Swaziland Newsletter No. 920 – 27 March 2026

 

Swaziland Newsletter No. 920 – 27 March 2026

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.

 

SNAT raises con­cerns over Grade Zero rol­lout, short­age of teach­ers

eSwatini Observer, (press reader edition), 23 March 2026 

Swaziland National Teach­ers Asso­ci­ation (SNAT) Sec­ret­ary Gen­eral Lot Vil­akati has raised ser­i­ous con­cerns over the short­age of teach­ers, fund­ing gaps and chal­lenges sur­round­ing the rol­lout of Grade Zero.

Vil­akati made the remarks dur­ing a live broad­cast of People and Places on Yemaswati Chan­nel on Thursday night, where he revealed that only 80 teach­ers had been deployed across more than 600 primary schools, for­cing exist­ing teach­ers to volun­teer and take on addi­tional work­loads.

“This cre­ates a chain reac­tion where learners ulti­mately do not per­form well,” he said.

Vil­akati fur­ther alleged that cor­rup­tion within the min­istry of edu­ca­tion and train­ing was per­vas­ive, claim­ing it exis­ted ‘from the main door to the last floor,’ and that teach­ers were being exploited at mul­tiple levels.

He said cor­rup­tion exten­ded bey­ond recruit­ment pro­cesses to include serving employ­ees, par­tic­u­larly in the salary advance pro­gramme. Accord­ing to Vil­akati, gov­ern­ment alloc­ates about E4 mil­lion weekly for over 45 000 civil ser­vants, but the funds are insuf­fi­cient and quickly depleted.

“As a res­ult, those who want to be pri­or­it­ised are forced to bribe their way through the sys­tem,” he said, adding that the ser­vice had effect­ively become trans­ac­tional.

Vil­akati also alleged that trans­fers and appoint­ments, includ­ing those of headteach­ers, deputy headteach­ers and teach­ers, were influ­enced by bribery.

He said SNAT had pre­vi­ously sub­mit­ted evid­ence of cor­rup­tion to the min­istry, includ­ing a detailed report in 2018, but no action had been taken.

Testify

“We have teach­ers who are will­ing to testify and name those they bribed, provided they are pro­tec­ted,” he said, not­ing that while SNAT con­demns cor­rup­tion, it also recog­nises that some teach­ers acted out of des­per­a­tion.

Vil­akati called for SNAT rep­res­ent­a­tion in the Teach­ing Ser­vice Com­mis­sion (TSC), arguing that this would improve trans­par­ency and restore con­fid­ence in the alloc­a­tion of posts.

He warned that decisions made ‘in the dark’ would con­tinue to raise sus­pi­cion. Mean­while, Min­is­ter of Edu­ca­tion and Train­ing Owen Nxu­malo acknow­ledged the con­cerns raised and said gov­ern­ment was com­mit­ted to address­ing them, with improve­ments expec­ted next year.

Nxu­malo also revealed plans to pro­pose a school main­ten­ance con­tri­bu­tion model, sim­ilar to a fuel levy, to address infra­struc­ture chal­lenges, includ­ing the con­struc­tion of teach­ers’ houses.

He noted that gov­ern­ment cur­rently lacks a ded­ic­ated main­ten­ance budget.

He fur­ther admit­ted that free primary edu­ca­tion (FPE) and orphans and vul­ner­able chil­dren (OVC) grants had not been reviewed for some time, adding that a trans­form­a­tion team was already assess­ing chal­lenges in schools.

See also

Govt to address issues undermining welfare of teachers (eSwatini Observer)

https://eswatiniobserver.com/government-teachers-welfare-issues-nxumalo/ 

 

Family demands accountability for Silindile’s death

By Khaya Simelane, Times Sunday, 22 March 2026

SOURCE 

KABHEKINKHOSI – We demand justice!

Those words, heavy with grief and sorrow, cut through the light cold early morning air at KaBhekinkhosi, under Luve where mourners had gathered to bid farewell to Silindile Dlamini.

It was just after dawn around 5am, at a moment when her siblings were invited to pay their last respects, which the deceased’s siblings unmistakably called for justice to be served for the death of their sister.

Speaking on behalf of the seven siblings, her brother who did not identify himself stood before the gathering to both speak on behalf of Silindile’s siblings and also read her obituary.

He succinctly made it clear that as a family, they could not accept a situation in which their sister’s life was taken so violently, only for those responsible to remain silent and free.

“Angeke umntfwana wakitsi ahudvulwe ngenhlavu bese kubanendvodza lekhululekile nje,” he said, a statement that drew murmurs from mourners. In simple translation, he was making a call to the effect that whoever was responsible for their sister’s death be arrested and face the full wrath of the law, rather than walk freely as though nothing had happened.

His words captured the simmering anger beneath the grief, a pain that, as he described it, he said it ran “as deep as the ocean”. He went on to read Silindile’s obituary, but even that solemn duty could not mask the anguish of a family grappling with a sudden and violent loss.

Silindile was killed last week after sustaining a gunshot wound to the head during a joint operation involving the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) and the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF). At the time of her death, she was a passenger in a Honda Fit sedan.

Her death has since sent shockwaves through communities, drawing widespread attention and raising difficult questions on whether justice would be served and the killer brought to answer for their actions.

The funeral itself unfolded under a thick cloud of sorrow, shaped as much by tradition as by tragedy.

In the early hours of the morning, at around 4am, Silindile’s body was moved from a small tent that served as temporary shelter to a large tent, which were attached to each other.

The tents were erected at the community’s sports ground, an arrangement which followed long-standing cultural beliefs in Eswatini, which hold that individuals who die violently, whether through accidents, shootings or stabbings  should not be brought into the family yard.

Before the formal service began, friends and relatives were given an opportunity to view the body and bid their final farewells. Some mourners wept quietly, while others broke down completely, unable to contain their grief.

More than a thousand people from different parts of the country attended the funeral, a reflection of how deeply Silindile’s story had resonated beyond her immediate community.

See also

The eSwatini Police and Army remain unaccountable for the death of Slindile Dlamini and her unborn baby (Swaziland News)

http://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=11671

 

Three reasons for elderly poverty in eSwatini

By Kale Overton, The Borgen Project, 23 March 2026

SOURCE 

Nearly 60% of the Eswatini population lives below the national poverty line. While poverty affects much of the population, studies consistently find that older persons are overrepresented in these poverty rates. One can trace elderly poverty in Eswatini back to three structural factors: limited social protection, rural economic dependence and long-term effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. These structural factors continue to affect elderly poverty in Eswatini, and people across the country.

Weak Social Protection and Limited Pensions

Eswatini spends about 1% of its GDP on its social protection programs. This is the lowest share of GDP to social protection expenditure in the region. Social protection programs include the Old Age Grant, which gives a monthly stipend of E500 to Eswatini people age 60 and over. This amount, which translates to roughly $26 or €24, must stretch across multigenerational households. 

According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), more than 70% of the Eswatini population depends on small-scale agriculture for income and subsistence. This means that workers do not contribute to formal pensions. Because of this, many elderly Eswatini people rely solely on the Old Age Grant. 

Rural, Low-Productivity Economic Structure

About 75% of the Eswatini population live in rural areas, where poverty is highly prevalent, and depend on subsistence farming. Agriculture in Eswatini is vulnerable to drought and adverse weather, and the country ranks 128 out of 187 countries on the ND-GAIN climate vulnerability index. For older adults, this rural economic structure means income is often tied to physically demanding, climate-sensitive work. 

Beyond income limitations, access to services also plays a role in elderly poverty. Rural communities often face limited access to healthcare facilities, transportation and formal employment opportunities. For older adults, traveling long distances to clinics or markets can add additional financial strain. 

At the same time, high unemployment rates among younger generations reduce the likelihood that elderly parents will receive consistent financial support from adult children. In a country where generations often share household resources, economic instability affects not only working-age adults but also older family members who depend on collective income.

To read more of this report, click here

https://borgenproject.org/elderly-poverty-in-eswatini/

 

Families plead for detained foreigners’ return home

By Kwanele Dlamini, Times of eSwatini, 25 March 2026

SOURCE 

MBABANE: Families of foreign nationals arrested in Eswatini are pleading with authorities to repatriate their relatives as the number of detainees rises to nearly 200.

The appeals come as this publication continues its coverage of the crackdown on the alleged illegal online gambling syndicate, which has drawn international attention and left families across several countries in distress.

In previous reports, this publication detailed how dozens of foreign nationals from countries such as Mainland China, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and Cambodia were arrested during police raids on premises in Mbabane, Ezulwini and along the Mbabane-Manzini corridor. The suspects were allegedly found operating unlicensed online gambling activities, with some houses converted into makeshift workstations equipped with computers. Some were arrested at Hawane and Woodlands in Mbabane last Friday.

Now, as investigations deepen and the number of accused persons climbs to about 200, families say they are grappling with shock, confusion and uncertainty, with many only learning of their relatives’ whereabouts through media reports.

Some of the families who spoke to this publication said their relatives had left home under the impression that they were pursuing legitimate employment opportunities.

One family from Indonesia said their relative had informed them that he was travelling to work in a hotel.

“The family was aware that he was travelling and he only said he was going to work at a hotel. We did not ask for further details about the location or the job,” said the family member.

The relative reportedly arrived in Eswatini earlier this month.

To read more of this report, click here

https://www.times.co.sz/news/readmore.php?bhsadjgfoh=Families+plead+for+detained+foreigners%E2%80%99+return+home&yiphi=3342&bvhdgsj=News

 

Inside the ‘miracle’ drug rollout that could end Aids

A groundbreaking new drug to prevent HIV infection – the closest the world has to a vaccine – is being rolled out in some of the worst-hit countries in the world. Chief international correspondent Bel Trew reports from eSwatini, southern Africa, where there is hope that the pandemic could be brought to an end

The Independent (UK), 24 March 2026

SOURCE

Bottom of Form

Lianne was just 13 when she lost her parents to Aids. Newly orphaned, she had to find a way to keep herself and her younger sister alive. With no money to finish school, unable to find a job and struggling to put food on the table, there was only one option – sex work.

Now 24, she knows the dangers in Eswatini, a kingdom in southern Africa once described as the epicentre of the HIV epidemic and a country still struggling with some of the highest infection rates in the world.

“Both my parents passed away. Hunger led me to join this work although I know it’s risky,” Lianne says, explaining that she earns under £25 a week. She is unable to acquire HIV preventative medication – known as PrEP – on her own.

But there is now hope in the form of lenacapavir – dubbed the “miracle” drug – which the United Nations hopes can protect millions of people like Lianne and even end the Aids epidemic altogether.

The twice-yearly injection – described by the head of the UN Aids agency as “the closest thing we have to a vaccine” – provides near complete protection against infection.

Lenacapavir is being introduced for the first time in nine of the most at-risk countries, including Eswatini, meaning Lianne was among the first people in the world to get the injection.

While it is a big step forward in HIV care, concerns have been raised about the extent of the rollout and fears it will be ineffective if it is not introduced on a global scale.

To read more of this report, click here

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/africa/hiv-lenacapavir-eswatini-aid-cuts-aids-b2942293.html

 

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