Swaziland Newsletter No. 887 – 25 July 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.
Civil society groups
threaten court action over US deportations of criminals to eSwatini
By Peter
Fabricius, Daily Maverick (South Africa), 21July 2025
Civil
society groups in Eswatini and South Africa have threatened legal action
against the Swazi government for accepting five hardened third-country
criminals from the US.
And
Eswatini’s Prime Minister Russell Dlamini has said his country is open to
receiving more deportees if requested to do so by the US and if Eswatini has
the capacity.
The
Swaziland Litigation Centre, the Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly and the
Southern Africa Litigation Centre based in Johannesburg have issued a statement
in which they threatened legal action if the Eswatini government did not back
off from the deportee deal with the US.
The
US Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, said last
week that the deportees, from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen, had
criminal records which included convictions for murder, homicide and child
rape.
They
were “so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them
back”, she added.
The
Eswatini government confirmed that the men had arrived and had been detained.
It claimed they presented no threat to Swazi people.
But
the three civil society organisations said the arrival of the men raised many
questions — especially in a country where correctional centres were
overcrowded, the government was grappling with a range of crises, including a
shortage of essential medicines, “and where there have been consistent calls
for a democratic, open and transparent government”.
To
read more of this report, click here
‘This sets a dangerous
precedent’ – ACTSA statement on US deportation of convicted criminals to eSwatini
Action for Southern
Africa, 21 July 2025
In
light of the US deportation of five convicted criminals to Eswatini last week,
ACTSA echoes the strong concerns and demands raised by Eswatini civil society
and regional civil society.
A
grouping of Eswatini women’s organisations including ACTSA partners
Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly (RWA) has said:
“This
situation not only puts a strain on local resources but also heightens fears of
increased violence, including gender-based violence, crime, and other forms of
insecurity that disproportionately affect women and girls. We believe that
everyone, including deportees, deserves basic human rights and the chance to
rebuild their lives, but this must not come at the cost of community safety or
the rights of our women and children. The manner in which these deportations
are seemingly carried out increases risks rather than addressing them.”
ACTSA supports Eswatini Women’s Movement’s
demands:
We urge the Government of Eswatini to
terminate the deportation agreement that allows convicted criminals to be
dumped in Eswatini
We urgently demand the US to recall the
deported criminals which were sent without proper consultation with the
citizens.
We urgently request the government of
Eswatini to act and speak on behalf of its citizens and demand that proper
measures be put in place to safeguard the rights and welfare of the local
population before any deportations take place.
The government must also address any
pressures that lead to the uptake of such prejudicial policy arrangements with
other countries.
We call for coordinated international
dialogue, transparent information sharing, and genuine investment in community
support systems so that Eswatini does not become a dumping ground for
unresolved problems from elsewhere.
Read Eswatini Women’s Movement’s full
statement here.
Eswatini’s civil society grouping
the Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF) has said “It is profoundly
troubling that Eswatini has accepted deportees who were rejected by their
countries of origin. This not only places an undue burden on Eswatini’s limited
security and correctional infrastructure but also suggests a deeply problematic
acceptance to decisions made by a foreign government without national consensus
or public interest at heart. The MSF strongly questions the rationale, legality
and morality of accepting such individuals into a country with no historical,
familial, or legal ties to them.”
MSF has also raised the lack of
consultation of any civil society organisation in Swaziland, the concerning
question of the human rights, status and future status of the deportees, the
potential violation of international human rights obligations, and the fear of
a precedent of Swaziland as a dumping ground for the unwanted individuals of
more powerful states.
ACTSA supports MSF’s calls to the
Government of Eswatini to:
Immediately provide a public explanation
on the circumstances surrounding this deportation flight.
Disclose any agreements made with the
United States regarding third-country deportations.
Involve Parliament, the judiciary and
civil society in any future decisions of such magnitude.
Reaffirm Eswatini’s commitment to
international norms and reject any role as a dumping ground for foreign powers.
Read MSF’s full statement here.
To
read more of this report, click here
https://actsa.org/statement-on-us-deportation-of-convicted-criminals-to-eswatini/
See also
US deportation of migrants to
Swaziland further undermines the legitimacy of its embattled monarch (Peoples
Dispatch)
Migrants deported by the US to
Eswatini being held in solitary confinement (Genocide Watch)
‘Not Trump’s dumping ground’: Outrage
over arrival of foreign US deportees in tiny African nation (CNN)
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/17/africa/africa-eswatini-trump-us-deportees-intl
Eswatini opposition attacks US deal
as ‘human trafficking disguised as deportation’ (The Guardian, UK)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/23/eswatini-petition-us-deportees
Outrage on deportees: Eswatini has
right to decide – Percy (Times of eSwatini)
By Sithembile Hlatshwayo, eSwatini Observer (print edition), 23 July 2025
MBABANE: As the country grapples with the
deepening health crisis in public facilities, shocking statistics on neonatal
deaths have been revealed, with 37 newborn babies having died at Mbabane
Government Hospital.
The children died between April 29, and
June 17.
There were 15 newborn babies aged from
zero to one-month-old and 17 stillbirths.
A recent report titled ‘Mbabane Government
Hospital Death Statistics’ from April 29, to June 17, obtained by this
publication, stated that the deaths occurred over a period of 18 days.
According to the report, in the same
facility, there were 27 other deaths related to diabetes, hypertension, and
other chronic conditions, while there were 21 deaths due to trauma, accidents,
and assaults. Furthermore, the report mentions one parasuicide death.
In a recent debate in Parliament, Ngudzeni
Member of Parliament (MP) Charles Ndlovu also criticised Minister of Health
Mduduzi
Matsebula regarding the situation of
medicine and medical drug supplies in the country, revealing the report on the
neonatal deaths.
When asked to substantiate his statement
in Parliament, Ndlovu responded that currently “kahealth kukaSathane,” loosely
translated as “it is hell.”
He said the prime minister’s lack of
urgency in addressing these issues spoke volumes.
Contacted about the report, Mbabane
Government Hospital Unit Committee Chairperson Musa Shongwe said they were
aware of the figures.
He stated that the main factor
contributing to the deaths was the shortage of staff at the hospital.
The chairperson explained that at times
triaging was not effective, adding that some women admitted to check on the
progress of their baby had to wait if the labour was not advanced, sometimes
being reviewed only after five hours.
He said sometimes there were only one or
two nurses on duty, and while another pregnant mother was experiencing
complications, no one was available to attend to her.
Shongwe said the deaths were mainly
attributed to staff shortages rather than drug shortages. In other cases, he
said some pregnant mothers experienced blood pressure (BP) problems that caused
fatal outcomes for their babies.
However, he mentioned that some mothers
were admitted to the hospital with stillborn babies.
“What is problematic in the healthcare
facility is that whether you bring someone already deceased, it is recorded as
a hospital death, which distorts the death statistics completely,” said the
chairperson.
Women bear water crisis burden
By
Mlondzi Nkambule, Times of eSwatini, 24 July 2025
MBABANE: Women and girls in Eswatini
continue to shoulder the burden of walking long distances to fetch water as
climate change threatens rivers, dams and livelihoods.
This grim picture was painted by Principal
Secretary Lindiwe Mbingo, who delivered the keynote address on behalf of the
Minister for Natural Resources and Energy, Prince Lonkhokhela, during the
launch of the formulation of the Eswatini Water Investment Plan (EWIP) at the
Hilton Garden Inn yesterday. The event aimed at spearheading the formulation of
the plan which is proposed to be ready by October 2025. The plan will further
be presented at the upcoming G20 Summit, which will be hosted in South Africa.
Mbingo said delayed rains, recurring
droughts and flash floods have placed immense pressure on water sources,
forcing families, particularly women and girls, to travel further to secure
water for domestic use. “Eswatini is faced with water scarcity and climate
vulnerability. Our rivers are shrinking, our dams are stressed and our
communities, especially women and girls, still have to walk each day to fetch
water from faraway places,” she said. The EWIP seeks to address the dual
challenges of climate-induced water shortages and under-investment in water
infrastructure. Government hopes to mobilise more than US$75 million in climate
finance by 2030 to roll out projects aimed at improving water access and
climate resilience. “Without strategic water planning and investments, we will
be helpless against the increasing impacts of climate change, which threaten
both our water resources and our economy,” Mbingo added.
The plan aligns with Eswatini’s National
Development Plan 2023-2028 and the Water Act of 2003, which amplifies the need
to integrate water security into national economic growth strategies. According
to studies cited by the ministry, water shortages cost Eswatini up to five per
cent of GDP annually through lost harvests and stalled industries.
Mbingo said government is inviting private
sector players, development partners and local communities to collaborate in
building sustainable water management systems.
“Our investment plan is Eswatini’s shield
against scarcity and our passport to prosperity. We must act now,” she said.
The launch was attended by senior government officials, water sector experts
and representatives of international development organisations.
By
Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 22 July 2025
MBABANE: Prime Minister Russell Mmiso
Dlamini says Princess Sikhanyiso played a major role in ensuring that, he
becomes the Prime Minister.
This is contained in a leaked
communication where the PM was speaking to another high profile person, he was
actually speaking about Natural Resources and Energy Minister Prince
Lonkhokhela when the name of Princess Sikhanyiso became the subject of the discussion.
“I was thinking that Lonkhokhela is not on
my side in Cabinet but I’ve since discovered that, he supports me. Kodvwa-ke
bekangeke sekacale angangi-supporthi angacabana naSikhanyiso,” said the Prime
Minister.
Russell Dlamini then went on to say the
Princess played a huge role in ensuring that, he becomes the Prime
Minister.
But the Prime Minister said, it was his
first time to be closer to the King after being appointed adding that, he had
never met him in person.
The King mistakenly refereed to Dlamini as
‘Mmemo’ instead of ‘Mmiso’ when appointing him during Sibaya at Ludzidzini
Palace in November 2023.
Acting Government Spokesperson Thabile
Mdluli declined to comment about the Prime Minister’s leaked information.
Worth-noting, emaSwati were summoned to
Sibaya and urged to debate among themselves(kubhunga) and then advise the King
on who should be the Prime Minister.
But soon thereafter, “Emalangeni and
BantfwaBeNkhosi held a meeting to discuss who among themselves can take up the
top position as Head of Government”.
The royal family is dominated by different
factions but it appears that, the Princess Sikhanyiso faction is too powerful
as even Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini was backed by King’s first-born
daughter before a fallout.
Princess Sikhanyiso was the Board member
at MTN Eswatini while Ambrose Dlamini was the Chief Executive Officer.
Eswatini is not a democracy but an
absolute Monarchy, the Prime Minister is appointed by the King among members of
his royal family.
 |
Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini
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