that the
plaintiff finances terrorism,” reads part of the plaintiff’s particulars of
claim.
SNAT went on to tell the court that
terrorism was outlawed in Eswatini and internationally and in particular, the
financing of terrorism was prohibited internationally and within the
kingdom. The association went on to bring it to the attention of the court
that terrorism was considered a crime and could lead to punitive sanctions
against it and its members to the extent that they might be listed as an
organisation which sponsored terrorism. “The effect of such will prohibit
and restrict the activities of the plaintiff and its members to the extent that
they may not conduct the normal business such as banking and providing the
services to the members in terms of its constitution and its assets may be
subject to attachment in terms of the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008,”
argued the association.
According to the plaintiff, despite lawful
demand to the defendant, dated March 7, 2023, for payment of same, Dlamini had
refused and or neglected to make such a payment and to make any such a
retraction of the alleged defamatory statement and publication he allegedly
made.
To read more of this report, click
here
http://www.times.co.sz/news/140384-snat-sues-pastor-sihle-for-e75m.html
Royal
guard warder Fana Ginindza accused of assisting Mswati’s mercenaries to
identify, kill political activists at Siphocosini
By
Bongiwe Dlamini, Swaziland News, 28 May 2023
MBABANE: Fana Ginindza, a Correctional
Services officer under the Royal Close Protection Unit (RCPU)has been accused
of assisting Mswati’s alleged mercenaries to identify and kill political
activists at Siphocosini in the outskirts of the capital city-Mbabane.
The alleged mercenaries are patrolling the
country these days, searching for political activists and/or human rights
defenders, others including human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko were allegedly
killed by the mercenaries.
Political activists particularly members
of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO)at Siphocosini told this Swaziland
News that they have witnessed Ginindza patrolling the area with the
mercenaries believed to be residing at Mhlambanyatsi.
It has been disclosed that the mercenaries
don’t know some of the political activists and they normally work with Swazis
in that particular area to identify their targets.
Reached for comments, Ginindza denied the
accusations, he said he doesn’t even know that there were mercenaries in the
country.
“I don’t work with them, in fact I don’t
even know that there are mercenaries in the country,” said the Correctional
Services officer.
More than 2,300 people have better nutrition thanks to
rice-meal donation
By Mission Newswire, 30 May 2023
More than
2,300 people in Eswatini had access to better nutrition thanks to a
partnership between Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the
Salesians of Don Bosco, and Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit Christian
organization committed to “feeding God’s children hungry in body and spirit.”
The food shipment was sent in 2022 and shared with several Salesian programs and
communities.
The
recipients included Manzini Youth Care residential care homes, Bosco Youth
Agricultural Center, Ticancweni Care Point, Skom Care Point, Hosea’s Heart (a
girl’s home), Elwandle Community Primary School and five rural communities. The
rice-meals helped people who are marginalized, unemployed and living in
informal settlements, and from rural communities who are unable to meet their
needs.
A
Salesian missionary noted, “People residing within these communities often have
several other needs, such as clothing, and a lack of access to other basic
needs, such as education, skills development programs, and recreational and
sporting programs. With the help from Feed My Starving Children, we were able
to provide our communities with a balanced diet and allocate our resources to
addressing and supporting other various needs of the community. We would like
to express our sincerest gratitude to the organization for its continued
support.”
One of
the recipients impacted by the donation was Mancoba Dube, age 17. Dube was
rescued from the streets of Manzini where he earned a livelihood begging and
doing odd jobs. Before coming to Manzini Youth Care, Dube said he was unsure
about his future.
Dube
stayed at a Manzini Youth Care residential home for seven years while attending
primary school education. In 2019, he was reintegrated into a relative’s
community but continues to receive Salesian support with school fees, food,
other school related materials and psychosocial support. He has two older
brothers who were on the streets of Manzini and were also supported by Manzini
Youth Care.
The
Salesian missionary added, “With the donated meals, we are able to support
young men like Mancoba and give them hope when they feel the most hopeless. The
children do not have to worry about when their next meal will be and are
constantly eagerly waiting for more meals to arrive.”
The
people of Eswatini face immense challenges including poverty, chronic food
insecurity, HIV/AIDS and a climate that is often unpredictable. According to
the World Bank, an estimated 63% of the population lives below the poverty
line, and about 29% lives below the extreme poverty line. The HIV/AIDS
prevalence of 31% of the population is among the highest in the world and life
expectancy has fallen to approximately 49 years.
Salesian
missionaries work to meet the most basic needs while providing education to
youth in need. With education, youth can find and retain employment and in turn
give back to their families and communities.
Domestic
workers; the forgotten group
Nomsa
Mbuli, Times of eSwatini, 26 May
2023
I have been a silent observer in a group
of domestic workers on one of the social media pages. A few months ago I
attended a workshop on women empowerment and one of the issues discussed was
that of domestic workers and the problems they face while working in people’s
homes. It is no secret that women are faced with a number of challenges in
general, issues we’ve been trying to fight against for decades with little or
no wins. Imagine being already burdened with such issues, and then having to go
through more in your place of employment. In my observation, and experience, I
can say, with confidence, that some domestic workers face multiple forms of
violence; physical abuse, intimidation, threats, bullying, sexual assault,
harassment, being provided poor-quality food and a lack of privacy.
Certain categories of domestic workers
face greater disadvantages. Live-in domestic workers experience more isolation,
less privacy and more limited mobility, work longer hours and receive a larger
share of payments in kind. I remember a few weeks ago when someone posted on
Facebook that they were looking for someone who would live with her kids, wash,
cook and clean for them. She went on to state that she doesn’t have money to
pay this person, instead she will buy her clothes, provide her with food and
shelter. Basically this person is looking for an employee who she can pay in
kind!
Despite domestic workers’ important role, they are among the most exploited and
abused workers in the world.
They often work 14 to 18 hours a day,
seven days a week, for wages far below the minimum wage. They wake up before
everyone does in the house and go to bed after everyone else. I worked my way
through high school and I know what it means to wake up at 6.30am to prepare
breakfast and go to bed at 10pm after washing dinner dishes and cleaning up.
This is beside the point that, throughout the day you only get tea and lunch
breaks. Domestic workers are expected to be overworking machines that do not
get tired or sick because, if you do, God-forbid, who will clean up the bread
crumps off the table?
I was surprised to see that domestic
workers represent 4.5 per cent of all workers worldwide. Such an important part
of the workforce, but why isn’t more attention directed into ensuring that they
are safe and protected against exploitation and abuse? The vulnerabilities
experienced within the sector are also compounded by the fact that the sector
often encompasses disadvantaged groups, including women and children. In
addition to being underpaid and overworked, many domestic workers remain
socially and legally unprotected. Domestic work, mainly done by women, takes
place behind closed doors, almost invisible to the outside world. It is for
this reason that domestic work needs to be taken more seriously in the country.
We need legal policies that speak directly to domestic work and ensure that the
gazetted wages and salaries are observed by employers.
The first thing that occurs to lawyers
when they are faced with major problems, is that the law should be improved.
This may be a reasonable step in any legislative corpus in which domestic
workers benefit from even less legal protection than other workers. It may be
that they are excluded from any protection afforded by labour laws because
the householder, their employer, is not regarded as an employer in the legal
sense. A further consequence of this may be that they are also excluded from
the social security system. Under other legislative systems they are not
entitled to join a union or participate in collective action. Whenever there
are demonstrations by workers over salary increments or any other grievances,
domestic workers never form part of those actions – because they do not
consider themselves legally protected, therefore, do not believe their grievances
can be corrected by joining forces with other workers.
Domestic workers may come from a
low-income background and are considered to be a vulnerable population with
lower education levels and poor awareness of safety and health hazards
associated with their work. They do not receive proper training to deal with
exposures as other workers get from their employers in a proper workplace
setting – but they are considered ‘essential’ workers as they make it possible
for their employers to work outside their home thereby keeping global markets
working. They are essential, therefore, they deserve to be treated as such.
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