Swaziland Newsletter No. 862 – 31
January 2025
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.
US
funding suspended
By
Sithembile Hlatshwayo, eSwatini Observer, 30 January 2025
When the United States President Donald
Trump issued an executive order to withdraw all funding, Emaswati held their
collective breath.
Now, the country’s worst fears are being
felt, following news of the suspension of HIV/AIDS funding by the United States
(US).
…..
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief (PEPFAR) is among the programmes that have been halted, pending a review
of the initiatives.
Over 230 000 Emaswati, both adults and
children, are currently living with HIV/AIDS according to global statistics.
National Emergency Response Council on
HIV/AIDS (NERCHA) Information Centre Manager Sibusiso Ngubane stated that they
had seen reports circulating in the media about the executive decisions taken
by the newly sworn-in US president.
Following the news, Ngubane said they were
still awaiting formal communication from their development partners, including
UNAIDS and the US Embassy, regarding the way forward.
Currently, Ngubane said as an
organisation, there was nothing they could say about the matter as they were
still trying to ascertain what would happen going forward and how the decision
would impact the country.
“Once our development partners communicate
something, we may be able to clarify what has been communicated and how it will
affect the country,” said the manager.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of
Health Khanya Mabuza, remarked that in light of the news, Eswatini needed to
reposition itself and rethink its strategies. Mabuza noted that they were
minimally aware of the pressure points and how they could destabilise HIV/AIDS
efforts. He explained that, for instance, stopping people on treatment would
mean that many would become ill and infectious.
“We have those programmes we know need to
be implemented urgently; hence some will be executed in the mid-term, while
others will be for the long term as they could have significant impacts on us.”
This, the PS stated, implied that
Eswatini, they must ensure that treatment is not disrupted. He mentioned that
the ministry was currently engaging and examining the programmes likely to be
affected by the funding cut.
This, he said, would provide them with a
clearer picture of who was impacted, as not all programmes were being halted.
Mabuza indicated that the programmes likely to be affected had been identified.
“We need to qualify the services and also
review their support plans and how they affect us as a country,” the PS stated.
Primarily, Mabuza said they would focus on
the programmes that included lifesaving interventions and assess their costs to
the country, as they were urgent.
The PS added that they would then consider
educational programmes, behaviour change initiatives, rights, and many others.
He emphasised the need to contemplate how these programmes would be
mainstreamed or integrated within the next 90 days.
Mabuza expressed optimism as the country
had begun integrating most of the HIV programmes.
“We are going to strengthen the
integration of services and also assess what is needed in terms of staffing and
running costs,” he assured.
He stated that Eswatini was on the path to
sustainability but was looking towards 2030, where most programmes would be
controlled locally.
Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental
Organisations (CANGO) Executive Director Thembinkosi Dlamini stated that they
were still trying to understand the impacts of the funding suspension and were
attempting to unpack these ramifications.
Dlamini noted that they understood that if
there were ongoing contracts, they should be maintained, whereas those that had
not been issued should cease.
He warned that if the contracts were
halted, it would have a devastating effect on the programmes, as PEPFAR
contributed significantly to HIV/AIDS initiatives in terms of human resources
and the procurement of commodities, which include antiretroviral treatment
(ARVs), condoms, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and PrEP rings, which were
HIV/AIDS prevention methods.
The director stated that the suspension of
PEPFAR funding could result in troubling outcomes in terms of sustaining the
response to HIV/AIDS.
To read more of this report, click
here
http://new.observer.org.sz/details.php?id=23482
See
also
HIV/AIDS fight
blow: Trump freezes NGOs funding
http://www.times.co.sz/news/149188-hiv-aids-fight-blow-trump-freezes-ngos-funding.html
Newly inaugurated United States (US)
President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend foreign funding resulting to the
closure of NGOs in eSwatini, thousands losing jobs as about R1billion frozen
https://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=8282
King Mswati’s lavish lifestyle
affected by US President’s foreign aid suspension, political unrest fears as
decision exposes Tinkhundla regime’s abuse of taxpayers funding royalty amid
reliance on donors
https://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=8284
Aid freeze: NGOs
barred from talking to media
http://www.times.co.sz/news/149206-aid-freeze-ngos-barred-from-talking-to-media.html
Swazi
women still fighting their way into STEM fields
By
Phathizwe Mongezi Zulu, University World News, 23 January 2025
Swazi educational activists are pushing
for women in Eswatini to enrol in more technical and professional courses, with
Savannah Maziya, the minister of information, communications and technology
(ICT), playing a leading role in encouraging young women to enter the world of
science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM.
At least half of the students in the kingdom’s higher education system are
women. In 2020, According to the World Bank, 89.1% of adult men were literate
compared to 89.5% of adult women.
Literacy among adult women in the country is above the Sub-Saharan Africa
average – 74.2% compared to 61.4%. The World Bank defines adult literacy as
“the percentage of people aged 15 and above who can both read and write with
understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life”.
During a forum jointly hosted by the ICT ministry and the Kingdom of Eswatini
Academy of Sciences, it was revealed that only 35% of young women pursue
further studies after leaving school, while only 34% are active in the
workplace.
Maziya explained that many women did not pursue STEM studies and leadership
roles because of Swazi culture, in which intelligence and character are not
enough to earn male respect: “The currency of beauty kicks in to assess women’s
abilities,” Maziya said.
The forum’s objective was to promote
gender equality and women empowerment, particularly in ICT, science, and
innovation-focused courses.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250121045111791
Schools
only 33.3% ready for opening - SNAT
By
Nolwazi Bongwe, Sebentile Shongwe, Nonduduzo Kunene and Sibusiso Zwane, Times
of eSwatini, 28 January 2025
MBABANE: As the 2025 school calendar
begins today, schools are reportedly only 33.3 per cent ready for the term,
according to the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT). The
teachers’ union conducted an inspection of the various workstations assigned to
their members and concluded that, despite government having had a full year to
prepare for the school openings this year, things were not in order. SNAT
and its affiliate, the Swaziland Association of Schools Administrators (SASA),
found that most schools are nowhere near ready to kick-start teaching.
They determined that a variety of crucial interventions for the operation of
schools were lagging, while some had not yet been delivered. These
interventions include the payment of free primary education (FPE) grants,
orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) grants, as well as the delivery of
essential furniture (desks and chairs) and other teaching aids.
By the end of business yesterday, SNAT
indicated that 60 per cent of temporary teachers had received their posting
letters, 90 per cent had received stationery (exercise books, pens and rulers),
around 40 per cent had received textbooks, but none had received the FPE or OVC
grants. Since last week, the SNAT National Executive Committee (NEC) has
been visiting schools, particularly those in remote areas, to assess their
readiness for the new academic year and to identify the challenges they face.
These challenges include poor roads, deteriorating infrastructure, the
unavailability of teaching aids and insufficient funds for running schools and
compensating teachers. SNAT Secretary General (SG) Lot Vilakati
highlighted that for years, whenever the association raised concerns about
these challenges, the Ministry of Education and Training requested evidence.
“The ministry has been telling parents and
the nation at large that schools are ready to kick-start the 2025 school
calendar; however, the situation on the ground says otherwise. It is for that
reason we embarked on this exercise to bring evidence for the entire nation to
see,” he said. The SG noted that they initially earmarked 10 schools that
were affected by recent storms, including those impacted during the storms of
August 2023, just before the general elections. He expressed concern that
even schools affected in 2023 had not been attended to. “Ndlalane Primary
School was affected by a storm in 2023 on the eve of the primary elections, but
it has not been addressed,” he said.
To read more of this report, click
here
http://www.times.co.sz/news/149171-schools-only-33-3-ready-for-opening-snat.html
See also
School opens with E29 in the bank
http://new.observer.org.sz/details.php?id=23488
By
Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 26 January, 2025
King Mswati III
MBABANE: King Mswati is likely to spend
over R50million public funds celebrating forty (40) years on the Throne next
year, this publication has reliably gathered.
Mswati who rules eSwatini as an absolute
Monarch, was crowned as a King on the 25th April 1986 at the age of eighteen (18)
and after the death of his father-King Sobhuza.
Eswatini has about 70% of the population
living below the poverty line, the country is also facing high unemployment
with the Government employing teachers and nurses on contracts.
Reached for comments by this Swaziland
News regarding the event, King Mswati’s Spokesperson Percy Simelane
referred comments to the Ministry of Home Affairs saying, official National
Celebrations are under that Portfolio.
“Kindly take it up with Home Affairs. Official
National Celebrations are under their portfolio”, said the King’s Spokesperson.
Home Affairs Minister Princess Lindiwe had
not responded at the time of compiling this report.
On another note, eSwatini is facing a
health crisis amid shortage of drugs in public hospitals, Government is also
failing to award deserving University students scholarships while schools are
struggling amid shortage of teachers and working equipment.
But lately, the “Government is facing
criticism for failing to pay suppliers on time and as a result, some indigenous
companies have closed amid Government delay in processing invoices or paying
for services rendered”.
It is alleged that, the budgeting for the
King’s forty (40) years on the Throne has started in some of the relevant
Ministries.
This
newsletter and previous editions are available online here.
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