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Friday 17 May 2024

Swaziland Newsletter No. 827 – 17 May 2024

 

Swaziland Newsletter No. 827 – 17 May 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.

 

890 000 leaked state documents: soldier, man demand E230k bribe from Archbishop Lukhele, arrested

By Sibusiso Shange, Times of eSwatini, 15 May 2024

SOURCE 

MBABANE: Police have arrested two men for reportedly attempting to extort a sum of E230 000 from Archbishop Bheki Lukhele of All Nations Church in Zion.

This is the first spin-off from the widely publicised Swazi Secrets, an investigative project coordinated by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). It was said the project is based on 890 000 leaked documents from Eswatini’s Financial Intelligence Unit (EFIU), which ICIJ says it shared with a team of 38 journalists across 11 countries. The reports documented Archbishop Lukhele as having allegedly played a role in the transfer of certain monies from the African National Congress’s election account.

There is no record of Archbishop Lukhele responding to the allegations. Police are said to be investigating allegations that the two emaSwati men took advantage of the allegations made in the reports to solicit a bribe from the church leader. One of the two men, who posed as officers from the Eswatini Financial Intelligence Unit (EFIU), was arrested yesterday.
In the attempt to extort Lukhele, they are said to have informed him that they could assist to protect him from being arrested, as he was aware of the information contained in the recently published leaked documents. It has been gathered that one of the suspects is a soldier.  The duo aged 38 and 34 allegedly misrepresented to Lukhele that they were investigating the matter and that he would be arrested unless he paid the bribe.

However, sources said Lukhele, who insisted on his innocence, hastened to report the matter to the police, whose investigations led to the arrest of the duo. The duo was subsequently arrested and is currently assisting the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) with information. They were due to appear in court yesterday afternoon, however, they were produced and taken back to the police station, without appearing before any judicial officer, after spending about an hour in a police van, at the Mbabane Magistrates Court. 

To read more of this report, click here

http://www.times.co.sz/news/145093-890-000-leaked-state-documents-soldier-man-demand-e230k-bribe-fr.html

 

eSwatini, burdened doubly with HIV and cervical cancer, targets safety for the next generation

By Nonduduzo Kunene, Vaccines Work, 13 May 2024

SOURCE 

Eswatini suffers a double burden, with uncommonly high rates of both HIV and cervical cancer.

The country’s HIV prevalence of 25.9% among adults is one of the highest in the world. Its age-standardised cervical cancer incidence –  84.5 per 100,000 – is the world’s highest, bar none.

Those two disease rates are not independent of each other. Women living with HIV and the cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV) are more likely to contract cervical cancer than their HIV-negative counterparts with HPV. A 2017 research paper from Eswatini found that women with HIV had a much higher rate of cervical lesions (22.9%) than HIV-negative women (5.7%).

Encouragingly, another study, also from Eswatini, and published just last month in the journal PLOS Global Public Health, points to the impact a robust public health response can have. Not only did the new research show lower-than-expected cervical cancer positivity rates overall – about 2.6% across both of the regions under study – it also showed that women living with HIV who had been on anti-retroviral therapy for longer periods of time were less likely to screen positive for cervical cancer than women whose HIV had been medically managed for less than five years. Women whose HIV load had been suppressed by treatment to undetectable levels, were also less likely to screen positive for the cancer than women with unsuppressed HIV burdens.

If those findings are encouraging, so are health policy initiatives being enacted on the ground. On 25 March 2024, Eswatini’s Ministry of Health mobilised a US$ 1.6 million grant for the introduction of HPV through Gavi’s Middle-Income Countries approach.  This is part of a focused move to drastically reduce cervical cancer by 2030.

To read more of this report, click here

https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/eswatini-burdened-doubly-hiv-and-cervical-cancer-targets-safety-next-generation

 

SNAT, SWATCAWU and SNUS support Limkokwing staff on their prolonged strike for improved working conditions

Swaziland Democratic News, 14 May 2024

SOURCE 

The Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), the Swaziland Transport and Allied Workers Union (SWATCAWU) and the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS) have come out to support the Limkokwing lectures on their strike for better working conditions.

“SNAT is in full solidarity with the Limkokwing Lecturers who are on strike for improved working conditions. The gallant Lecturers resolved to down tools in demand of better working conditions.”

“SWATCAWU fully support the resolute NAWUSHI LUCT branch which is in the 7th week of their No Work No Pay industrial action, aimed to push for better pay and working conditions at the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Swaziland. “

Limkokwing lectures are organized under union NAWUSHI and are pleading to other workers and members of society to assist them whilst on strike to feed their families.

The struggle of the working class resonates across all sectors of society. Attached are details on how one can donate any amount to help the fellow workers at the University.

 

King Mswati’s Government maintains silence as Taiwan nationals invade rural areas, forcefully seize land belonging to poor and powerless citizens while demolishing houses

By Bongiwe Dlamini, Swaziland News, 13 May 2024

SOURCE 

GEGE: King Mswati’s Government has maintained silence as Taiwan nationals invade the rural areas, forcefully seizing land from the poor and powerless citizens.

The land grabbing by Taiwan investors that started at Gege-Mbondzela in the South-western parts of eSwatini last week, is highly expected to spread to other areas as the Chinese province advance its economic interests while violating human rights in the tiny Kingdom.

Taiwan is a diplomatic ally to eSwatini despite the United Nations (UN) Resolution 2758 of 1972 that recognizes the One China Principle, the Chinese province previously donated helicopters to the army were used to launch air-strikes, shoot and kill innocent civilians during the unrest. 

The Taiwan helicopters donated to the army are highly expected to start patrolling Mbondzela-Gege to monitor the residents and intimidate them to refrain from protesting, some of the residents are sleeping in the forests after the demolition of their homes.

Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo had not responded at the time of compiling this report.

Mciniseli Nhleko, a senior citizen of Gege was subsequently arrested for raising a voice against the Taiwan nationals who demolished his home last week,the Taiwanese are using businessmen Tito Dlamini and Sandile Simelane. 

John Fan, the Managing Director of Nhlangano FTM Garments has been identified as one of the Taiwan investors who, with the backing of those in power, is grabbing land from the poor and powerless citizens.

Both businessmen, the Taiwan investor including Ambassador Jeremy Liang declined to comment regarding the ongoing human rights violations.

On another note, eSwatini pro-democracy and civil society groups strongly condemned the ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by Taiwan, a province of the People’s Republic of China.

Mlungisi Makhanya, the President of the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) told this Swaziland News that, the diplomatic relations between eSwatini and Taiwan represents nothing but, a misery for the ordinary citizens.

“What this represents for the ordinary people of Swaziland is misery as you would see that, the people of Gege are today without homesteads because a Taiwanese engineered economic interest has led to them being evicted. We want to remind our people that, it must never be lost to them that, when the Royal Science Technology Park was to be constructed,emaSwati were violently and forcefully evicted there in a very cruel manner and that project, Swazis would remember, is being bankrolled by Taiwan”, said the PUDEMO President.

One of the demolished homes at Gege


See also

Taiwan is an enemy of emaSwati and after Gege, more citizens will be evicted from their land

https://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=6525

Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo: Government fully supports evictions, no amount of noise will stop Gege demolition of homes

https://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=6544

 

Public Accounts Committee blasts Health Ministry

By Phephile Motau, eSwatini Observer, 16 May 2024

SOURCE 

The shortage of drugs and other medical supplies in the country is not the only challenge facing the ministry of health, as it seems that they also have an administrative crisis.

This was evident yesterday when the ministry failed to submit four of five responses to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which held its first sitting yesterday.

It was attended by the officials from the ministry and other PAC partners including the Auditor General’s (AG) officials, police, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

The ministry, led by the Principal Secretary (PS) Khanya Mabuza was the first to appear before the PAC and only submitted one report, which was riddled with mistakes.

The PAC had to send away the ministry, without even discussing the one report which was submitted, as it was also submitted to the committee yesterday. The ministry has been given seven working days to submit the reports.

The responses were from audit queries made in five reports since 2021. These were the PAC Recommendations for 2021, the PAC Recommendations 2022, Auditor General’s Compliance Report for the Financial year Ended March 31, 2021, Financial Audited Report on the Consolidated Government Accounts of the kingdom of Eswatini for the year Ended March 31, 2022, Audit of Acquisition and Distribution of Medicine to Health Facilities 2023 and the Financial Audited Report on the Consolidated Government Accounts of the Kingdom of Eswatini for the year Ended March 31, 2022.

To read more of this report, click here

http://new.observer.org.sz/details.php?id=22470

 

Street monitoring cameras for Mbabane

By Sithembile Hlatshwayo, Times of eSwatini, 15 May 2024

SOURCE 

MBABANE: The capital city will soon have internet protocol (IP) cameras, which will assist in monitoring and giving information on every movement within the central business district (CBD).

The cameras will be able to monitor traffic, among other things. It was revealed that 50 cameras will be installed in strategic areas. This has raised serious concerns of invasion of privacy by some stakeholders who wanted clarity on how the project would work. This was raised during the launch of the 5G government network and smart city (Mbabane) at Hilton Garden Inn yesterday.

Eswatini Communication Commission (ESCCOM) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mvilawempi Dlamini raised the issue of privacy with cameras installed everywhere. He said there was a need to strike a balance between the State’s security interests as well as peoples’ privacy. Dlamini said there was a need for agreements in some of the aspects, as the project was a good initiative. Dlamini said there needed to be discussions around the sharing of infrastructure to avoid having multiple poles, adding that there was a need to come up with standards for same.
Another concern which was raised by the stakeholders was fear of the project becoming a white elephant. They wanted clear information in terms of who would support the project financially once it has been implemented. The stakeholders made an example of the cameras along Malagwane Hill, which ended up failing.

To read more of this report, click here

http://www.times.co.sz/news/145090-street-monitoring-cameras-for-mbabane.html

 

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