Swaziland Newsletter No. 873 – 18
April 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.
The
despot next door: King Mswati’s greed and repression are a growing threat to
southern Africa
By Velaphi
Mamba, Mail & Guardian (South Africa), 14 April 2025
King Mswati III of Swaziland (which he now
prefers to call eSwatini) rules over a country in deep political and economic
crisis.
He ascended to the throne in 1986 after a
disputed selection process carried out by a powerful cabal led by Prince
Mfanasibili and the Liqoqo (king’s advisory council), during the interregnum
following King Sobhuza II’s death.
As a young crown prince, Makhosetive
Dlamini was sent to the UK to be educated and groomed for leadership. But
instead of preparing for the responsibilities ahead, he gained a reputation for
truancy and a fondness for squash over study. Today, King Mswati presides over
a nation in distress — one wracked by repression and inequality.
Mswati is internationally notorious for
his opulence: multiple wives, palaces, a fleet of luxury cars, two customised
jets and a lavish lifestyle supported by one of the most unequal economies in
the world.
His personal extravagance stands in stark
contrast to the poverty of the 1.2 million people he rules over — subjects,
rather than citizens, under an absolute monarchy.
As of 2023, approximately 59% of the
population lives below the poverty line, with 29% experiencing extreme
poverty. The unemployment rate has surged to 35%, with youth unemployment
alarmingly high at 56% as of March 2023.
Under his rule, Swaziland has become a
private estate for the royal family. With sweeping executive, legislative and
judicial powers, the king holds an estimated 90% stake in the national economy.
He is listed by Forbes as having a personal fortune of around $200
million.
Although this wealth is officially held
“in trust” for the nation, in reality it is used almost exclusively for the
benefit of the royal household. He maintains financial interests in all major
sectors of the economy, while the population sinks deeper into poverty.
In 2014, King Mswati flew in American
singer Erykah Badu to perform at his 46th birthday celebration. On 19 April, he
will mark his 57th birthday. Once again, public money will be used to stage a
lavish celebration.
Meanwhile, pensioners have seen their
state grants rise by just R100, even as the cost of living continues to climb.
Water, electricity, fuel and other essentials are becoming more expensive as
the state expands its tax base. The king, by contrast, has seen his salary
increase by R55 million in 2025 alone, bringing the total cost of his upkeep to
the public purse to R1.4 billion.
This is not merely a matter of inequality.
Swaziland is a dictatorship. Political parties have been banned for 52 years.
Freedom of speech, association and assembly are denied.
The country is ruled through intimidation
and force, with the security services — and a mercenary contingent stationed
near the capital — deployed to suppress protest. Opposition figures are
regularly jailed, assassinated or driven into exile. Independent journalists
are silenced or forced out of the country, most often to South Africa, in order
to continue their work.
To read more of this report, click here
Congolese
solidarity campaign backs Swaziland struggle against absolute monarchy
By
Faith Omoboye, Business Day (South Africa), 16 April 2025
The Congolese Solidarity Campaign (CSC)
has issued a bold and impassioned statement in support of the pro-democracy
movement in Swaziland, condemning the country’s absolute monarchy and drawing
powerful parallels with the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s own past
struggles against dictatorship.
In a statement released today, Shomari
Mukandjwa , CSC spokesperson declared unwavering solidarity with the people of
Swaziland, who continue to resist the autocratic rule of King Mswati III. The
monarch, Africa’s last remaining absolute ruler, has faced increasing internal
and international criticism for overseeing a system marked by economic
inequality, human rights abuses, and political repression.
“As the Congolese Solidarity Campaign, we
stand shoulder to shoulder with the oppressed people of Swaziland and will
continue to do so until they achieve their full liberation,” Mukandjwa stated.
The CSC compared the current situation in
Swaziland to the dark days of Mobutu Sese Seko’s kleptocratic regime in Zaïre,
the former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. During Mobutu’s
decades-long rule, corruption, repression, and poverty dominated the lives of
ordinary Congolese citizens—experiences that resonate deeply with the hardships
now faced by Swazi citizens under Mswati’s rule.
To read more of this report, click here
COSATU
calls for renewal of the global solidarity movement for democracy in eSwatini
on the 52nd anniversary of the draconian 1973 Kings decree
Mediadon
(South Africa), 11 April 2025
The Congress of South African trade Unions
(COSATU) joins millions of workers and people all over the world in calling for
democracy in Eswatini, particularly on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary
of the 1973 Kings decree which criminalised all forms of political activity and
officially banned political parties in the country.
COSATU has consistently been a key part of
the international solidarity movement with the workers and the people of
Eswatini and the first organisation to initiate the historic border blockades
which over the years yielded significant achievements in raising the profile of
the Swazi people’s struggles for democracy.
From the days of the Swaziland Federation
of Trade Unions (SFTU), which is now part of the federation Trade Unions
Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), COSATU actively mobilised the international
trade union movement and other progressive forces towards a global solidarity
movement that placed the Swazi issue firmly on the global agenda. Since then,
the struggle has become a permanent standing item in all major international forums
and activities.
Towards this end, without exception,
COSATU commemorates April 12 as the day on which the Swazi people’s voice was
crushed by the monarchy and vested all power to himself in the now infamous
1973 Kings decree.
In the words of the late King
Sobhuza, “Now therefore I, Sobhuza 11, King of Swaziland, hereby declare
that, in collaboration with my Cabinet Ministers and supported by the whole
nation, I have assumed supreme power in the Kingdom of Swaziland and that all
Legislative, Executive and judicial power is vested in myself and shall,
for the meantime, be exercised in collaboration with a Council constituted by
my Cabinet Ministers. I further declare that, to ensure the continued
maintenance of peace, order and good government, my Armed forces in conjunction
with the Royal Swaziland Police have been posted to all strategic places and
have taken charge of all government and all public services”.
The decree was designed by the
Afrikanerbroederbond, through a Pretoria Advocate named Van Wyk De Vries, who
was amongst the key advisers of the Swazi king.
To read more of this report, click here
Three government parastatals vow to
end hunger
eSwatini
Financial Times, Press Reader
edition, 12 April 2025
EWADE, NDMA and NMC have vowed that they
will surely end hunger and produce the much needed food in Eswatini. This
follows the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on April 9, 2025, between
the Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (EWADE), the
National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), and the National Maize Corporation
(NMC), which aims to bolster local bean production significantly.
The new partnership aligns with the
Ministry of Agriculture’s 2024–2028 Strategic Plan, which sets an ambitious
goal of cultivating 10,000 hectares of beans and producing 10,000 metric tons,
towards achieving food sovereignty and reducing reliance on imports.
The project has already started with a
pilot phase on a 50-hectare plot at Paradise Farm in Shiselweni 1 Inkhundla.
This initial phase has been allocated an investment of E630,715 from NDMA to
support land preparation, inputs, and technical assistance.
The goal is to produce 60 metric tons of
beans in its first season, a significant contribution to meeting the local
demand
According to NMC CEO, Mavela Vilane, there
was a demand of about 7,000 metric tons of beans last year, but less than 400
metric tons were produced locally, highlighting the heavy reliance on imports
for local consumption.
The MoU highlights the roles of each
partner. NDMA’s financial contribution will be instrumental in the project’s
establishment, while EWADE will provide overall project management and
technical expertise.
NMC, on the other hand, has committed to
purchasing all beans that meet the necessary quality standards, ensuring that
farmers have a guaranteed market for their produce.
“Today, we are not just walking the land;
we are walking through the future of Eswatini’s agriculture. This is not just a
plot of land—it is a blueprint for food sovereignty, a symbol of what can be
achieved through strategic unity,” Dr. Samson Sithole, CEO of EWADE, said.
NDMA’s involvement is part of its broader
mandate to manage and mitigate risks related to food insecurity. NDMA CEO,
Victor Mahlalela, noted that instead of depleting all resources in donating
food for those in need, why not invest in producing it here and economically
empower the nation.
 |
EWADE CEO Samson Sithole (middle) signing the MoU with NMC CEO Mavela Vilane (left) and NDMA CEO Victor Mahlalela
To read more of this report, click here
https://www.pressreader.com/eswatini/eswatini-financial-times-9y78/20250412/281767045057365
We
want the youth to join the army with an intention to overthrow King Mswati,
PUDEMO leader Velaphi Mamba tells ‘Times Sunday’
By
Musa Mdluli, Swaziland News, 13th April, 2025
MBABANE: Velaphi Mamba, a leader of the
People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) says there’s a clear agenda to
influence the army to overthrow King Mswati and his Tinkhundla undemocratic
regime.
Responding to the Times Sunday,
Mamba said, the army remains an integral part of the ongoing agenda to
overthrow the Monarchy and introduce a democratic Government.
The PUDEMO leader who was clarifying
previous statements he uttered on his Swaziland News Visionary Perspective
Program said, in as much as it was an opportunity for young people to secure
jobs when joining the army, “the upcoming recruitment remains an opportunity to
infiltrate the army and subsequently overthrow the King.
“We are very clear that, in as much as
joining the army remains a job opportunity for young people, we want the youth
to join with an intention to overthrow King Mswati”,’ he said when responding
to the Times Sunday.
But despite sending a questionnaire to
Mamba, Times Sunday senior journalist Mfankhona Nkambule censored the
PUDEMO’s leader’s responses and avoided to mention that, the ultimate intention
“is to overthrow Mswati” as clearly stated by the PUDEMO leader when responding
to the questionnaire through an audio.
On another note,Mamba clarified that, “the
army has all the powers to overthrow King Mswati as witnessed in other
countries where dictators were removed by soldiers” but, Parliament does not
have those powers.
The PUDEMO leader was responding to a
question seeking clarity “if joining the army is not similar to participating
in Tinkhundla elections and fighting from within”.
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