Swaziland Newsletter No. 838 – 2 August 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.
A
call for African solidarity as human rights in eSwatini continue to worsen
By Nkanyiso
Mtolo, Daily Maverick (South Africa), 28 Jul 2024
The ongoing imprisonment of opposition
parliamentarians Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube is part of a broader
pattern of human rights violations in Africa’s last absolute monarchy, where
King Mswati III’s government is unyielding in its quest to crush dissent.
In a lonely cell in Eswatini’s maximum
security Matsapha Correctional Complex, former opposition parliamentarians
Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube marked three long years in prison on
Thursday, 25 July 2024.
Earlier in the month, a court sentenced
them to spend a
combined 43 years behind bars after convicting them on bogus,
trumped-up terrorism-related and murder charges. Prison guards have allegedly assaulted the
two men since locking them up in 2021, and after the sentencing, they started denying
food to Mabuza, which amounts to torture or other ill-treatment.
Mabuza and Dube’s plight is part of
a broader
pattern of human rights violations in Africa’s last absolute monarchy,
where King Mswati III’s government is unyielding in its quest to crush dissent.
But their harsh treatment should not be
just another example of abuse of power in the nation. Instead, it should be a
wake-up call to southern African governments to urgently take unified action to
help Eswatini improve its human rights record.
In particular, South Africa, the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU) must ratchet up
the pressure on Mswati to release Mabuza and Dube and ensure accountability for
past violations.
The roots of Eswatini’s crisis are
embedded in the king’s government’s use of harsh laws to punish opposing views
with little regard for human rights.
Authorities prosecuted Mabuza and Dube
under draconian anti-terror and sedition laws after arresting
them for supporting widespread pro-democracy
protests triggered by the death of 25-year-old law student Thabani
Nkomonye in police custody. Mswati’s security agents unleashed brutal force on
the protesters, arresting hundreds of people, including children, and killing
dozens.
There’s been no justice for those killings
– nor for the unlawful
killing of leading activist Thulani Maseko, shot dead in his own home
in January 2023. Indeed, instead of investigating Maseko’s death, authorities –
suspected of being behind the killing – have instead decided to harass
and intimidate his widow for demanding accountability.
Nkanyiso Mtolo is country campaigner
in Amnesty International’s East and Southern Africa office.
To read more of this report, click here
See also
Jailing of politicians the latest act
of repression
https://www.ipsnews.net/2024/07/eswatini-jailing-politicians-latest-act-repression/
ACTSA writes to David Lammy
requesting urgent attention on deteriorating political situation
https://actsa.org/swaziland-actsa-writes-to-david-lammy-requesting-urgent-attention/
Surge
in new HIV infections at Kwaluseni
By
Kwanele Sibiya And Phephile Motau, eSwatini Observer, 30 July 2024
There is a surge in new HIV infections at
Kwaluseni due to intergenerational and transactional sex, which are as a result
of the high rate of unemployment and poverty in the area.
National Emergency Response Council on HIV
and AIDS (NERCHA) National Executive Director Dr Nondumiso Ginindza Ncube made
these startling revelations during a visit by Prime Minister (PM) Russell Mmiso
Dlamini to the Kwaluseni Constituency to officially open the revamped Inkhundla
centre structure, which was rehabilitated after it was torched by arsonists in
2021.
According to Ginindza-Ncube, the premier
visited Kwaluseni at a time when the constituency was gripped by a surge in new
infections of HIV, particularly amongst adolescent girls and young women.
She pointed out that a survey they
conducted in 2021, otherwise known as Eswatini HIV Recent Infections Survey
(EHRIS) underscored the significance of prompt response from NERCHA in order to
curtail the high rate of new HIV infections at Kwaluseni.
Ginindza-Ncube said the survey made it
clear that the causes of the high rate of new HIV infections at Kwaluseni
included, amongst others, early sexual debut as well as Sexual Gender Based
Violence (SGBV).
She pointed out that intergenerational sex
due to poverty leading to transitional sex was also one of the causes of the
high prevalent rate of new infections of HIV at Kwaluseni.
She said this then gave them a challenge
to enforce their sexual empowerment dialogues in order to sensitise residents
on how best to protect themselves against Sexually Transmitted Infections
(STIs) and for them to predominantly test for HIV.
However, Ncube said be that as it may, as
NERCHA through their implementing partners, they were doing everything within
their means to combat the high rate of new HIV infections at Kwaluseni once and
for all.
To read more of this report, click here
http://new.observer.org.sz/details.php?id=22608
Unleashing the potential of coffee in
eSwatini: A catalyst for socio-economic development
Food and Agricultural
Organization (UN) Regional Office for Africa, 25 July 2024
MBABANE: The Deputy FAO Representative for
Eswatini, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho, Louis Muhigirwa, has wrapped up a two-week
mission focusing on the promising coffee sector in Eswatini. His visit included
a field exploration of coffee out-grower farms in Sigcaweni, aimed at
identifying support avenues for smallholder farmers and understanding the
myriad challenges they face. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO) is actively promoting the Great Green Wall Initiative
(GGWI) Action Plan, which addresses critical issues such as desertification,
deforestation, and drought resilience.
 |
Deputy FAO Representative for Eswatini, Lesotho and Zimbabwe, Louis Muhigirwa pose for a photo at a nursery owned by coffee smallholder farmers in Ngculwini, in Manzini region, Eswatini
This effort aligns with the FAO’s
Strategic Framework 2022-2031 which seeks to support the 2030 Agenda. The
framework promotes the transformation of agrifood systems to ensure better
production, improved nutrition, enhanced environmental conditions, and improved
livelihoods - embodying the four betters: better production, better nutrition,
better environment, and better life, leaving no one behind.
Eswatini is grappling with severe
environmental degradation, desertification, and drought. A report from the UN
Convention to Combat Desertification highlighted that in 2010, approximately
46,000 people were living on degrading agricultural land - a troubling 17
percent increase over the previous decade. This statistic underscores the
urgent need for sustainable agricultural practices.
Patrick Du Point, a pioneering figure and
Chairperson of Eswatini Coffee Association (ECA), is at the forefront of
initiatives to empower coffee smallholder farmers across communities. Du Point
shared insights into the coffee cultivation process, explaining that seedlings
require around three months for growth. He also emphasized the importance of
identifying anchor farmers within communities to serve as pilot projects for
implementing sustainable farming practices.
One such pilot farmer is Sibongile
Dlamini-Mathuntjwa from Sigcaweni, who is benefiting from the technical support
provided by Du Point and ECA. Du Point advocates for integrating coffee farming
with apiculture, suggesting that farmers could receive three to five beehives
to enhance biodiversity and agricultural productivity.
“We are seeking financial support to
accelerate our shared goals and enable smallholder farmers to thrive,” Du Point
noted. The ECA recently organized a learning visit to Uganda, where they
observed the successful sourcing of kilo roasters for local community use.
Training programs have empowered members, particularly young women and youth,
equipping them with essential skills in coffee production and processing. This
focus on capacity building ensures that local communities see tangible benefits
throughout the coffee value chain.
The coffee project began in January and is
already making strides.
To read more of this report, click here
eSwatini
seeks to expand Asia ties while navigating tricky China-Taiwan winds
By Nokukhanya
Musi, Voice of America, 26 July 2024
Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is the only
country left in Africa that maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which
China considers a renegade province. Eswatini is nevertheless a growing trade
partner with China, which means the country has to be careful as it reaches out
to other nations in Asia for new economic opportunities.
Eswatini’s recent efforts to build
stronger ties with South Korea, Singapore and Bhutan could be interpreted as a
move away from China, its biggest trading partner in Asia. The kingdom imported
more than $109 million in goods from China in 2022.
But government spokesperson Alpheous
Nxumalo said such a conclusion was presumptive. He argued that diplomacy is a
fluid process, driven by a country’s interests, and that Eswatini’s current
focus on developing relations with other Asian nations reflected a strategic
assessment of what is best for the kingdom.
“We are establishing diplomatic relations
with many countries,” Nxumalo said. “Geopolitics is not centered in one
position. Geopolitics is controlled and influenced from various corners of the
globe. As the kingdom of Eswatini, that’s where we want to make our presence
available, and that’s where we want to make our presence felt, where there’s
geopolitics activities - whether economical trade or diplomacy or even
political processes, we would want to be engaged. ...
“So Eswatini is, therefore, according to
our cardinal foreign policy, an enemy to none but a friend to all.”
Being friends to all has allowed Eswatini
to maintain diplomatic relations with both China and Taiwan, despite efforts by
Beijing to persuade Eswatini to cut ties with the self-governing island.
China has threatened various measures
against Eswatini but has never carried them out.
Nearly 60% of Eswatini's population lives
in poverty, and its economy was hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, which was
followed by a wave of protests that ruined or damaged many businesses.
Mavela Sigwane, head of transformation at
the Federation of Eswatini Business Community, said the outreach efforts to
South Korea, Singapore and Bhutan represent more than diplomacy; they hold the
potential for significant economic benefits.
“This Korea agreement which has been
signed, we are so excited about it,” Sigwane said. “It will open a number of
avenues for the local businesses to also tap into the available opportunities
in Korea.”
To read more of this report, click here
ACC investigating over 250
cases, makes 2 arrests
By
Mthunzi Mdluli, Times of eSwatini
(print edition), 31 July 2024
MBABANE: The ACC is investigating over 250 cases of
corruption.
It has been reliably gathered
that some of the cases that are being investigated by the Anti-Corruption
Commission (ACC) include, among others, the Ministry of Health report and
corrupt practices in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Others are the engagement of
Funduzi Forensic Services (Pty) Ltd to conduct a forensic investigation into
the procurement and distribution of medical drugs and supplies by the Ministry
of Health, as well as the recruitment process at the Eswatini National Fire,
Rescue and Emergency Services (ENFRES).
The ACC has so far managed to
effect two arrests.
ACC Director Jabu Phakathi,
did not reveal the type of cases that are being investigated by the commission.
In an interview, Phakathi told
this publication that lessons learned from other countries were that
anti-corruption agencies were perceived to be pursuing ‘small fish’ all the
time, yet that was not a fact.
She said the ACC investigated
both low and high profile cases, without fear or favour.
She had been asked about the
assertion that the ACC did not apply vigour when investigating high profile
corruption cases, yet they were quick to conclude cases of ‘small fish’.
Phakathi said there was none such.
“This is evident in past and
current arrests. The commission treats every suspect the same and there is no
one who is above the law in adherence to the Constitution.
“The ACC is currently
investigating over 250 cases and we have two current arrests,” said Phakathi.
The ACC director was asked
what obstacles they came across when carrying out their investigations.
Phakathi pointed out that the
commission did not have adequate working resources such as personnel and cars.
These, according to Phakathi, are the main challenges faced by the ACC.
“We are currently facing human
resource challenges and we are thin on the ground, mainly due to the rate of
attrition of officers, who have either found greener pastures and those that
have retired from the service. As a result, the ACC is currently operating with
14 investigators,” she explained.
Phakathi said despite the
obstacles cited above, the ACC was working round the clock to pursue its
mandate.
SWAZI
MEDIA COMMENTARY
Find us:
Blog: https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/142383985790674
X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com @Swazimedia
No comments:
Post a Comment