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Friday 5 April 2024

Swaziland Newsletter No. 821 – 5 April 2024

 

Swaziland Newsletter No. 821 – 5 April 2024

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 authorities target activist’s widow

By Nomathamsanqa Masiko-Mpaka, Human Rights Watch, 28 March 2024

SOURCE 

On March 27, immigration officials at the Ngwenya Border post between South Africa and Eswatini stopped  Tanele Maseko, widow of murdered human rights lawyer and opposition activist Thulani Maseko, along with her two young children and her helper while they were trying to enter Eswatini.

Immigration officials flagged Tanele’s passport as belonging to a wanted person and confiscated it along with her mobile phone. Officials then called the police, who interrogated Tanele for about four hours before releasing her pending an appearance at the Mbabane police headquarters on March 28.  

But after Tanele arrived at the headquarters Thursday, police delayed her further interrogation until April 2, after her lawyers challenged how many officials could interview her without a lawyer present. The police are now seeking legal advice about interviewing her without her lawyers. Throughout all this, however, officials have yet to provide the reason why Tanele has been labeled a wanted person to begin with.

A vigil decrying the assassination of Eswatini Human Rights Lawyer Thulani Maseko in Nakuru Town, Kenya, January 30, 2023. © 2023 James Wakibia/SOPA Images via AP Photo


Since Thulani Maseko was brutally killed  in his home in front of Tanele and their children on January 21, 2023, the government of Eswatini has been unrelenting in what appears to be a harassment campaign against Tanele to dissuade her from pursuing justice and accountability for her husband’s murder and continuing his legacy of promoting rights and democracy in Eswatini.

Some media have published reports that Eswatini state forces are targeting and monitoring Tanele and her life may be in danger. On December 29, 2023, the government released a statement in which it made untrue and defamatory remarks against her.

Regional human rights networks have condemned Tanele’s detention and targeting and are calling for an independent and transparent investigation into Thulani Maseko’s killing. The government of Eswatini should ensure transparency and accountability for the Maseko family instead of harassing and intimidating Maseko’s widow for seeking answers to her husband’s death.

Authorities should stop retaliating against Tanele for raising awareness about the situation in which her husband was killed. It has been 14 months since Maseko’s murder and authorities need to demonstrate greater commitment towards apprehending his killers and ensuring justice.

 

US Senate Foreign Relations Committee urges Senators to pass sanctions Resolution 174 as eSwatini intensifies crackdown on human rights defenders, detains assassinated human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko’s widow

By Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 29 March, 2024

SOURCE 

MBABANE: The United States (U.S) Senate Foreign Relations Committee has once again, lobbied or urged Senators to pass the sanctions oriented Resolution 174 as eSwatini regime intensifies crackdown on political activists and human rights defenders including the recent harassment of Tanele Maseko, the wife to assassinated human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko.

The human rights lawyer was the Chairperson of the pro-democracy MultiStakeholder Forum (MSF), he was assassinated while writing letters to human rights organizations and regional bodies like the Southern African Development Community (SADC) facilitating a dialogue as part of peaceful means to resolve the eSwatini political crisis.

In an X (formerly Twitter) and in reaction to a story exclusively published by this Swaziland News in the early hours on Thursday regarding the detention of the late human rights lawyer’s widow including her children, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee noted the ongoing human rights violations in eSwatini.

“This week’s detention & ongoing harassment of Tanele Maseko, following the murder of her husband Thulani last year, is another reminder of the tactics the #Eswatini regime uses against democracy & rights defenders. The Senate must pass S.Res.174”, reads the tweet in part, published on Friday morning.

But the harassment of the widow also attracted the attention of the international human rights organizations including Human Rights Watch.

In an online report published later on Thursday, Human Rights Watch demanded answers why the widow was labeled a wanted person and harassed at the Oshoek Boarder.

“Immigration officials flagged Tanele’s passport as belonging to a wanted person and confiscated it along with her mobile phone. Officials then called the police, who interrogated Tanele for about four hours before releasing her pending an appearance at the Mbabane police headquarters on March 28. But after Tanele arrived at the headquarters Thursday, police delayed her further interrogation until April 2, after her lawyers challenged how many officials could interview her without a lawyer present. The police are now seeking legal advice about interviewing her without her lawyers. Throughout all this, however, officials have yet to provide the reason why Tanele has been labeled a wanted person to begin with”, reads an online report published by Human Rights Watch later on Thursday.

Minor children of the late human rights lawyer spent hours without food at the Boarder and exposed to extremely cold temperatures as police took turns to harass their mother after grabbing her passport and cellphones to ensure that, she doesn’t call anyone.

The widow was then ‘dragged’ to the Regional Police Headquarters where the harassment continued later on Thursday afternoon.

A questionnaire was sent to the Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, the eSwatini Police Spokesperson, however, she had not responded at the time of compiling this report.

To read more of this report, click here

https://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=6279

See also

Eswatini: Authorities must stop harassment and intimidation of Tanele Maseko

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/03/eswatini-authorities-must-stop-harassment-and-intimidation-of-tanele-maseko/

Why assassinated human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko’s widow is being harassed by the police in the name of an investigation.

https://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=6302

King Mswati’s police officers release detained widow to assassinated human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko, Human Rights Defenders condemn harassment

https://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=6274

Thulani’s widow flagged, taken to police station

http://www.times.co.sz/news/144532-thulani%E2%80%99s-widow-flagged%2C-taken-to-police-station.html

 

ECPA concerned with workers migrating

Nhlanganiso Mkhonta, Times of eSwatini, 3 April 2024

SOURCE 

MBABANE: The Eswatini Credit Providers Association (ECPA) has raised concerns about reports of individuals misrepresenting facts to lending institutions and borrowing money with no intention of repaying the loans and then leave for overseas jobs.  

In an interview with this publication, ECPA Chairperson Thulani Dlamini said this act was not only morally wrong, but also constitutes a criminal offence. He said it has theft, misrepresentation, and fraud elements. “Individuals who engage in such deceitful behaviour risk facing severe consequences,” said Dlamini. ECPA is an association that was formed in 2018, and is made up of voluntary members of licensed credit providers such as;
• Amandla Financial Services
• First Finance Company
• Letshego Financial Services (Eswatini)
• Select Limited.

This comes after the association had noted a trend from some civil servants, particularly among teachers and nurses, who are leaving for overseas job opportunities, who approach lending institutions, and borrow money associated with their relocation costs with no intention of repaying the loans. The chairperson mentioned that while they acknowledged the aspirations of emaSwati seeking overseas job opportunities, they emphasised the importance of ethical conduct and financial responsibility in the borrowing process. Dlamini said they acknowledged the growing trend of emaSwati migrating for overseas job opportunities. He said this undoubtedly presented individuals with prospects for personal and professional growth.  

He said however, it was also worth mentioning that, the departure of skilled individuals could, in the long run, potentially hinder the development of key industries in the country. He said, therefore, it was essential for the country and institutions to collaborate with government and government Agencies and stakeholders to implement strategies that encourage skills retention and support the growth of local businesses. Dlamni added that ultimately, while overseas job opportunities offer emaSwati the chance to improve their livelihoods, it was crucial to strike a balance between facilitating such opportunities and safeguarding the interests of the local economy and workforce.

To read more of this report, click here

http://www.times.co.sz/business/144538-ecpa-concerned-with-workers-migrating.html

 

COVID-19: The elderly taking responsibility for their health

World Health Organization, 3 April 2024

SOURCE 

The Kingdom of Eswatini, like the rest of the world, was immensely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing different waves each affecting an increasing number of people. Between March and December 2020, the country experienced three waves. The reported cases were 6,633 in the first wave increasing to 10,313 cases in the second wave and 45,971 cases in the third wave. Deaths on the other hand also increased from 126 to 524 and 1,212 deaths in the second and third wave respectively in the same reporting period with the case fatality rate being recorded at 2.6% in the third wave. Eighty-two percent of the reported deaths were from people with diagnosed comorbidities with 10% being elderly. Based on this data, the most at risk of dying were the population with comorbidities and the elderly. 

The country is registering more reports of people living with comorbidities (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity) among the elderly population in general which means that targeting the elderly with the COVID-19 vaccine will also spread the benefit to most people with comorbidities. As such, with this data and other evidence, the need to prioritize the elderly with the vaccines cannot be overemphasized. 

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) Eswatini, within its normative role of providing technical guidance to the Ministry of Health, shared the recommendation on prioritization of the most at-risk population. Furthermore, the guidance was clear on ensuring that countries should prioritize 20% of their populations among which were healthcare workers who formed the front line;  the elderly ( 60 years and older), and those with comorbidities who were deemed most vulnerable to severe illness and death from the virus. Further to this, technical assistance was provided in crafting the National Deployment and Vaccine Roll Out Plan (NDVP)  to clearly stipulate these prioritized population groups and further ensure that the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is implemented in line with the NDVP.   

In March 2021, Eswatini introduced the COVID-19 Vaccine - AstraZeneca initially prioritizing the elderly, healthcare workers, and those with comorbidities in compliance with the recommendation from the World Health Organization. As the rollout progressed, other population groups were targeted starting with the next older age group among the population aged 59 years and below. Despite that, the focus on the initial priority groups of the elderly and those with comorbidities remained unchanged. By December 2022, the vaccine uptake had slowed down with national coverage increasing from 25.7% to a mere 35.5% between December 2021 and December 2022. In December 2022, the coverage among the elderly population was highest (71.5%) compared to the younger age groups (12 to 29 years) who were not a prioritized population group where the coverage was about 34%.  Whilst the national vaccine coverage at the national level is at a low of  36% and falls short of the national target of 70%, among the elderly population, the coverage was comparatively the highest. Prioritization of the high-risk population is one of the positive actions that has helped in increasing vaccine uptake of the vaccine among the most at-risk elderly population. 

Anna Mdluli, a 75-year-old, attributes her motivation to getting vaccinated from the Ministry of Health (MoH) and WHO’s tireless campaigns that mostly encouraged the elderly to prioritize vaccination since they were more vulnerable compared to the younger demographic. 

“I was afraid. My friends died and I was so touched I could not go to the funeral because I was asking myself, does it mean all elderly people will die - especially if I am exposed? I was among the first people to get vaccinated. I went to Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital (RFM) to get the first dose of the vaccine. I later got the second dose from King Sobhuza II Clinic and took the booster dose of the vaccine as scheduled.”

To read more of this report, click here

https://www.afro.who.int/countries/eswatini/news/covid-19-heroes-elderly-taking-responsibility-their-health

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