Swaziland Newsletter No. 794 – 15
September 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.
eSwatini turns 55 with Taiwan present... and democracy
absent
By Lenin Ndebele, News 24 (South
Africa) 6 September 2023
SOURCECurrent Time
Fresh
from the Umhlanga Reed Dance, Eswatini will on Wednesday commemorate what it
termed "55/55 double celebrations", combining independence
celebrations with the birthday of the last absolute monarch in
Africa, King Mswati III.
The Reed
Dance is a five-day event where young women and unmarried girls are assembled
to cut reeds for the yearly repairs to the windbreaks of the queen mother's
village.
Some of
the notable guests at the ceremony were former Botswana president Ian Khama and
his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma, King Letsie III of Lesotho, and Zulu
King Misuzulu.
Taiwanese
President Tsai Ing-wen arrived in Eswatini on Tuesday. She will attend the
king's birthday celebrations and the country's Independence Day commemorations.
Eswatini
is Taiwan's last declared ally in Africa, with the rest of the continent
aligning itself with China, which claims Taiwan as a Chinese territory.
According
to the Eswatini government, it entered into agreements with Taiwan, including
on micro-financing for startups by women and cooperation between Taiwan's state
development company and the Eswatini Petroleum Company.
Prime
Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini said the celebrations would mark Eswatini's 55
years of advancement and development as a kingdom.
He
said: “We have schools now, road infrastructure, and other things that we
didn't have in the past. We have a reason to celebrate.”
The World
Bank says Eswatini's gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed to 0.4% in 2022
from 7.9% in 2021. This was due to a poor agricultural season and political
unrest.
The 2021
Labour Force Survey placed the unemployment rate at 33.3%, the highest in a
decade. The report also states that 55% of AmaSwati earn below the poverty
line, and 60% of the country lives in poverty.
The
kingdom also has one of Southern Africa's highest HIV prevalence rates standing
at 27% for people between the ages of 15 and 49.
For
pro-democracy activists, there's little worth celebrating.
The
Foundation for Socio-Economic Justice (FSEJ) a civic grouping, called for the
release of one of the most prominent political prisoners – two legislators,
Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube.
The two
have been in custody for more than two years and face up to 20 years in prison.
FSEJ's
statement attributed to executive director Thabo Masuku reads: “It is
extremely worrying that the Eswatini government continues to silence activists
and human rights defenders through the use of the judicial system.”
"The
judiciary should independently uphold the values of justice and equity — not
harass and intimidate pro-democracy activists like Mabuza and Dube."
Civil
society in Eswatini is still shocked after the cold-blooded murder of human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko in January.
The
government has distanced itself from the killing, and no headway has been made
in investigations.
Maseko
was the leader of the Swaziland Multi-Stakeholder Forum, a coalition of
pro-democracy groups.
In
December last year, they met in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, to adopt the eBundu Declaration.
This was
a strategy to push for the abdication of the king and the boycott of the
Tinkhundla electoral system.
The
Tinkhundla, which is the kingdom's general elections, will be held on 29 September.
At
present, Eswatini is operating without a parliament after Mswati III dissolved
it in late July to make way for the elections.
SNAT
can’t be separated from politics – Mbongwa
Themba
Zwane, Times of eSwatini, 12 September 2023
PIGGS’ PEAK: SNAT President Mbongwa Dlamini is of the view
that it is impossible to separate the union from politics.
Responding to allegations that
the union was deviating from its mandate, Dlamini said SNAT operated within the
confines of the law. “When laws related to education are made, SNAT is
invited to make submissions in Parliament,” he said. Dlamini made an
example of the Examinations Council Bill and the Employment Bill, saying SNAT
must have an input in such Bills before they are enacted. He said the process
of law-making, in its nature, was a political activity. “Are these members
then implying that we should not take part in these political activities?” he
asked rhetorically.
He added that the problem was
that most emaSwati thought politics had to do with power struggle, which was a
wrong notion. He said they only engaged on issues that had to do with SNAT
members’ well-being. “There is no way we can divorce politics from SNAT
because all that affects teachers’ welfare is as a result of a political
decision. When you deal with government, which is a political structure, only
political issues will be discussed. Teachers’ salary adjustment is a political
issue as it is handled by a political structure. Politics is life,” he
said. On his dismissal issue, the president asked not to respond, but said
they welcomed the opinion of members who felt his dismissal was
justified. He said they must explain their position and convince members
during their mass meeting on Friday so they could decide on what they
wanted.
eSwatini Violence Against Children and Youth Survey
(VACS) report 2022
In 2023, Eswatini launched its
2022 VACS report, which presents the main indicators from its second VACS.
VACS data shows that, from
2007 to 2022, there were notable reductions in all forms of violence against
girls and young women in Eswatini.
Read the full
report here
eSwatini increases HIV preventative options to reduce
new infections
World Health Organization, 12
September 2023
The kingdom of Eswatini has made major strides in the HIV response with
the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. The country is
the first in the region to have accomplished the 95-95-95 treatment targets in
2020 with an associated steady decline in HIV incidence from 1.44 in 2016 to
0.62 in 2021 among adults (aged 15 years and older). This incidence is
equivalent to about 4000 New HIV infections per year. The epidemic
has shifted from what was traditionally known as a generalized epidemic to a
micro-epidemic impacting different population groups in diverse ways. Adolescent
girls and young women (AGYW), sex workers (SW), and men who have sex with men
have a high vulnerability to HIV infection.
The country has developed a core set of proven effective HIV prevention
strategies and aims to increase the uptake of high-impact services, such as
condoms, HIV testing and counseling (HTC), prevention of mother-to-child
transmission (PMTCT), antiretroviral therapy (ART), Post Exposure Prophylaxis
(PEP), Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and voluntary medical male circumcision
(VMMC), according to the unique risks and vulnerabilities within each priority
population. In particular, the use of PrEP has been scaled up over the years
acting as a preventative measure against the spread of HIV. The Expansion of
HIV prevention services including ART coverage (treatment as prevention) and
the introduction of oral PrEP into the country, has contributed to the drop in
HIV new infections.
In September 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that
people at substantial risk of HIV infection should be offered PrEP as a
prevention method, and as part of a comprehensive package. In 2016, WHO’s
initial role in the introduction of PrEP in Eswatini included providing
technical guidance during in-country policy dialogues. WHO also supported the
development of a National PrEP framework. PrEP was introduced in the country
through a pilot study using the demonstration approach. At the time, the annual
number of HIV new infections was estimated to be at 7000 according to the
Eswatini HIV Incidence measurement survey conducted in 2016. The Ministry of
Health (MOH) worked closely with WHO and partners including Médecins Sans
Frontières (MSF) and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) to develop
the study protocol and also mobilized resources to support the study
implementation or demonstration projects. These were meant to assess the
operationalization of PrEP as an additional HIV prevention method offered in
public and private facilities. WHO support to the Ministry included the
provision of technical support in developing an implementation framework to
guide the demonstration projects and served in the core team coordinating the
implementation of the pilot study. In 2018, the country introduced oral PrEP
through the implementation of demonstration projects in 22 facilities to assess
acceptability, feasibility and to monitor side effects and seroconversion for
18 months.
The results showed that offering oral PrEP to clients identified at
substantial risk was feasible and acceptable in Eswatini. In addition,
expanding access to PrEP encouraged more people to know their HIV status,
provided an opportunity to discuss individual risks, and increased clients’
understanding and awareness of their HIV risk, offering further opportunities
to provide expanded access to both HIV prevention services and, if a person
tests positive, treatment services. Following these findings, WHO provided
technical support to translate the findings into policy. In 2019, WHO
technically supported the country to develop PrEP operational plans and
guidelines including a monitoring framework as informed by the WHO global
guidance and the findings from the demonstration projects.
In Eswatini, PrEP is offered to eligible, HIV-negative individuals who
are at substantial risk of acquiring HIV infection. However, the following
eight populations are prioritized: Adolescent girls and young women (16-24
years), pregnant and lactating women, serodiscordant couples, Sex workers, Men
Who Have Sex with Men (MSM), clients with sexually transmitted infections
(STIs), males (30-34 years) and transgender people. Eswatini moved away from
giving PrEP to target populations to avoid stigmatization as was experienced in
countries that introduced PrEP targeting key populations.
To read more of this report, click here
By
Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 14 September, 2023
MBABANE: Ncumbi Maziya, the powerful,
influential and politically connected member of the Ludzidzini Council is a
subject of a high level investigation by the Eswatini Revenue Authority (ERA),
for allegedly defrauding the institution taxes in transactions amounting to
over R3.8million.
Reached for comments by this Swaziland
News, Vusi Dlamini, the Eswatini Revenue Authority Director of
Communications said, the revenue institution was restricted by the law to
discuss this matter with the media except in a court of law.
“Unfortunately as the Eswatini Revenue
Service (ERS),we do not discuss issues of our clients in the public domain
except in a Court of Law. This prohibition is provided in the Legislation we
administer as well as ERS Policies. So even in this case this prohibition
applies”, said the Communications Director.
But an independent investigation conducted
by this Swaziland News uncovered that, between the period of 2018 and
2020, the Ludzidzini Council member ‘smuggled’ goods through his various
companies, in the process, he allegedly misrepresented to the revenue authority
that, the goods or services procured, belonged to King Mswati who is exempted
from paying tax.
Documentary evidence obtained during the
course of an investigation by this publication suggest that, on or around the
23rd September 2020, through his N-Plus Logistics (PTY) LTD trading as First
World Material, the Ludzidzini Council powerful member allegedly smuggled a
Tele-transmission Outward worth one hundred and eighty-three thousand Rands,
eight hundred and twenty-nine, eighty-five cents(R183,829.85) without paying
tax due to revenue authority.
According to the documents, the King’s man
allegedly purchased the Transmission from Foshan Xinmel Ceramic Co. Ltd, a
company based in China.
But before that, on or around 11th
November 2019, Maziya’s All Sorts Enterprises defrauded the revenue authority
by failing to declare invoice number 20190401A01 worth four hundred and
nine-five thousand, two hundred and fifty Rands(R495,250.00), again the product
was described in the invoice as “Tele-transmission Outward”.
Part of the evidence further suggests
that,on or around the 14th July 2020, the Ludzidzini Council member allegedly
smuggled another Tele-transmission Outward ZYD worth $32,294.40 and/or five
hundred and nine-four thousand Rands, six hundred two, twenty-five
cents(R594,602.25).
Ncumbi Maziya,the politically connected
Ludzidzini Council member avoided questions from this publication, he failed to
respond to a questionnaire sent to him seeking clarity regarding the matter or
the ongoing investigation.
Responding to questions from this
publication, Chief Mdlaka Gamedze, the Chairman of the Ludzidzini Council said,
it’s hard to disclose what might happen to Maziya as the matter, in question,
was still a subject of an investigation.
“It’s an investigation, so we don’t know
what will happen to him thereafter”, said the Chairman of the Ludzidzini
Council when speaking to publication on Tuesday evening.
But one of Mswati’s senior bodyguards told
this publication that, Maziya tried to approach Prince Majaha to help him
mitigate before the King(Kutigicita eNkhosini) regarding the matter, however,
the Prince is said to have refused citing the seriousness of the matter.
“It’s a serious matter that angered the
King, these days iNkhosi itsi lebantfu labaganga ngeligama layo bayicabanisa
naleSive. Waganga ngentfo letsintsa imali-ke maye Babe!!! konakele, lona nje
use usenkingeni besazama kufihla nalama TLB, SRA ufuna kumudla. It’s a serious
matter, Ncumbi even tried to approach Majaha to assist him mitigate before the
King but Majaha refused, saying he doesn’t want to involve himself considering
the seriousness of the matter”, said the royal insider.
A questionnaire was sent to Prince Majaha
after consistent efforts to contact him, however, he had not responded at the
time of compiling this report.
Reached for comments, King Mswati’s
Spokesperson Percy Simelane described tax evasion as a criminal offense adding
that, using the King’s name to obtain favors amounts to extortion.
“Tax evasion is of criminal nature and
using the King's name in vain to get favours appears to be extortion to us.
Unfortunately both are normally done behind closed doors away from the public
eye and it is difficult to know what exactly happened in the alleged maneuvers
in question. We beg not to pretend we know what exactly happened and why lest
we contaminate the alleged investigation,” said the King’s Spokesperson.
Primary elections: EBD censors
journalists
By Sabelo
Ndzinisa, eSwatini News, 9 September 2023
MBABANE: A free press is one of the conditions of a ‘free and fair
elections’.
Journalists have a duty to ensure that the election process is free and
fair. They are sometimes referred to as members of the fourth estate as they
have a duty to hold people in authority accountable for their actions.
On August 26, which was the day for the primary elections, thousands of
emaSwati left the comfort of their homes to participate in the general
elections.
They were counting on journalists to give them updated information on
the proceedings countrywide for both print and social media. If journalists had
not reported on the events at the primary elections, the public would have to
depend only on official results. The public would also be deprived of knowing
the details of the voting process.
World over, it is the duty of journalists to inform the public about the
proceedings during elections. Their role is so important that according to the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocols, censoring journalists
who are covering the elections could result in the process being viewed as not
free and fair. A free and fair election process is a cornerstone of democracy.
However, during recent primary elections, many journalists complained of
being barred from covering the elections despite having received full
accreditation to do so. This was because officials at some polling stations had
requested that journalists should sign secrecy forms before they could be
allowed to carry out their duties. Journalists need accreditation to cover
general elections because it is a way to ensure that they have direct access to
information at the polling station. This enables all journalists to freely work
and cover the whole electoral process wherever.
Though accreditation is meant to ensure that journalists have direct
access to information at the polling station, generally, all journalists are
allowed to cover the electoral process.
However, despite this, journalists who were on duty covering the primary
elections are said to have been forced to sign secrecy forms. Officials at the
various polling stations demanded that the journalists sign the secrecy forms
before they could be allowed to go about their duties. It was the first time
journalists reported of being forced to sign secrecy forms. In the
previous general elections in 2018, no journalists had reported that they were
asked to sign secrecy forms by officials stationed at the polling stations.
Some of the polling stations where journalists signed secrecy forms
include Mangweni High School under Mhlangatane and also Ludzibini High School
under Timphisini. At Mangweni, an official there said journalists were free to
report but they could only do so after completing the secrecy form and getting
it signed by a commissioner of oaths, such as an authorised police officer.
Journalists who were covering the elections from this publication then
had to complete the forms and had them signed by a police officer who held the
rank of sergeant. At Ludzibini polling station, a police inspector signed as
the commissioner of oaths after and EBC official insisted there that
journalists should not be allowed to cover the elections without completing the
secrecy forms. In fact, at one of the polling stations, a journalist reported
how she was asked to speak out the oath before completing the secrecy form.
Journalists complained that it appeared officials were not consistent in
insisting that journalists sign the secrecy form and if this was legal. The
journalists said it was strange that while certain polling stations wanted
journalists to sign the secrecy forms, some journalists were allowed coverage
without being asked to complete the secrecy forms.
Mbonisi Bhembe, the Communications Officer of the Elections and Boundaries
Commission (EBC) said it was the Elections Act that prevented people from
taking photos. He was asked if in this case it also applied to journalists. His
response was that if the law states that ‘no person shall take pictures’, it
includes every person. “You should read the law,” he advised.
Bhembe responded after he was asked about the secrecy form. He said this
was the essence of the secrecy form that one was not allowed to reveal any
information until a court allows you to do so. “Those given to sign secrecy
forms could even be called upon to answer in court.” said Bhembe. He said
at polling stations, journalists are only given a few moments at the polling
station. He said, however, that should a journalist want to get into a poling
station and sit, that person should sign the secrecy form.
Noteworthy, during the counting process, journalists normally sit in the
polling stations. This, they do so that they are able to report efficiently on
the counting. Other journalists also complained of being prevented from working
efficiently by police officers. In one of the polling stations, a police
officer had locked the gate on a journalist but later opened it after an EBC
official intervened.
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