Swaziland Newsletter No. 871 – 4
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.
Funding fallout: condoms, art
supplies at risk
By
Sabelo Majola, Times of eSwatini, 31 March 2025
MBABANE:
The distribution of antiretroviral supplies, HIV, viral load and other
lab test kits and condoms have been greatly disrupted by the USAID funding cut.
This has had a negative impact so much
that stock-outs are foreseen in the next three to six months, according to an
update report released by UNAIDS.
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
(UNAIDS) provides the strategic direction, advocacy, coordination and technical
support needed to catalyse and connect leadership from governments, the private
sector and communities to deliver life-saving HIV services, in collaboration
with other United Nation organisations.
According to the report, the current
challenges and disruptions include a decline in HIV case identification and
contact tracing, which will result in limited availability of HIV testing
(including self-testing, workplace testing and community-based approaches).
“As a result of being unaware of their HIV
status, pregnant women living with HIV may have compromised access to vital
services to prevent vertical transmission of HIV.
“Due to limited access to testing, there
has been a significant decline in HIV case identification, contact tracing
efforts and peer-based linkage, particularly among high-risk populations such
as men and youth,” reads the report in part.
The report also reflects that one of the
challenges and disruptions is the healthcare worker job cuts. It indicates that
HIV programme officers have had - and others may have - their jobs cut.
To read more of this report, click
here
http://www.times.co.sz/news/150058-funding-fallout-condoms-art-supplies-at-risk.html
See also
Impact of US funding cuts on HIV
programmes in Eswatini, UNAIDS
https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/featurestories/2025/march/20250327_Eswatini_fs
Red Cross assisted over 98 000 people
By
Bongiwe Dlamini, eSwatini Observer, Press Reader edition, 31 March 2025
Baphalali Eswatini Red Cross Society
(BERCS) has assisted 98 202 people in six constituencies between 2022 and 2025.
The six constituencies are in the Lubombo
and Shiselweni regions, as confirmed by BERCS President Dr Bongani Masuku
during the Red Cross Information Dissemination on International Humanitarian
Law (IHL) on Thursday. The event was meant to engage Members of Parliament
(MPs) from constituencies in the two regions as well as regional administrators
(RAs).
The objective of the event was to
capacitate MPs and RAs on the IHL in order to enhance their understanding on
these laws and their importance in Eswatini.
According to Masuku, the people from
Nkilongo and Lubulini in the Lubombo region, and those from Hosea, Matsanjeni
South, Sigwe and Somntongo in the Shiselweni region were supported by BERCS
with survival livelihoods funded by the European Commission directorate general
for civil protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO).
He said 36 612 people were reached through
BERCS’ disaster management programme, while 22 829 received health services and
care. The president further mentioned that overall, the organisation reached
155 793 people with the pilot programmatic partnership.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://www.pressreader.com/eswatini/eswatini-observer-9ZB3/20250331/281655375882496
Navigating the mental health of eSwatini’s
youth
The
Borgen Project, 29 March 2025
Teenagers in Eswatini have
attempted suicide at a
rate of 15%, as they reported
feelings of anxiety, depression and self-dissatisfaction. The Eswatini Economic
Policy Analysis and Research Centre (SEPARC) reports that poor mental
health affects
8,229 people in Eswatini, with
young people between the ages of 15 and 35 accounting for 40% of these
cases. Despite the lack of national statistics, small-scale studies
indicate that substance
misuse and emotional distress are
prevalent. Here is information about the mental health challenges of Eswatini’s
youth.
The Mental Health Challenges of
Eswatini’s Youth
A lack of economic prospects, recreational
facilities, support systems and violence are all major contributors to
worsening mental health among young people. UNICEF reported that 35%
of Eswatini’s youth are neither
employed nor enrolled in education or training, increasing the likelihood of
engaging in risky behavior, resulting in adverse mental health outcomes.
Violence
detrimentally affects children’s development, cognitive ability and
academic performance, leading to issues such as low self-esteem, emotional
distress and depression. About 79% of children between the ages of 1 and
14 have experienced physical violence. Among adolescents, 32% of males between
the ages of 13 to 24 reported experiencing physical violence in their lifetime.
Meanwhile, 5.5% of females in the same age range reported experiencing violent
incidents occurring before the age of 18.
How Violence Exacerbates HIV/AIDS in
Eswatini
Furthermore, violence is a significant
driver of HIV/AIDS, as it increases vulnerability to risky behaviors through
trauma and its impact on emotion regulation. Among young people with a history
of violence, the prevalence of HIV was 7.4%
for females and 3.4% for males.
In comparison, the HIV positivity rate for those without such experiences was
6.4% for females and 3.3% for males.
The country’s 27% HIV prevalence rate
among individuals aged 15 to 49 further compounds the mental health challenges
that Eswatini’s youth face, placing it among the highest globally. The
dread of disclosure, which underscores the necessity of expanding disclosure
programs for those who provide care with more comprehensive support for
adherence and addressing mental health concerns, emotionally burdens Eswatini’s
youth. The potential negative consequences of disclosing their HIV status
to their spouse were a source of concern for 75.3% of HIV-positive men and
23.4% of HIV-positive women between the ages of 13 and 24.
Fortunately, some organizations like
UNICEF and Education Plus are promoting change through institutional
support and policy. Meanwhile, local organizations such as Young Heroes are
focusing on vulnerable communities.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://borgenproject.org/mental-health-of-eswatinis-youth/
Sex for jobs: a rising pandemic in
eSwatini
By
Joseph Zulu, eSwatini News, 29 March 2025
MBABANE: Eswatini is facing a growing
social crisis, where sexually exploitative practices are reportedly becoming
common in recruitment and promotion processes, particularly affecting women.
This trend often referred to as ‘sex for
jobs’, has become disturbingly prevalent across both public and private
sectors, largely affecting unemployed and economically vulnerable women,
including university graduates.
A labour consultant, who has worked on
related court cases, said the problem is not isolated and alleged that key
government departments and major parastatals are complicit. “These
institutions have become breeding grounds for perpetrators and in many cases,
nothing is being done about it,” he explained.
According to the consultant, who requested
to remain anonymous due to ongoing legal matters, numerous court cases have
been opened, where individuals accuse hiring officers or managers of soliciting
sexual favours in exchange for employment. He said the issue is embedded in
structural corruption and worsened by the lack of enforcement of labour laws
and ethical practices.
“In some of these institutions, it is an
open secret. Senior officials offer jobs, contract renewals, or promotions in
exchange for sex, yet these cases rarely make it to court, and when they do,
convictions are rare due to weaker evidence, fear of reprisals, or poorly
developed internal reporting mechanisms,” he added.
To read more of this report, click
here
http://www.times.co.sz/news/150043-sex-for-jobs-a-rising-pandemic-in-eswatini.html
See also
MPs slammed over sex work denial
http://www.times.co.sz/news/150030-mps-slammed-over-sex-work-denial.html
State of oppression,
dictatorship and extrajudicial killings
Opinion by Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News,
31 March, 2025
The abduction of Sergeant
Dumsile Khumalo merely for demanding a salary increment on behalf of junior
police officers was one of the many cases confirming that, eSwatini is a
dictatorship State where human including women’s rights are violated with
impunity.
Before abducting the Secretary
General of the Royal Eswatini Police Staff Association (REPOSA), the police
stopped a meeting organized by eSwatini’s main and largest political party, the
People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) and another meeting organized by
the junior cops to discuss issues affecting their welfare.
Despite the introduction of a
constitutional order meant to safeguard fundamental human rights, it is now
clear that this country is ruled through the 1973 Decree King’s Proclamation,
an undemocratic decree that banned political parties and suppressed human
rights including the right to freedom of association.
In this country, citizens
and/or workers are not allowed to freely hold meetings particularly to discuss
matters that seek to hold those in power accountable even on labour issues.
This is a State of oppression,
dictatorship and extrajudicial killings where citizens are killed with impunity
merely for, holding different political views and holding those in power
accountable.
Sergeant Dumsile Khumalo was
abducted and we thank the Times journalists particularly senior
journalist Mduduzi Magagula who consistently followed the police vehicle and
updated the Nation otherwise, Sergeant Khumalo would have been found dead at
Mhlambanyatsi forest.
Indeed, the Times
played a huge role in this regard by consistently updating the Nation, we wish
such reporting could continue because, media pluralism and diversity enhance
the constitutional right to access to information so that, people could receive
news from all angles.
It is our duty as the media to
protect human rights and we may have some reservations about the conduct of the
police but, we have a constitutional obligation to be the voice of those facing
persecution and of course, without taking sides in our reporting.
But let me state categorically
that, the ongoing crackdown against citizens who are being brutalized merely
for demanding a salary increment demonstrates the position of the Tinkhundla
regime towards those who question oppressive decisions in this country.
Police officers have been
peacefully demanding their money but, the Executive Command is responding with
violence or brutality.
Some of us who understand
certain State brutality tactics were able to identify that, the abduction of
Sergeant Khumalo was well-planned and, at the highest level.
As a result, a teargas
canister was fired just to cause commotion and while everyone on the scene was
shocked trying to understand what was happening, Sergeant Khumalo was grabbed
and forced into the police van.
Such techniques have the face
of National Commissioner Vusi Manoma Masango, the former Head of the
Operational Support Services Unit (OSSU) and, another intention was to then
grab Sergeant Khumalo’s cellphone to investigate and go through the Police
Union WhatsApp group and Khumalo’s communication with others, the Executive
Command is eager to know all this.
Well, I am not sure if the
State will successfully suppress the voices of the hungry junior police
officers forever and as mentioned in my previous articles, some of these police
officers are loyal to Mswati and the Tinkhundla system, they are just demanding
their salary increment.
What National Commissioner
Vusi Masango is doing is not right, brutalizing a representative of junior
police officers who is genuinely demanding a salary increment.
 |
National Commissioner Vusi Manoma Masango (Credit:
Government of eSwatini)
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