Swaziland
Newsletter No. 829 – 31 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.
Millions in suspicious transactions tie South Africa’s
ruling party to a controversial Swazi archbishop, documents show
By Micah Reddy and Tebogo Tshwane,
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, 26 May 2024
As the
African National Congress heads into a consequential election, a trove of
leaked financial records carries echoes of past corruption scandals.
On a cloudy
Sunday morning in March 2024, congregants poured into the main branch of All
Nations Christian Church in Zion, in a field just off the highway between
Mbabane and Manzini, the kingdom of Eswatini’s two largest cities. There are
several branches of the church across South Africa and Eswatini — which until
2018 was known as Swaziland — and this building, whose construction began in
2017, is pure utilitarianism. It is a cavernous warehouse of a structure
without adornment, made to accommodate its sizable membership.
Churchgoers
in All Nations’ signature purple outfits swayed and spoke in tongues as they
were led in animated prayer by a church leader. Off to his side stood
self-proclaimed Archbishop Bheki Lukhele, the church’s patriarch, surrounded by
a coterie of bodyguards, his hands raised to the heavens.
Lukhele,
whose full name is Rebios Bheki Sigaca Lukhele, is a prominent religious figure
in a country that is roughly 90% Christian. About 40% of the population,
including Lukhele, is part of the Zionist Christian denomination, a blend of
Christianity and traditional Swazi rituals and ceremonies. The 49-year-old is
not just a religious leader, though. As the president of Eswatini Premier
League soccer club Mbabane Swallows — and, as local media put it, the club’s
“financial muscle” — Lukhele has forged a career that encompasses both
Eswatini’s most popular religion and its most popular sport.
Still, as a
religious leader, Lukhele has led a life of some controversy, with media
reports homing in on his lavish lifestyle. The fact that he is also a
polygamist has drawn criticism and prompted the association of Zionist churches
in Eswatini — known as the League of Churches — to publicly state its
opposition to church leaders having multiple wives. In 2019, a group of
Lukhele’s supporters allegedly assaulted a Swazi journalist who was looking
into sex abuse allegations against Lukhele. The journalist lodged a complaint
with the police, but the case went nowhere.
While those
incidents have been public, less known is that a steady stream of suspicious
financial transactions — in the millions of dollars — has coursed through a
network of politically connected people and companies in South Africa and into
the bank accounts of Lukhele and his church, which is registered as a
nonprofit. The transactions were revealed in the Swazi Secrets investigation,
led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, based on a
leak of hundreds of thousands of documents. These funds connect the so-called
archbishop and his church to Sibusisiwe Mngomezulu, Eswatini’s ambassador to
Belgium and the European Union and a brother-in-law of Eswatini’s king, Mswati
III. Mngomezulu has ties to South Africa’s governing party, the African
National Congress, through the party’s funding arm. He is also a business
partner with the party’s chief financial officer, Bongani Mahlalela, who was
involved in these transactions as well.
The details
of these money flows are contained in a massive leak of documents from the
Eswatini Financial Intelligence Unit (EFIU), an independent oversight body that
provides financial intelligence to Eswatini authorities (and before that, Swazi
authorities) to prevent money laundering and other illicit financial activity.
To do this, the EFIU receives reports of suspicious financial transactions from
the banks that it oversees. It also conducts its own investigations with
regional counterpart organizations.
Distributed Denial of Secrets, a U.S.-based nonprofit devoted to publishing and
archiving leaks, obtained more than 890,000 leaked documents from the EFIU and
shared them with ICIJ and seven media partners as part of our Swazi Secrets investigation.
Documents
from the leak show that the stream of suspicious transactions, spanning several
years, included money that originated with the ANC. One of ICIJ’s partners on
the Swazi Secrets investigation, the amaBhungane Centre for Investigative
Journalism in South Africa, identified several additional links between the suspicious
transactions and the ANC and senior party leaders. Once in Lukhele’s accounts,
the money was used to buy residential and commercial properties, mostly in
Eswatini, and vehicles including a bus, trucks and luxury cars, or it was sent
to a range of beneficiaries. Some of those beneficiaries were unremarkable,
such as gospel artists, but others were members of Eswatini’s Parliament, the
then-mayor of the capital Mbabane and former deputy prime minister Themba Masuku.
To read more
of this report, click here
Country
launches intense investigation
By
Mfanukhona Nkambule, Times Sunday, 26 May 2024
MBABANE: A powered team
comprising government officials and the leader of Cabinet launched an intense
investigation into the alleged leak of the internal records from the Eswatini
Financial Intelligence Unit (EFIU) to ICIJ.
The ongoing
investigation into the leaks was disclosed by the Governor of
the Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE), Dr Phil
Mnisi, during his engagement with editors, dubbed ‘Tea
& Coffee with the Governor’, which was held at the MTN
Golf Course. The governor said the investigations were being carried
out at different institutions, which he did not
divulge. According to Mnisi, the launched probe was aimed at ascertaining
whether the kingdom had wanting financial processes or the financial
system was hacked. He said the process was crucial in bringing confidence
to all and sundry, that the Eswatini financial system was sound, compliant and
was protecting the interest of everyone.
Without committing
himself to the detail of each of the reported matters in the alleged leaked
records, Dr Mnisi said, as the investigations continued, the CBE was
playing its part in complying and also undertaking proper due
diligence. The governor went on to say that they were not going
to entertain people, who were obtaining information through
hacking systems and exposing the country to reputational risks. “We are
not going to entertain that. We do not want to let hackers and
people that are leaking information to get away with it,” Dr Mnisi
said. Unequivocally, he added: “If there is anyone who would be
found to have leaked the information and hacked the system, we as the
CBE and as the financial sector, are saying that those people must be
brought to book.” Dr Mnisi described this alleged incident as very
unfortunate.
To read more of this
report, click here
http://www.times.co.sz/news/145280-country-launches-intense-investigation.html
Mbondzela
homesteads demolished without court order
By
Starsky Mkhonta, eSwatini Observer, 28 May 2024
THE
owner of the farm at Mbondzela in Gege Sandile Simelane or anyone who gave a
go-ahead for the demolition of houses for the residents/ farm dwellers did so
without a court order.
The
owner of the farm informed Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Prince
Lonkhokhela and Minister of Tinkhundla Sikhumbuzo Dlamini with other senior
officials that there was no court order when the demolition/eviction was
carried out.
Simelane
through his lawyer Nkosingiphile Dlamini informed the two ministers as well as
other officials and residents that he had to see how he defended himself, his
employees and property upon realising that the residents/ farm dwellers were
attacking him or his property and his workers.
This
was revealed yesterday during an emotive filled meeting held at Mashobeni South
Umphakatsi where the two ministers had come to ascertain how government could
intervene in the issue that had got out of hand.
Also
present during the meeting were Gege Member of Parliament (MP) Agrippa Magesi
Dlamini, Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Tinkhundla Nonhlanhla
Dlamini as well as Under Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and
Energy Sicelo Simelane, attended by over 500 residents.
Shiselweni
Regional Secretary (RS) Bheki Thwala who directed the programme represented the
office of the regional administrator.
With
Simelane’s lawyer having explained what led to the situation reaching the
precarious stage it was at, it was when he was going back to his seat that
Thwala requested him to clarify something regarding the demolition of the
houses for the residents living in the farm.
Thwala
also requested those that were in attendance to voice out their views. He
encouraged every speaker to address or ask those in attendance with respect.
He
then directed a question to Dlamini (lawyer), asking him if his client followed
the law when executing the demolitions.
“Just
give clarity here. Was the demolition done after a court order was obtained and
if so were the farm dwellers or families whose houses were demolished shown the
papers granting the owner the right to demolish the houses or to evict them?”
Thwala asked.
The
lawyer even though he was diplomatic when responding to the question, said
there was no court order when the exercise was carried out.
To
read more of this report, click here
http://new.observer.org.sz/details.php?id=22506
King
shares good economic news, fishing experience
Mfanukhona Nkambule, eSwatini News, 25 May 2024
LUDZIDZINI: His Majesty the King is back home, with good news
for emaSwati.
Arriving at King Mswati III
International Airport at about 4pm yesterday, Ingwenyama then held a press
conference at Ludzidzini Royal Residence. During the press conference, the
King outlined his work schedule while he was in Taiwan, which included signing
bilateral agreements, attendance of President Lai Ching-te’s inauguration,
meeting emaSwati living, studying and working in that country.
The Head of State then
entertained questions from the media, whereby this newspaper requested His
Majesty to give his experience about his success in the shrimp fishing event
where Ingwenyama became number one. The question’s moral was primarily centred
on the significance of inculcating a culture of winning in both private and
public centre, with particular reference or guidance by the country’s 2024
mantra ‘Nkwe’, which symbolises quick or urgent action.
Responding to the question,
the King said he had no prior experience to fishing, owing to the fact that the
country does not have a sea.His Majesty the King said other heads of State
enjoyed an upper hand as their countries have oceans. Despite that Eswatini
does not have a sea, and Ingwenyama had no prior experience in fishing, he said
he definitely caught the most, such that the fishes were too many and had to
share with his colleagues.
To read more of this
report, click here
http://www.times.co.sz/news/145265-king-shares-good-economic-news-fishing-experience.html
Greenpeace Africa applauds eSwatini’s bold move to ban
single-use plastic carrier bags
By Ferdinand
Omondi, Greenpeace, 23 May 2024
Johannesburg,
South Africa: Greenpeace Africa commends the Kingdom of Eswatini for its bold
and progressive decision to ban all single-use plastic carrier bags effective
December 1, 2024. This landmark move, announced on Wednesday by
Eswatini’s Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Jane Simelane, marks
a significant step towards addressing plastic pollution in Africa as well as
protecting our environment, public health, and the wellbeing of future
generations.
Hellen
Kahaso Dena, Greenpeace Africa’s Pan Africa Plastics Project Lead
said,“Eswatini’s ban on single-use plastic carrier bags is a groundbreaking
victory for our environment and a testament to the nation’s commitment to a
plastic-free future. We commend Minister Simelane and the government of
Eswatini for their leadership in the fight against plastic pollution in Africa”
Dena
urged the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs to ensure strict
enforcement of the ban and to incentivise manufacturers and producers to adopt
affordable, circular, and sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics.
To read more of this report, click here
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