Swaziland Newsletter No. 850 – 25
October 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.
[Serbia]
president shares army prowess with King
By
Kings Office Respondents, eSwatini Observer, 23 October 2024
President of Serbia Aleksander Vucic, on
Monday hosted His Majesty King Mswati III to a brief ‘army day’, where a
glimpse of the Serbian army prowess was put on show.
The army showcased some of its latest
technology equipment to the king, demonstrating how artificial intelligence has
emerged as the preferred weapon. He also had an opportunity to witness several
combat drills by army personnel.
Accompanying the president at the Military
Technical Centre were the Minister for Defence Bratislava Gasic, assistant
Minister for Material Resources Nened Miloradovic and Chief of General Staff,
General Hossilovic.
Later that day, His Majesty visited the
Vlatacom Institute, which is a private science and research centre that
develops software systems for the military, among other sectors.
It boasts of providing secure information
and communication technology, critical asset protection and border control,
applied mathematics and electronics with cryptography features, multi-sensor
integration, biometrics, image and radio waves, intelligent signal processing,
with implementation in identity management and surveillance devices and
targeted systems.
Vladimir Cizel, founder of the institute,
welcomed the king and expressed his deep love for Eswatini.
After a presentation on the work of the
centre, His Majesty King Mswati III congratulated Cizel for sharing their
success—having grown from humble beginnings to where they are today.
“This is due to your commitment and
dedication. You have a strong, capable team and it is good to see advancement
in technology, which is important for such an institute,” he said.
The king said the country looked forward
to working with the institute to learn new things, particularly about how to
transfer some of this technology back home.
To read more of this report, click
here
http://new.observer.org.sz/details.php?id=22846
Is Israel moving its eSwatini embassy back from South
Africa?
Middle East Monitor, 24 October 2024
The tiny Southern African
kingdom of Eswatini has diplomatic ties with Israel going back over five
decades, Anadolu Agency reports.
Today, as Israel faces growing
international isolation for its genocide in Gaza and escalating assault on Lebanon,
Eswatini seems to be among the few countries moving ever closer to Tel Aviv.
This could, according to local
media reports, soon lead to another major development: the return of an Israeli
diplomatic mission to Africa’s last absolute monarchy.
There was an Israeli Embassy
once in the capital, Mbabane, but that was shut down in 1994. Diplomatic
relations between Eswatini and Israel have since been managed from South
Africa’s administrative capital, Pretoria.
Relations between Israel and
South Africa are currently strained, to say the least, with the latter leading
the international legal charge against Israel’s Gaza genocide.
While that increases the
likelihood of Israel actually planning an Eswatini mission move from South
Africa, authorities from either side have remained tight-lipped over the plan.
In June, Newman Ntshangase,
principal secretary at the Eswatini Foreign Ministry, told local media that
consultations on the matter were “at a high level and in early stages”.
Information would be made
public once it was “mutually concretised by both states”, he told local
publication, Times Sunday, adding that Eswatini would view it as “a
positive outcome”.
While there has been no
official comment from Israel, Ntshangase told Anadolu that
matters were still at the same point as the government has not “received new
information with regards to Israeli’s foreign policy decision to reopen (a
diplomatic mission) in Eswatini.”
He said Israel has the right
to make the sovereign decision of where to station its diplomatic missions,
which would be “done through a formal mutual consent process with the host
nation.”
“Should there be any
(progress), the Ministry will gladly bring it to the public domain,” he said.
Percy Simelane, spokesperson
for Eswatini’s King Mswati III, also defended the country’s right to engage
with Israel.
“Israel had an embassy in
Eswatini even before the incumbent King,” he told Anadolu.
“Eswatini has a sovereign
right to choose, which comes into force without having to be passed or approved
by other nations. The Kingdom is at liberty to pick its diplomatic partners
just like any other country.”
Thokozane Kunene, General
Secretary of the Communist Party of Swaziland, slammed the idea and asserted
that it was a reflection of the Eswatini government’s level of conflict with
Israel.
“Israel has always had an
important role in defending the Swazi regime, protecting its economic interests
and helping it accumulate strategic territories,” Kunene told Anadolu.
He asserted that Israel has
also “supported the regime by placing its agents in the executive, judiciary
and security agencies.”
They have increased their
“presence in the country, becoming more dominant to a point that they are
literally running the regime,” he said.
The accusations have been
denied by the Eswatini government.
To read more of
this report, click here
Mzansi
accuses Jacob Zuma of selling his daughters soul with marriage to King Mswati
III
By Nomonde
Simelane, Bona (South Africa)
In September it was revealed that
21-year-old Nomcebo Zuma, the daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, was to
become the 16th wife of Esatwini’s Monarch, King Mswati III. Upon the
revelation of the news, some South Africans condemned both Mswati and Jacob
Zuma for this, as they believed the marriage was purely transactional.
Seeing that King Mswati III is 56 years
old, the age gap between Nomcebo and himself is a whopping 35 years, and
although Nomcebo is of legal age, netizens have expressed their concern over
the problematic nature of the union. Their traditional matrimonial ceremony
took place at the Ludzidzini royal village in Lobamba, where approximately 5000
people were in attendance.
King Mswati has often made headlines and
was criticised by his opposition and citizens of Eswatini for leading an
extravagant lifestyle, including all 11 of his wives, while the people of
Eswatini live in extreme poverty. The announcement of his marriage to Nomcebo
has furthered the agenda of his villainous nature, as some have highlighted
that the decision to marry someone 35 years his junior must not be taken
lightly.
Coming to the King’s defence, Eswatini’s
spokesman Alpheous Nxumalo claims that the King and his wife connect on a
romantic level, and dismissed any suggestion that the union is for political
gain between the two families.
“Love has no eyes to see or count age.
Love happens between two people. It can happen between a person who is 100
years old and a person who is above the average of what is permitted
constitutionally,” Alpheus says.
Unconvinced, netizens are adamant that the
relationship is problematic and question how much of a say Nomcebo had in
choosing her husband. Others cite the significant age gap as a cause for
concern.
Speculations about Nomcebo’s eagerness, or
lack thereof to marry the King have already begun, as users analyse the body
language in any media of the couple that circulates, concluding that Nomcebo is
not happy with the decision that was made to marry her to the King.
Billionaire King Mswati and his new
wife Jacob Zuma’s daughter splash over R1million cash in Serbia
By
Musa Mdluli, Swaziland News, 21 October, 2024
SERBIA: King Mswati splashed over
R1million cash on over one hundred(100) eSwatini University students studying
in Serbia including those from South African and Burundi.
Each student who attended a party
organized for the King to meet the students received eight thousand
Rands(R8,000.00), the State owned Eswatini Broadcasting and Information
Services(EBIS) reported on Monday.
The King and his new wife Inkhosikati
Nomcebo Zuma, the daughter to former South African President Jacob Zuma are in
Serbia for a State visit.
On another note, eSwatini is facing
shortage of drugs in public hospitals, dozens have died since the crisis
erupted.
The country is also facing an education
crisis, schools are facing shortage of teachers and working equipment while
University students in eSwatini are committing suicide amid Government failure
to release allowances.
The University of Eswatini (UNESWA) was
recently closed after the Eswatini Water Services Corporation(EWSC) terminated
water supply pending payment of outstanding invoices.
But apart from that, the country is also
facing a cash flow challenges, most civil servants are financially broke while
Government struggles to pay suppliers, resulting to the collapse of indigenous
businesses.
 |
Billionaire King Mswati and his new wife Jacob Zuma’s daughter splashed over
R1million cash in Serbia, gives each eSwatini, South African University
students R8,000.00 amid shortage of drugs in public hospitals
Pensioners
plan march against drugs shortage
By
Siboniso Nkambule, Times of eSwatini (print edition), 24 October 2024
MBABANE: The Swaziland Public Service
Pensioners Association (SPSPA) General Secretary (GS), Dominic Nxumalo, says
there is a need for pensioners to take a stand and march against the ongoing
shortage of drugs in the country’s health facilities.
Nxumalo emphasised the urgent need for
action, stating that pensioners must demand a consistent supply of medications
in these facilities. It was noted that the lack of essential drugs has placed
many lives at risk, and it is crucial for pensioners to advocate for their
right to proper healthcare.
Nxumalo addressed SPSPA members in a
meeting held at the Mbabane National Library yesterday.
This comes after nurses’ resolution to
march and deliver a petition to the Prime Minister (PM), Russell Dlamini, and
the Minister of Health, Mduduzi Matsebula, over the continuing health crisis.
The nurses, who are organised under the
banner of the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), made this resolution
during their recent national general council meeting at Shosholoza Conference
Room in Manzini.
According to SWADNU Secretary General
Mayibongwe Masangane, the meeting reflected that the issue of shortage of drugs
dates back to 2016 and since then, emaSwati have been dying at their hands. He
said at their workstations, they no longer treat people but offer words of
comfort to those seeking medical attention.
This, he said, is because they do not have
working tools and drugs. He said at times they see government issuing
statements, which suggest that medical drugs have been delivered. He said those
media statements are nothing but political statements. “This is because those
drugs do not last even three weeks,” he said.
In that regard, he said the national
general council decided that they should petition the PM and minister of
Health. He said there was a proposal that they should engage the Trade Union
Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) to lead the petition delivery, so that even the
other concerned unions could join.
Nxumalo, when addressing the pensioners,
said he thought about the deteriorating health system in the country. According
to Nxumalo, when they visit hospitals, they do not get the required drugs.
He stated that this is another issue they
would need to stand up for as pensioners.
“We would need to stand up and march to
demand drugs and medication to be present at health facilities all the time. We
will also be helping the youth,” Nxumalo said.
The GS explained that the health issue
belongs to them. Adding, he shared that they need to discuss as the
association’s branches, so that they could march against it and deliver a
petition, in large numbers.
He mentioned that the recent petitions
they delivered to the Ministry of Public Service and the Ministry of Finance
went well and showed that they are respected and further feared.
Nxumalo said this meant that they could
achieve a lot. Furthermore, he emphasised that members should not have fear
when called to marches, as no one would assault a pensioner.
“In the future when we march, we should
come out in large numbers,” he said.
‘Humanities
field saturated, graduates unemployable’
By
Sifiso Dlamini. eSwatini Observer, 20 October 2024
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security
says the decision to stop sponsoring the field of Humanities was informed by
the National Skills Audit of 2022, which revealed that the graduates are
unemployable.
The report, according to the ministry,
also revealed that the elasticity of employment to growth appeared constrained
by structural factors.
The decision, which comes into effect from
the 2025/26 academic year, was announced on Tuesday and only affects students
at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA).
Minister of Labour and Social Security,
Phila Buthelezi, said the skills audit outlined the opportunities and
saturations in terms of human resource.
The minister revealed that Humanities
graduates approached the ministry and complained that they were not employable
unless they had a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), hence the
reason to phase out the programme.
He further said the ministry had been
assessing priority courses and determined that some of them had to be phased
out because they were no longer relevant.
He also pointed out that during the
graduation, the Vice Chancellor Justice Thwala, announced about 10 new courses
that would be introduced in the next academic year, which was also part and
parcel of the recommendations outlined in the skills audit report.
“We are also in the process of aligning
with the industry needs,” the minister said.
When making the announcement, the minister
said the decision to stop funding Humanities was part of a broader
re-evaluation of government priorities in tertiary education funding.
To read more of this report, click
here
http://new.observer.org.sz/details.php?id=22817
See also
eSwatini university steps up
inclusion efforts with the opening of disability support center
Crisis as UNESWA faces E8m water bill
http://new.observer.org.sz/details.php?id=22833
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