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
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
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
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
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
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
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