Swaziland
Newsletter No. 936– 24 July 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.
United
States funding cuts have severe impact on eSwatini and other global
organizations relying on PEPFAR for HIV treatment
By
Musa Mdluli, Swaziland News, 21 July 2026
MBABANE: Funding cuts by the United States
have had a severe impact on global organisations offering HIV treatment,
according to a new report as quoted by Aljazeera.
The report, issued on Tuesday by HIV charity amfAR, found that the cuts in
funding by the administration of United States President Donald Trump for
PEPFAR (The US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) had undermined HIV
prevention and treatment across dozens of countries.
Organisations in Eswatini and other
countries have been forced to shut clinics, cut staff and scale back services,
it said, referencing a survey of 166 outfits across 46 countries that relied on
PEPFAR funding.
“Disruption was incredibly widespread,”
said Elise Lankiewicz, amfAR’s Policy Associate and co-lead author.
No part of the programme escaped
unscathed, she said, including areas that the US administration had claimed it
would protect.
More than 1,700 clinics closed, and more
than 16,000 workers lost their jobs after awards were delayed or cancelled,
according to the report.
NERCHA
survey: Young people still having unprotected sex despite access to condoms
By Bongiwe
Dlamini, eSwatini Observer, 22 July 2026
A recent survey by the National Emergency
Response Council on HIV/AIDS (NERCHA) has revealed that many young people in
Eswatini continue to engage in unprotected sex despite having access to
condoms, with partner pressure and financial hardship identified as key
drivers.
The findings were presented during the
National HIV Prevention Indaba currently underway at the Royal Villas, where
stakeholders are discussing strategies to curb new HIV infections.
The survey also highlighted persistent
gaps in HIV prevention knowledge despite years of awareness campaigns.
In addition, people living with HIV
continue to face stigma and discrimination, which remains a barrier to
prevention, testing and treatment efforts.
Speaking during a panel discussion on “The
role of values in HIV prevention,” youth representative Tsidiswa Mhlanga said
many parents were failing to spend quality time with their children, making it
difficult to have open and honest conversations about sex, relationships and
HIV prevention.
She said the lack of parental guidance
leaves young people more vulnerable to risky sexual behaviour, increasing their
chances of contracting HIV and contributing to further transmission.
Meanwhile, Reverend Johannes Mazibuko said
parents could not expect young people to uphold strong moral values if they
failed to model those values themselves.
He called for the revival of positive
Siswati cultural practices, arguing that they should no longer be viewed as
outdated or primitive but embraced as part of Eswatini’s efforts to prevent new
HIV infections.
The National HIV Prevention Indaba,
attended by Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini, has brought together
government officials, legislators, faith leaders, young people and other
stakeholders to discuss practical interventions aimed at reducing new HIV infections
and strengthening HIV prevention across the country.
See also
PM calls for behavioural change as 4
220 new HIV infections hit eSwatini (Eswatini Positive News)
eSwatini
resolves to strengthen national dialogue on promotion, protection of human
rights for all
By
Themba Zwane, eSwatini Positive News, 23 July 2026
EZULWINI: Government has indicated
Eswatini’s commitment to strengthening national dialogue on the promotion and
protection of human rights for everyone, as it prepares to submit its Fourth
Cycle Universal Periodic Review (UPR) National Report to the United Nations
Human Rights Council.
The Universal Periodic Review is a United
Nations mechanism through which member states undergo periodic assessments of
their human rights records and implementation of recommendations aimed at
improving the protection and promotion of human rights. Eswatini’s Fourth Cycle
report will outline the country’s progress, achievements, challenges and
commitments in advancing human rights for all citizens.
This was revealed by Principal Secretary
in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Dorcus Dlamini, during
the Validation Meeting of Eswatini’s Draft Fourth Cycle Universal Periodic
Review (UPR) Report held at Happy Valley Hotel on Thursday.
Addressing representatives from government
ministries and departments, the Commission on Human Rights and Public
Administration (CHRPA), development partners and civil society organisations,
Dlamini described the validation meeting as a significant milestone in the
country’s preparations for the Fourth Cycle UPR process.
She said the exercise demonstrates
Eswatini’s commitment not only to fulfilling its international human rights
obligations, but also to fostering an inclusive national dialogue on human
rights issues affecting the country.
“Today’s meeting marks a significant
milestone in the preparation for the Fourth Cycle UPR before the United Nations
Human Rights Council. It reflects not only our commitment to fulfilling
international human rights obligations but also our resolve to strengthen
national dialogue on the promotion and protection of human rights for everyone
in the Kingdom of Eswatini,” she said.
Dlamini noted that Eswatini has
consistently participated in the Universal Periodic Review process because
meaningful engagement with international human rights mechanisms contributes to
improved governance, stronger institutions and enhanced service delivery.
She explained that recommendations
received under the UPR mechanism continue to serve as an important guide for
national reforms while helping government identify areas requiring additional
efforts, partnerships and resources.
The Principal Secretary stressed that the
validation exercise goes beyond being a procedural requirement, describing it
as an essential quality assurance process aimed at ensuring that the national
report is accurate, balanced, evidence-based and reflective of the country’s
realities.
“This meeting provides stakeholders with
an opportunity to verify the information presented, identify omissions, correct
inaccuracies, and collectively build a report that represents the country’s
achievements, ongoing initiatives, and remaining challenges,” she said.
Dlamini emphasised that a credible
national report can only emerge through an inclusive and participatory process,
which is why government has brought together key stakeholders from different
sectors.
To read more of this report, click
here
Over
6 000 jobs ‘lost’ in 3 months
By
Stanley Khumalo, Times of eSwatini, 20 July 2026
MBABANE:
Government is creating jobs, yet businesses are cutting them, with official
reports recording 2 248 employment opportunities against 6 165 workers
retrenched or laid off.
Three ministries’ first quarter reports of
the 2026/27 financial year state that government authorised recruitment into 1
692 public service positions and supported the creation and sustenance of
another 556 private-sector jobs during the past three months.
Over the same period, 599 workers were
retrenched and 5 566 employees were laid off.
These statistics are according to the
latest reports from the ministries of Public Service, Commerce and Labour.
Taken together, the reports show
government expanding recruitment and promoting investment, while the Ministry
of Labour recorded an increase in retrenchments and lay-offs in the private
sector.
The developments come only weeks after the
release of the 2025 Integrated Labour Force Survey, which recorded a net
increase of 10 861 jobs between 2023 and 2025.
Employment rose from 260 356 people in
2023 to 271 227 in 2025, while the unemployment rate declined from 35.4 per
cent to 33.5 per cent.
Despite that improvement, the survey also
found that 136 487 emaSwati remained unemployed in 2025. When discouraged
work-seekers were included, the number of people experiencing labour market
difficulties increased to 227 810.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://times.co.sz/39251/news/over-6-000-jobs-lost-in-3-months/
MPs
slam govt over ‘wrong’ salary review calculations
By
Ntombi Mhlongo, Times of eSwatini, 23 July 2026
LOBAMBA: “What we have received is 8.5 per
cent and not 85 per cent”.
This was a submission that was made by
Mahlangatja Member of Parliament, Mgucisi Dlamini during the portfolio
committee debate of the Ministry of Public Service First Quarter Performance
Report for the Financial Year 2026/2027 yesterday.
During the debate, the MPs mounted a
scathing attack on government over the implementation of the 2025 Salary
Review, arguing that the much publicised 85 per cent salary adjustment had left
many civil servants and public office bearers disappointed after receiving what
they described as significantly lower increases than expected.
At the centre of the debate was the
contention that the figures communicated to the public did not correspond with
the actual amounts reflected in employees’ salaries.
MPs argued that the disparity had created
confusion and frustration among civil servants, many of whom had expected a far
greater adjustment following government’s announcement on the implementation of
the salary review recommendations.
Mahlangatja MP Mgucisi Dlamini said the
figures simply did not add up, insisting that what employees had received was
nowhere near the 85 per cent that had been communicated.
“There is something that did not go right.
We may not be accountants, but there is a difference between 85 per cent and
8.5 per cent. What we have received is 8.5 per cent and I think this should be
corrected. There is only one mathematics. The minister must look into this
because emaSwati, including us as politicians, are disappointed,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by several MPs,
who said they had received numerous complaints from civil servants in their
constituencies questioning how the calculations had been done.
LaMgabhi MP Sicelo Jele said the increases
received by many employees were too small to make any meaningful difference,
particularly for legislators who were often called upon to assist vulnerable
families within their communities.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://times.co.sz/39485/news/mps-slam-govt-over-wrong-salary-review-calculations/
See also
Civil servants’ extra 10 per cent
allowance suspended (Times of eSwatini)
https://times.co.sz/39433/news/civil-servants-extra-10-per-cent-allowance-suspended/
eSwatini
pushes for 95% child immunization coverage
By
Gcwalisile Mhlabane, eSwatini Positive News, 21 July 2026
MBABANE: Eswatini is stepping up its drive
to protect children against vaccine-preventable diseases, with the Ministry of
Health pushing to raise childhood immunisation coverage to 95 per cent and
urging parents and communities to ensure that no child is left behind.
The renewed push comes as the country
reviews its immunisation performance and strengthens outreach programmes aimed
at reaching children who have missed routine vaccinations.
The campaign also comes against a global
backdrop in which the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that
approximately 110 million children, representing 85 per cent of children
worldwide, were vaccinated last year.
Speaking on the Eswatini TV Kusile
Breakfast Show on July 21, 2026, Thuli Magagula, an Immunization Nurse and
Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) officer, said Eswatini had made
progress but still had work to do to reach its national target.
According to Magagula, BCG vaccination
coverage, which is administered to newborns at birth, stood at 73 per cent,
while DPT1 coverage was recorded at 84 per cent. DPT3 coverage reached 85 per
cent, while measles-rubella (MR1) vaccination coverage at nine months stood at
89 per cent.
While the country has surpassed the 80 per
cent minimum coverage benchmark for some vaccines, Magagula said these figures
were still below Eswatini’s national target of 95 per cent.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://eswatinipositivenews.online/eswatini-pushes-for-95-child-immunisation-coverage/
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