Swaziland Newsletter No. 877 – 16 May
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
and past editions are also available online on the Swazi Media Commentary
blogsite.
eSwatini
on edge over multiple health threats
By Nokukhanya
Musi, Dev Net, 9 May 2025
Simultaneous outbreaks of pink eye, hand,
foot and mouth disease, and seasonal influenza, plus the risk of mpox, have
raised alarm in Eswatini, as US funding cuts cast doubt over the country’s
capacity to handle multiple disease threats.
Eswatini’s ministry of health says it is
operating in “Alert Mode” to encourage vigilance and early intervention, but
local organisations say government responses are inconsistent and there is
limited support for vulnerable communities.
An outbreak of mpox in neighbouring South
Africa in March raised fears that the
disease could spread across the border, while cases of flu and pink eye, or
conjunctivitis, have surged in Eswatini itself, according to health
authorities.
“We have known of seasonal influenza and
pink eye, but mpox is a new concern for us,” said Cedric Chirwa, president of
the Eswatini Schools Committee and Parents Association (ESCAPA).
“We know little of it apart from what we
hear from neighbouring countries.”
Chirwa, who has two school-aged children,
said he had tried to implement preventative hygiene measures at home following
public health announcements.
But he lamented: “Sanitisers aren’t cheap
anymore like they used to be before COVID. The costs of this places much
financial strain on rural families.”
Attempts by the health ministry to
communicate public health messages to communities have fallen short, according
to Chirwa.
“It’s business as usual here,” he added.
“People behave as if there is no
outbreak.”
Thandiwe Dlamini, an elderly caregiver
raising five orphaned grandchildren, highlights a shortage of medicines for
those affected by the outbreaks.
“Winter is approaching and I am really
worried for my grandchildren,” she said, adding: “There are no drugs when we
really need them.”
Medical professionals have observed a
sharp increase in seasonal illnesses and voiced concerns about misinformation
and under-resourced clinics.
Mduduzi Mbuyisa, a medical doctor with The
Luke Commission healthcare charity who works closely with rural communities on
disease prevention and health education, told SciDev.Net: “The
surge in illnesses has led to heightened anxiety within our communities,
resulting in a strong demand for accurate information.
“While some community members actively
seek out this information, others remain sceptical of the health messages being
shared.”
He added: “One of our primary challenges
is combating misinformation while ensuring that there are sufficient resources
available for testing, vaccination, and treatment.”
Mbuyisa warns that public facilities may
lack the means to respond effectively and says harmful beliefs are taking root.
“Public facilities may have inadequate
resources and costs can be prohibitive for low-income communities,” he
explained.
“Additionally, there are troubling myths
circulating, such as the belief that these diseases are man-made to coerce
people into vaccination, or that vaccines are somehow malevolent.”
To read more of this report, click
here
https://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/news/eswatini-on-edge-over-multiple-health-threats/
Mncitsini
sitting on an environmental health time bomb
By
Vuyisile Hlatshwayo, Inhlase Centre for Investigative Journalism, 14 May 2025
Mbabane is eSwatini’s capital, situated on
the picturesque, steep, and rocky terrain of Mdzimba Mountain. In 1992, it was
declared a city, an upgrade from a town council to a city council. However,
this upgrade further accelerated urban migration for job seekers and urban
dwellers who have built low-cost houses in informal settlements sprawling on
the city’s outskirts. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (MHUD),
through the Municipal Council of Mbabane (MCM), stipulates permissible housing
structures in the informal settlements.
Climate change-triggered landslides pose a
great danger to dozens of Mncitsini residents owning low-cost homes scattered
on the mountainside, Inhlase can reveal. As the reality of climate change is
beginning to sink in, they live in perpetual fear of landslides caused by the
heavy rainfalls and storms wreaking havoc countrywide. Yet, many have
considered the symptomatic flash floods besetting the tenants of Mbabane Mall
as too distant a problem attributed to its poorly planned location on the
floodplain of the Mbabane River snaking through the city.
Scientists say one of the common causes of
landslides is heavy rain. As it rains, according to them, water seeps into the
ground, percolating into the layers below. There, it can reduce the suction and
friction holding together grains of soil or rock, causing the ground to weaken
and shift. In his CNN interview, Prof. Dave Petley, an earth expert in
landslide management at the University of Hull, said: “Slopes are always trying
to reach a stable angle, which depends on what kind of climate they are in. If
the climate changes, and rainfall becomes heavier, the slope might now be too
steep to be stable, so it will suffer a landslide or a series of landslides to
find a new, stable angle.”
Mncitsini is part of the sprawling
Msunduza Township, a few kilometres from the city centre. Climate
change-induced landslides are troubling low-income residents whose homes are
precariously perched on steep and rocky slopes. In an interview with Inhlase,
Mbabane East Member of Parliament Welcome Dlamini mentions that during the
heavy rainfall, a rock rolled down the mountain and struck a house in one of
the homesteads overlooking Msunduza Playground. He is concerned that Msunduza
residents may be sitting on an environmental health time
bomb.
To read more of this report, click
here
PUDEMO applauds health workers for their dedication as part of International
Nurses Day
By
Musa Mdluli, Swaziland News, 12 May, 2025
MBABANE: Penuel Malinga, the Secretary
General of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) has, on behalf of
the political organization, released a statement, congratulating health workers
for their dedication as part of the International Nurses Day.
“The People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO)
joins the global community in commemorating International Nurses Day, and takes
this moment to salute and extend heartfelt appreciation to all nurses in
Swaziland and around the world for their unwavering dedication, compassion, and
tireless service to humanity. Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare
systems, serving with courage and resilience even under the most challenging
conditions, often under-resourced, overworked, and underpaid. In Swaziland,
they continue to uphold their calling within a collapsing health sector riddled
with systemic failures, corruption, and a lack of political will,” reads the
statement in part.
PUDEMO said, despite these hardships,
health workers “remain committed to preserving life, promoting dignity” and,
providing critical care to those in need.
“As a people’s movement, PUDEMO recognises
the essential role nurses play not only in treating illness, but also in
advocating for health equity, addressing social determinants of health, and
caring for the whole person. Their work uplifts the most vulnerable members of
society and inspires a shared vision of a healthier, more just, and equitable
world. We stand in firm solidarity with nurses in their struggle for better
working conditions, fair compensation, adequate staffing, and the respect they
so rightfully deserve. Their calls for a sustainable and people-centered
healthcare system must be heard and acted upon. PUDEMO therefore calls on the
government and healthcare institutions to prioritize the needs of nurses and
the patients they serve. We demand urgent investment in healthcare
infrastructure, workforce development, training, and supportive policies that
place people above politics,” he said.
![]() |
PUDEMO applauds health workers for their dedication as part of International Nurses Day (pic: SWADNU) |
See also
Eswatini health workers celebrating
International Nurses Day, highlight challenges amid shortage of drugs in public
hospitals
https://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=9037
eSwatini
plans $275m wealth fund
By Bloomberg,
12 May 2025
The southern African Kingdom of Eswatini
plans to start a sovereign wealth fund of around 5-billion emalangeni
($275-million) this year to help channel money into areas including manufacturing and
agriculture, its finance minister said.
Legislation for the fund, drawn up with
the Commonwealth’s help, is in draft form and likely to be finalised in the
next three months, Neal Rijkenberg said. “It is something that we are
really focusing on and driving very hard to get. So we need it to be perfect,”
he said in an interview.
The fund will likely pool together
government assets — such as certain state-owned companies, land, shares in
banks and insurance companies and stakes in mines, the minister said.
It will focus on building wealth
for future generations and growing the economy, Rijkenberg said. “We are hoping
the wealth fund can be quite strategic in trying to crowd in private-sector
investments into manufacturing production,
agroprocessing, agriculture, those kinds of industries.”
The landlocked nation bordering
South Africa and
Mozambique, and led by King Mswati III since 1986, is also working on budget
support loans to help clear arrears of about 2-billion emalangeni and address
its financing gap. It estimates a fiscal deficit of 3% of gross domestic
product in the year through March.
It recently secured $100-million from the
World Bank and is in talks with the African Development Bank for $45-million
and the OPEC Fund for International Development for $50-million, Rijkenberg
said.
Formerly known as Swaziland, the country
may also issue another bond on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange next month for
budget support. “It won’t be a massive amount, it won’t be in the billions, but
it’ll be in the hundreds of millions,” the minister said.
In 2024 it listed its first 400-million
rand bond under a 4-billion-rand program on the bourse, with a coupon of
11.875%. The nation’s currency is pegged to South Africa’s
rand.
Rijkenberg expects the terms of Eswatini’s
next issuance to be more favourable as Moody’s Ratings upgraded the rating for
its bond programme on the JSE to investment grade. “This should also reduce the
cost of our bonds and broaden the market,” he said in his budget speech in
February.
World
Bank backs job creation for eSwatini youth
Mirage
News, 12 May 2025
MBABANE: The World Bank Board of Executive
Directors has approved the Eswatini Youth Employment Opportunities Project
(EYEOP) aimed at increasing income earning opportunities for targeted youth in
the Kingdom of Eswatini. EYEOP is the first project in Eswatini to be financed
by the International Development Association (IDA) following the current
country's transition to an IDA/IBRD blended status.
Young people in Eswatini make up 30% of
the population, and nearly half the labor force. Yet, formal employment
opportunities remain scarce, with only 1,000 new jobs created annually compared
to 25,000 new entrants. Young women face even greater challenges, with an
unemployment rate of 52.4% compared to 45% for men. Through skills training in
high-growth sectors (such as agricultural value chains and related services),
and the establishment of a dynamic and digital social registry, EYEOP aims to
promote youth economic empowerment.
"The support from the World Bank is a
catalyst for transformative change, particularly for our youth, unlocking
opportunities in skills development, entrepreneurship, and employment. Through
these initiatives, we are empowering the next generation of Emaswati to drive
innovation, economic growth, and sustainable progress for years to come,"
said Honorable Dr. Thabo Gina, Minister of Economic Planning and Development of
the Kingdom of Eswatini.
With nearly half of Eswatini's youth
unemployed and over 53% not engaged in education, employment, or training
(NEET), the project responds to an urgent need for youth to access productive
employment and economic inclusion. The project will empower approximately
30,000 young people, with at least 50% female beneficiaries. It will also
include young people with disabilities, and assist the government to empower
young people with market-relevant skills, facilitate job placements, and
provide entrepreneurial support by including building on existing programs and
leveraging strategic partnerships. The project aligns with Eswatini's National
Development Plan and the World Bank's Country Partnership Framework. Over five
years, the project aims to increase incomes, improve access to employment, and
enhance the government's ability to deliver targeted support to those most in
need.
"This project represents an important
step toward economic inclusion, as youth unemployment in Eswatini is at 49% and
many young people are limited to informal and low-quality jobs. By investing in
entrepreneurship, market-driven skills, and more effective social protection,
the project will help reduce poverty and vulnerability, while advancing
Eswatini's broader development goals. The World Bank is proud to stand with
Eswatini's youth as they build a more secure and prosperous future," said Satu
Kahkonen, World Bank Division Director for Eswatini.
Wildlife
protection at the cost of human lives
By
Nokukhanya Musi-Aimienoho, Earth Island Journal, 13 May 2025
Critics say rangers in Eswatini are
using a decades-old law to avoid accountability in the killings of dozens of
suspected poachers.
Last spring, Thokozani Kunene, 25, was out
walking with his father near a private game reserve near eastern Eswatini’s Big
Bend, an area known for its lush forests teeming with wildlife. His father says
they were taking an afternoon stroll to collect firewood when they were
confronted by rangers patrolling the Mkhaya Game Reserve. Kunene was shot and
killed. The rangers found a firearm in his possession after shooting him and
allege that he was there poaching, though his family disputes their claims.
Eswatini, a small country, has seven
national parks, reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries, as well as several private
game parks. In all these places, it is illegal to hunt animals without a
special license or permit, which many villagers can’t afford. Photo of Milwane
Wildlife Sanctuary by Vaiz
Ha.
Kunene is one of many Emaswati who have
been killed in recent years by park rangers. While exact numbers aren’t
available, the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs estimates that
several dozen suspected poachers are slain each year.
Behind each death lies a tragic truth: The
people killed were never afforded the chance to defend themselves, never given
the benefit of a fair trial. They were killed as suspected poachers, and the
rangers who killed them were shielded by a decades’ old law: the 1991 Game
Amendment Act.
“This is a devastating trend that has left
families broken and communities living in fear,” says Chief Mvimbi Matse of
Mambane in the Matsanjeni constituency, in the Lubombo region of Eswatini.
Matse says that 17 people in his chiefdom were killed by rangers between
October of 2023 and October of 2024. “We must find a way to ensure that
conservation efforts do not come at the expense of human lives.””
To read more of this report, click
here
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