Swaziland Newsletter No. 870 – 28
March 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. The newsletter
is also available online on the Swazi Media Commentary blogsite.
Due
to lack of facilities, tools: cops drop child abuse cases
By Joseph
Zulu, eSwatini News, 22 March 2025
MBABANE: What happens when an abused child
reports her ordeal, only to be sent back to her abuser?
While law enforcement officers do not
intentionally return children to abusive environments, this reality is
unfolding due to logistical and resource constraints. According to the
Children Protection and Welfare Act, an abused child should be placed in a safe
shelter while investigations are ongoing. However, for many children, this
protection remains unavailable. An investigation by Eswatini News has
uncovered that many abuse cases grow cold and are quietly abandoned by
authorities.
Often, children who initially report abuse
cases are placed back into the care of the very people accused of harming
them. Many of these survivors, once returned, are warned never to speak of
the abuse again. Some even face violent threats, including death threats, after
their abusers learn that they have gone to the authorities.
Speaking anonymously, social workers and
police officers expressed concern over their limited ability to protect
vulnerable children, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas, where child
abuse is rampant. One of the primary challenges they cited was the lack of safe
houses, which forces authorities to return survivors to dangerous homes.
Safe houses serve as temporary shelters,
where children who have experienced abuse can stay while legal investigations
take place. However, Eswatini has only two such facilities nationwide—nowhere
near enough to accommodate all affected children. For the survivor’s safety
reasons, the exact locations of these shelters cannot be disclosed.
A police officer, speaking on condition of
anonymity, explained: “We are forced to take children back to their abusers
because there is simply nowhere else for them to go. This not only endangers
the child, but also weakens investigations. Survivors often become too scared
to speak out again, and in most cases, the case dies a natural death.”
Some cited instances of rape survivors
who, despite ongoing investigations, were forced to remain in the same
households or close proximity to their alleged perpetrators. However,
officers claim that social workers often struggle to intervene due to
logistical challenges, such as limited transport and an absence of
child-friendly spaces, where statements can be taken without the intimidating
atmosphere of a police station.
To read the full report, click here
http://www.times.co.sz/news/149941-due-to-lack-of-facilities-tools-cops-drop-child-abuse-cases.html
PM: no dignity in handouts; E5m for
NERCHA staff
By
Nonduduzo Kunene, Times of eSwatini, 21 March 2025
LOBAMBA: Eswatini Government has allocated
E5 million to ensure the continued payment of healthcare workers employed by
the National Emergency Response Council on HIV/AIDS (NERCHA).
NERCHA, a parastatal organisation
operating under the Prime Minister’s Office, was established in 2001 through an
Act of Parliament. Its mandate is to lead the coordination and facilitation of
the multi-sectoral emergency response to HIV and AIDS within Eswatini. The
organisation’s funding model relies on a combination of government
contributions, the Global Fund and support from the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID).
However, recent executive orders issued by
the US Government, under President Donald Trump, which suspended foreign aid,
have created significant financial challenges for NERCHA. This has particularly
affected employees and operational activities dependent on USAID funding.
During the parliamentary debate on the
Prime Minister’s Office Annual Performance Report for the Fiscal Year 2024/25
and the 2025/26 budget, senators expressed deep concern regarding NERCHA’s
sustainability in light of the funding shortfall. They also raised anxieties
about potential job losses resulting from the cessation of US aid.
Prime Minister Russell Dlamini addressed
Senate, confirming the release of E5 million by government to cover healthcare
workers’ salaries.
“The funds approved for NERCHA to pay healthcare workers have been released. E5
million has been allocated, therefore those healthcare workers employed under
the auspices of government will not be affected,” he stated.
Furthermore, the PM acknowledged
widespread concerns and expressions of dismay from parliamentarians,
politicians and other influential figures regarding the US Government’s funding
decisions. He cautioned that excessive lamentation could damage the country’s
international reputation.
“While it is understandable to express
concern about the suspended funding, it is imperative that the country explores
sustainable self-funding models.”
To read the full report, click here
http://www.times.co.sz/news/149925-pm-no-dignity-in-handouts-e5m-for-nercha-staff.html
Detained Police Union Secretary
General Sergeant Dumsile Khumalo says ‘I was saved by junior cops’
By
Musa Mdluli, Swaziland News, 23 March, 2025
MBABANE: Sergeant Dumsile Khumalo, the
Secretary General of the Royal Eswatini Police Staff Association (REPOSA) says,
she was saved by junior police officers after senior cops abducted and detained
her on Saturday morning merely for demanding a salary increment for junior
police officers.
Speaking to this Swaziland News on
Saturday evening, Sergeant Khumalo said, she was blocked along the
Nhlangano-Mankayane road on her way to address Nhlangano junior cops amid
demand for a salary increment.
“They staged a roadblock just to abduct
and detain me, they said an order was issued by the National Commissioner,
directing them to ensure that I don’t go to Nhlangano to address the junior
police officers,” she said when interviewed by editor Zweli Martin Dlamini.
Sergeant Khumalo said, after the junior
cops who were staging the roadblock refused to abduct her, a back-up for senior
officers was called.
“The junior cops who were at the roadblock
refused to drag me out of the car and soon thereafter, a back-up for senior
police officers was called. They dragged me out of the car and in the process,
my cellphone’s screen and eye glasses were damaged while my wedding ring got
lost,” said the Secretary General of the Royal Eswatini Police Staff
Association (REPOSA).
See also
eSwatini Police Union Secretary
General Sergeant Dumsile Khumalo blocked along Nhlangano road and detained for
demanding salary increment for junior cops,law enforcement agency divided.
https://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=8659
Pink eye, Mpox and
flu threat on eSwatini health system
By Nokwanda Mamba, Swaziland Democratic News, 26
March 2025
MBABANE: The collapsed
Eswatini health system is facing a triple threat from the looming surges in
Pink eye, Mpox and influenza cases.
According to a statement
released by Nsindiso Tsabedze, the Communications Officer in the Ministry of
Health on Wednesday, there has been a rise in Pink Eye cases mainly in the
Shiselweni and Lubombo South regions. The majority of the cases are presenting
mild symptoms, however the nation has been warned that the infection can cause
temporary vision disturbances.Pink eye is an eye infection that causes redness,
itching, swelling and discharge from the eyes and it can be caused by viruses,
bacteria or allergens.
The Ministry of Health
Communications Officer further warned that there was an increase in seasonal
influenza cases and urged the nation to practice proper hygiene such as washing
hands with soap and water and covering the mouth and nose when coughing or
sneezing. In addition to that, there's also an Mpox threat from South Africa as
there were cases detected in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng province, the Ministry of
Health urged travelling emaSwati to be extra vigilant to avoid contracting the
disease.
This comes at the time when
the country is facing a shortage of medical drugs, equipment and staff. It
remains to be seen if government is ready to contain such simultaneous
outbreaks.
By Sibusiso Dlamini, eSwatini Observer, 27
March 2025
SWAZIMED’S annual general
meeting proceeded yesterday despite a High Court order barring it.
The meeting, held at the
Hilton Garden Inn, saw tense moments as Principal Officer Peter Simelane
arrived under heavy security, flanked by six muscular bodyguards and using a
separate entrance.
Police were also stationed at
the hotel’s parking area.
The High Court interim
interdict, issued on Tuesday afternoon by Judge Ticheme Dlamini, barred
Simelane and board chairman Sammy Dlamini from unilaterally convening meetings
or obstructing investigations into SwaziMed’s affairs.
The court had granted the
order after Business Eswatini (BE), a shareholder of the Fund, brought a court
application, accusing Simelane and Dlamini of bypassing board approvals and
violating the fund’s Memorandum of Incorporation (MoI) and the Companies Act of
2009, arguing the two had overstepped their authority and disrupted corporate
governance.
The ruling, delivered ex parte
(when legal proceedings or actions are undertaken by one party without
notifying or involving the other party, often in urgent situations where
immediate action is needed), declared any decisions made at the AGM void.
Simelane was also restrained
from threatening or assaulting board representatives, including Nokuthula
Dlamini, who was appointed acting Principal Officer by an interim board of six
out of the 13 members of the board.
Despite this order, the AGM
commenced with 40 members and seven proxies, surpassing the quorum requirement
of 25, according to SwaziMed.
To read the full
report, click here
http://new.observer.org.sz/details.php?id=23749
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