Swaziland
Newsletter No. 942 – 4 September 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.
COSATU Supports the Global Week of Action for
democracy in Swaziland
Statement from COSATU, 1 September 2026
The Congress of South African
Trade Unions (COSATU) supports the march organised jointly with the Swaziland
Democracy Campaign (SDC) and GWOAS Organising Committee, endorsed by many
progressive organisations in the country and globally.
The march is taking place in
Pretoria on the 4 September, starting at 9am at Mandela Park, next to the Union
buildings.
The Global Week of Action for
democracy in Swaziland was an initiative of the SDC launched in 2010 by COSATU
at the Johannesburg Civic theatre.
It was a global campaign by
the international trade union movement in support of the call for workers’
rights and democracy in Swaziland.
It grew to become the world’s
biggest campaign for democracy in Swaziland, organised border blockades and
called for sanctions against the Swazi royal family for torture of political
and trade union activists.
It supported the historic June
2021 uprising in Swaziland and condemned the killing of advocate Thulani Rudolf
Maseko. It also supported efforts by Swazi activists for the International
Criminal Court to prosecute the monarchy and his government for the crimes
against the people.
COSATU welcomes the efforts
made by GWOAS to re-launch the SDC and work with all progressive forces towards
a much bigger and united movement for solidarity and democracy in Swaziland.
To this end, COSATU
appreciates the role and participation of our Alliance partners, the African
National Congress and the South African Communist Party together with other
components of the Mass Democratic Movement (MDM) in South Africa, working
alongside the Swazi MDM forces.
The 15th National Congress of
COSATU is taking place from 14 to 17 September and affiliates will be adopting
decisive resolutions on various issues, including the issue of the Swazi
people’s struggle for democracy.
COSATU calls on its
affiliates, youth and student organisations and popular forces to join the
march and momentum towards the revitalisation of the Swazi people’s struggle.
COSATU also calls on SATUCC
and sister federations in the region and continent to renew support for the
Swazi workers struggle for democracy, economic justice and inclusive
development.
Issued by COSATU.
Zanele Sabela (COSATU Spokesperson)
PUDEMO urges eSwatini to terminate diplomatic ties
with Taiwan as China issues statement advising its citizens to leave tiny
southern African Kingdom
By
Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 31 August 2026
MBABANE: Eswatini’s main
liberation movement, the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) has urged
the tiny Kingdom to terminate diplomatic relations with Chinese Province-Taiwan
amid diplomatic tension between China and Eswatini over the violation of the
“One China Policy”.
In a statement sent to this Swaziland
News on Monday morning, Mlungisi Makhanya, the PUDEMO President said,
PUDEMO fully “supports the firm and principled position being demonstrated by
the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in response to the continued diplomatic
recognition of Taiwan” by the Tinkhundla regime of eSwatini.
“We regard Beijing’s recent
advisory urging Chinese citizens and institutions to leave eSwatini amid
heightened security concerns as a significant development that underscores the
urgent need to resolve the fundamental contradiction of the regime’s self-serving
foreign policy that does not align with the economic development interests of
the nation at large. PUDEMO, as a movement committed to international
solidarity and cooperation with the PRC and the Communist Party of China (CPC),
calls for the immediate establishment of full diplomatic relations between
eSwatini and the People’s Republic of China, founded
on mutual respect, sovereign equality and the One-China Principle”, he said.
On another note, the PUDEMO
President said, the political organization unequivocally and unwaveringly
supports the One-China Principle, consistent with United Nations General
Assembly Resolution 2758 of 25 October 1971, which restored the lawful rights of
the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations (UN), and with the
established position of the African Union (AU).
“The AU and China reaffirmed in January 2026 that there is but one China, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and that the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. In this context, PUDEMO calls for the complete termination of Taiwan’s official and quasi-official presence in eSwatini and for the establishment of normal diplomatic relations between Mbabane and Beijing without further delay. Eswatini cannot credibly claim an independent and sovereign foreign policy while maintaining a diplomatic relationship that stands in direct contradiction to the overwhelming continental and international recognition of the One-China framework”, said the PUDEMO President.
eSwatini: Union campaign strengthens social dialogue
while exposing chronic underinvestment in education
Education International, 1 September 2026
The Swaziland National
Association of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General Lot Vilakati acknowledged that
years of campaigning for increased public investment in education are beginning
to yield results, with education financing now receiving greater attention from
government officials and policymakers. However, the union warns that severe
funding gaps, widespread precarious employment and shortages of early childhood
education teachers continue to undermine the right to quality education in
Eswatini.
With other education unions,
SNAT strongly reaffirmed that quality public education begins with quality
funding during the Education
International (EI) Southern Africa Sub-Regional Workshop on the Go Public!
Fund Education campaign,
held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from July 23rd-24th, 2026.
For Eswatini, SNAT presented a
country report of the implementation of the Go Public! campaign
during this event convened by EI Africa and hosted by the South African
Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) and the National Professional Teachers'
Organisation of South Africa (NAPTOSA).
According to the union,
education workers account for roughly half of Eswatini’s 45,000 civil servants,
and 95 per cent of those education workers are teachers. The union estimates
that there are nearly 18,000 active teachers in the country, with around 4,000
employed on temporary contracts. Many of these contract educators are young
professionals, while others have worked under repeatedly renewed contracts for
more than 15 years despite being fully qualified teachers.
While Eswatini has provided
free primary education since 2010, SNAT stressed that the resources allocated
to schools remain insufficient to meet learners’ needs. The union notes that,
despite progress in raising awareness about education financing over the past
twelve years, education and health continue to receive a smaller share of
public spending than required.
“Our challenges are still the
national budget that is still skewed as the big chunk goes to other ministries
compared to funds allocated education and health,” said Vilakati. He added that
advocating for increased investment remains difficult because of “the political
climate and the system of government.”
The union also reported that
its advocacy helped draw attention to attempts to privatise a public school,
with education officials increasingly engaging in debates around the future of
public education.
A central focus of SNAT’s
recent advocacy has been the full implementation of Early Childhood Care,
Development and Education (ECCDE) across the country’s approximately 700
primary schools. The union is calling for every school to have qualified and
permanently employed ECCDE teachers.
 |
| Early childhood education remains critically understaffed |
To read more of this report, click here
Reed Dance maidens reminded to preserve virginity
By Joseph Zulu, Times of eSwatini, 29 August 2026
LOBAMBA: Thousands of maidens
participating in the annual Reed Dance have been reminded of the importance of
preserving their virginity as they continue to take part in the cultural event.
The reminder came on the fifth
day of the Reed Dance, an annual gathering that brings together young maidens
from across Eswatini to showcase the country’s rich cultural heritage through
traditional song, dance and regalia.
However, organisers and
educators emphasised that the event is about more than cultural performances.
It also provides an opportunity to educate young people on issues that affect
their lives, including health, personal values and education.
One of the key messages
delivered to the maidens was the importance of maintaining their virginity.
The message formed part of
broader guidance aimed at encouraging young people to uphold values and make
responsible decisions as they grow.
The Reed Dance provides a
large platform for such messages because it brings together thousands of young
people in one place, allowing educators and other stakeholders to engage
directly with them.
Celiwe Mohammed, a language
inspector in the Ministry of Education and Training, also used the occasion to
educate the children on the correct use of the SiSwati language.
To read more of
this report, click here
https://times.co.sz/42660/news/reed-dance-maidens-reminded-to-preserve-virginity/
See also
Imbali vows to
remain pure (eSwatini Observer)
https://www.eswatiniobserver.com/imbali-vows-to-remain-pure/
eSwatini receives 2 more US deportees under a
controversial third-country deal
By Associated Press, 28 August 2026
JOHANNESBURG: Two migrants
deported from the United States arrived in Eswatini, authorities in the
southern African country said, under an agreement between the two countries
that has drawn criticism from rights groups.
The two migrants are from
Latin America, according to a statement government late Thursday which
described the individuals as “third-party nationals” and said they arrived
following consultations and agreements between the U.S. and Eswatini.
The pair are the fifth batch
of deportees to be shipped from the U.S. to the landlocked African kingdom of
Eswatini since the first group arrived in July 2025.
Some earlier deportees have
since been repatriated. A Jamaican man was repatriated to his home country in
September, while a Cambodian man was released in March for repatriation after
spending five months detained in a maximum-security prison.
Under a series of often-secret
agreements, the Trump administration has deported thousands of people to two
dozen countries that aren’t their own, as it pushes ahead with its immigration
crackdown, advocates say.
Immigration lawyers say the
practice is being used as a legal loophole to indirectly return some asylum
seekers to countries they fled.
An estimated 11 of those
agreements are with African countries, including Rwanda, Ghana, Cameroon,
Congo, Uganda, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic.
The Trump administration’s
choice of African countries to strike deportation deals with and pay money to
is also under scrutiny because many of the countries, including Eswatini, South
Sudan and Equatorial Guinea, have notoriously repressive governments and poor
human rights records.
Eswatini’s King Mswati III has
long been accused of clamping down on pro-democracy movements, sometimes
violently.
To read more of
this report, click here
See also
Fifth US deportee
repatriated to Somalia (eSwatini Observer)
https://www.eswatiniobserver.com/fifth-us-deportee-repatriated-to-somalia/
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