Swaziland Newsletter No. 855 – 29 November
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.
By Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland
News, 25 November, 2024
16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM: Eswatini
facing a surge in Gender Based Violence cases as Government refuses to declare
GBV a National Disaster in protection of country’s international image (pic:
Gov).
MBABANE:
Eswatini is facing a surge in Gender Based Violence (GBV) cases as Government
refuses to prioritize the fight against domestic violence.
But
women rights organizations have been urging the authorities to declare GBV a
National Disaster however, Government sources told this publication that, the
reluctance has been influenced by fears within the corridors of power that,
doing so might tarnish the image of the country internationally that “is known
as a peaceful and politically stable Kingdom”.
Domestic
violence in eSwatini is allegedly perpetrated by various factors including
patriarchy, cultural beliefs, inequality and/or financial and economic
hardships among women.
As
a result, some women are in alleged abusive relationships and marriages with no
recourse amid lack of financial independence.
Women
including young girls are raped, assaulted and killed in eSwatini,
organizations within the civil society has been consistently reporting an
increasing number or a surge in domestic violence cases.
On
the other hand, the institution of the police appears to be struggling with
resources including training to deal with GBV cases while the Office of the
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) under Lomvula Hlophe, has been
demonstrating no tolerance on domestic violence by prioritizing GBV cases.
As
a result, despite the struggle and the lack of a political will to fight GBV,
some domestic violence cases were successfully prosecuted by the Office of the
DPP.
Nonhlanhla
Dlamini is the Executive Director of the Eswatini Action Group Against Abuse
(SWAGAA) one of the leading women rights organizations in eSwatini.
Dlamini
told this Swaziland News earlier that, their consistent plea for the
declaration of GBV as a National Disaster was merely meant to amplify the
voices against domestic violence, thus creating a foundation for a vibrant
advocacy drive locally and at international level to influence the allocation
of resources to fight Gender Based Violence (GBV).
“Once
Government declare GBV a National Disaster, resources will be allocated by
Government, the private sector and even the international community will
support the eradication of Gender Based Violence in eSwatini. You will recall
that when the country was facing the escalating new HIV infections, even the
King amplified the call to fight HIV/AIDS by declaring the virus a National
Disaster, he said “Lena indzaba yetfu sonkhe”. The whole country was united to
fight HIV and we were able to mitigate the spread of HIV”, said the SWAGAA
Director.
But
on Monday during the launch of the sixteen(16) Days of Activism against GBV,
the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister(DPM) joined other human rights
organizations in a march against GBV at Mhlaleni in the outskirts of Matsapha,
this was during the launch of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based
Violence.
Thulisile
Dladla, the Deputy Prime Minister had not responded at the time of compiling
this report.
Reached
for comments by this Swaziland News on Monday evening,Colani Hlatjwako, the One
Billion Rising Africa Coordinator confirmed that, eSwatini “is facing a surge”
adding that, the GBV cases reported by the print and online media does not even
amount to a quarter(1/4) of what “is happening” on the ground.
“It
is for these reasons we are appealing to Government to declare GBV a National
Disaster so that we can collectively fight Gender Based Violence and resources
will be allocated by the Government, private sector and even the international
community”, said the One Billion Rising Africa Coordinator.
See
also
EU
in Eswatini stands against gender-based violence
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/eswatini/eu-eswatini-stands-against-gender-based-violence_en
16
days of activism against GBV march
http://www.times.co.sz/news/148206-16-days-of-activism-against-gbv-march.html
A
journey from rejection to empowerment
By Sifiso Nhlabatsi, eSwatini
Observer, 24 November 2024
Life
took an unexpected and challenging turn for Siphosethu Mamba (22) when she
decided to come out as a transgender woman shortly after completing Form Five
in 2020.
What
she had hoped would be an important moment of honesty with her parents, became
a source of deep personal struggle.
“I
thought I was doing the right thing by being true to myself,” Mamba recalls,
“but my parents couldn’t accept it. What made things worse was that I didn’t
perform well in school.”
Her
parents’ struggle to come to terms with both her gender identity and her
academic results complicated matters. Mamba still owed school fees, which she
couldn’t afford.
This
made it impossible to retrieve her Form Five certificate, leaving her future
uncertain.
The strain of this situation led to a significant rift within the family. Mamba
moved out of her parents’ home and stayed on her own for about three months.
When
she moved back home in honour of her parents’ request, the situation
remained tense. Her parents called her names and eventually disowned her
altogether. Now on her own and without a source of income, Mamba faced the
harsh realities of homelessness.
“I
had nowhere to go and no steady work,” she said, reflecting on those difficult
days. Mamba tried to get by with small, informal jobs, but nothing seemed to
provide the stability she needed. Just when she thought her options had run
out, a friend’s mother welcomed Mamba into her home.
“A
Good Samaritan took me in when no one else would. She welcomed me into her
family, even when others around her were uncomfortable with my presence,” Mamba
said.
Mamba
found not only shelter, but also acceptance in this new home. While there, she
started attending sessions hosted by TransSwati, a transgender rights
organisation in Eswatini.
TransSwati organises a support group where trans people meet regularly to share
their experiences and coping strategies.
“They also offered therapy and
psychosocial support, which really helped me process everything I was going
through,” Mamba said
She shared her story at one of these
meetings, which is when TransSwati’s executive director Pinty Dludlu learned of
her plight.
To read more of this report, click
here
http://new.observer.org.sz/details.php?id=23067
Supreme Court: marriage
vows now meaningless
By
Kwanele Dlamini, Times of eSwatini, 28 November 2024
MBABANE: Marriage is becoming more and
more of a commercial and contractual project.
This was according to the Supreme Court,
when it decided a divorce appeal in which adultery was cited as a ground. The
court also stated that marriage vows have become meaningless.
The sanctity of marriage, according to the court, as times change, has been
dealt a blow also by the legalisation of same-sex marriages. In the matter
before the court, the husband was seeking divorce on grounds of adultery and,
alternatively, malicious desertion. Victor Tesa wanted the court to order
that his wife, Anita, should forfeit all benefits deriving from the marriage
contracted in community of property.
He also wanted movable property donated by
his wife’s family to the joint estate returned. The wife had taken the movable
property to set home for their children and herself, when she deserted him, the
court heard. Victor further prayed for a return of her share of E1
million, which was her half share when they sold a house in South Africa of the
joint estate. Appellant also wanted custody of the children. Judge Sabelo
Matsebula heard the matter, together with Judge Stanley Maphalala and Judge
Nkululeko Hlophe. In the unanimous judgment, the court found that there
was no misdirection from the High Court and that both parents should enjoy
custody and love of their children and maintain them in accordance with their
incomes.
Victor’s appeal partially succeeded and the order of the High Court of
malicious desertion was changed to divorce on the ground of adultery. The
Supreme Court also ordered that the joint estate should be divided equally
between the parties. Anita forfeited 20 per cent of her financial interest
accruing by virtue of the marriage being in community of property.
This means that Victor shall receive, in
total, 70 per cent and Anita the remaining 30 per cent. The order being
appealed was issued by Acting Judge Thami Dlamini, who found in favour of
Victor and approached the Supreme Court, because he was not satisfied with the
judgment. In the introduction of the judgment, Judge Matsebula said in the
history of Eswatini, both under the Roman-Dutch common law and under the
Eswatini Law and Custom, the law and culture of marriage and adultery is a
concept well-known and accepted. He said what is unknown, under Eswatini
Law and Custom, is divorce, the division of property and forfeiture of property
following a breakdown of a marriage. The judge stated that in Eswatini culture
and Eswatini Law and Custom, certain aspects of marriage exist and remain
beyond the life of the marriage and the life of the parties. The
reason, according to Judge Matsebula, is that the bride does not marry the
groom, but marries to the groom’s family.
To read more of this report, click
here
http://www.times.co.sz/news/148280-supreme-court-marriage-vows-now-meaningless.html
‘Treasury officials are
corrupt’
By
Sifiso Dlamini, eSwatini Observer, 22 November 2024
SENATORS have blown the whistle on alleged
corrupt tendencies at the treasury and revenue departments by officials who
demand payment for services.
The legislators alleged that treasury
department officials under the ministry of finance demanded a cut from owed
suppliers in order to fast-track their payments.
They also revealed that the officials
at revenue offices took advantage of the long queues and demanded
that in order to get assistance, members of the public should pay a fee.
The allegations made by the legislators
are similar to those made about the ministry of home affairs officials, who
also allegedly demand payment from members of the public in order to provide
services.
The senators praised the Eswatini Revenue
Service (ERS) for being exemplary in dealing with internal corruption while
urging the ministry to use the institution as a benchmark in dealing with
corruption.
This was during the Senate finance
portfolio committee debate second quarter performance report yesterday. The
committee is chaired by Senator Tony Sibandze.
Senator Chief Ngome Ndlangamandla said the
revenue department was still using outdated systems, yet the systems used by
ERS were efficient and had no elements of corruption.
“The regional revenue offices are a mess
and the long queues open a window for corruption. members of the public
are forced to wait for hours in long queues, sometimes the whole day without
being assisted,” he said.
He said there was little to no monitoring
of the regional offices by the ministry as there were normally no senior
officials or regional managers in office.
“The situation is the same in all the
regional offices. The officials are so corrupt and barely supervised,” he
claimed.
To read more of this report, click
here
http://new.observer.org.sz/details.php?id=23055
How eSwatini became a
transit hub for southern Africa’s money laundering networks
By
Warren Thompson and Micah Reddy, Financial Fortune, 26 November 2024
Leaked files obtained by the International
Consortium of Investigative Journalists show how a Dubai-based gold trader
cosied up to the Swazi king’s son-in-law to allegedly launder money from South
Africa to Dubai through the tiny African kingdom.
Leaked documents from the Eswatini
Financial Intelligence Unit (EFIU) reveal how, in late 2018, the kingdom’s
authorities began secretly investigating suspicious payments amounting to tens
of millions of rands between entities linked to two politically connected
businessmen.
The investigation raised red flags
regarding the relationship between Keenin Schofield, son-in-law of King Mswati
III, and a Dubai-based businessman, Alistair Mathias, who claimed to be a close
friend of the king.
Mathias was accused in a 2023 Al Jazeera
documentary of being one of the architects behind a vast scheme to smuggle gold
out of Zimbabwe, allegedly with the complicity of the Mnangagwa regime.
The leaks reveal how millions of rands
emanating from a Johannesburg company named AMFS moved rapidly through entities
controlled by Schofield and Mathias before ultimately being transferred to
Dubai.
This raised suspicions within Eswatini’s
authorities that the pair “might be using the country as a conduit for
smuggling illegally obtained Gold out of Africa through Eswatini to the United
Arab Emirates under the guise of a company,” and that this was being done to
“conceal the true source and purpose of the funds received and transferred”,
according to a letter the EFIU wrote to the country’s tax authority.
The Leaks
The leaks now known as the “Swazi Secrets”
comprise more than 890,000 documents from the Eswatini Financial Intelligence
Unit obtained by Distributed
Denial of Secrets, a non-profit devoted to publishing and archiving leaks.
The documents were shared with the
International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), who in turn
shared it with seven media partners as part of their investigation. You can
read more about the leaks and the stories flowing from them here.
To read more of this report, click
here
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