Swaziland
Newsletter No. 941 – 28 August 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.
China
tells citizens to leave Taiwan-allied eSwatini
China has told its citizens to immediately
leave Eswatini, citing security risks in the African nation that is one of
Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic allies.
China claims Taiwan is part of its
territory and opposes the self-governed island’s attempts at international
exchange.
Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te travelled
to Eswatini in May, with Taipei accusing Beijing of trying to derail the trip
by pressuring nearby countries to revoke overflight permits.
The consular affairs department of China’s
foreign ministry said on Tuesday that “Chinese nationals and institutions
already in the country should evacuate as soon as possible or relocate to
relatively safer areas such as South Africa”.
The ministry cited “rampant cyber fraud
and online gambling criminal activities” as among the ongoing security
concerns.
It was not immediately clear how many
Chinese citizens were working or living in Eswatini.
“Those who insist on travelling to or
remaining in the area will face extremely high security risks, and the
timeliness of receiving consular assistance may be affected,” the department
said in a statement shared to social media platform WeChat.
Eswatini, a small enclave kingdom formerly
known as Swaziland, is one of 12 countries that still recognise Taiwan.
China has persuaded other nations to break
diplomatic ties with the self-ruled island.
On May 1, China extended a zero-tariff
policy to all African countries except Eswatini.
Eswatinians welcoming Taiwan
president Lai Ching-te during his visit to the country on 2 May 2026. Photo:
Wang Yu Ching/Office of the President, via Flickr
See also
Govt defends eSwatini sovereignty,
rejects China’s security claims (Times of eSwatini)
https://times.co.sz/42401/news/govt-defends-eswatini-sovereignty-rejects-chinas-security-claims/
Chinese nationals safe in eSwatini
(eSwatini Observer)
https://www.eswatiniobserver.com/chinese-nationals-safe-in-eswatini/
6.85%
secondary school dropouts last year
By Nokuphila
Haji, eSwatini Observer, 24 August 2026
At least 6.85% of pupils in secondary
schools dropped out last year, with pregnancy being the leading reason
affecting both females and males.
This is according to responses from
Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo that were tabled and adopted in
the Senate.
The minister stated that currently there
are only 2025 statistics available because data is collected annually.
The minister was responding to a question
posed by Senator Celumusa Mndvoti, who had asked how many learners dropped out
of school this quarter at both primary and secondary school levels, and what
the reasons for their dropout were.
This is despite the country having adopted
the Eswatini Education and Training Sector Policy (EDSEC) in 2011, which
guarantees pregnant learners the right to continue their education and to
return to school after giving birth. The policy is supported by the country’s
National Gender Policy and explicitly states that schools must not permanently
expel learners due to pregnancy.
Instead, school administrators are
required to allow pregnant pupils to take time off to care for their babies and
then return to the classroom to complete their studies. Government directives
issued in 2020 further reinforced the policy by instructing schools to ensure
that pregnant learners are allowed to return to class, particularly to sit for
examinations and complete their academic programmes.
The policy is rooted in the recognition of
education as a fundamental human right, as outlined in the United Nations (UN)
human rights framework, to which Eswatini is a signatory.
Despite the policy, pupils are still
dropping out of school due to pregnancy or after impregnating others.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://www.eswatiniobserver.com/6-85-secondary-school-dropouts-last-year/
Low
wages push textile workers into sex for E20
By
Mlondzi Nkambule, Times of eSwatini, 26 August 2026
MBABANE: The need to meet monthly bills
results in some textile workers offering their bodies for a mere E20.
This is one of the findings of the HIV
Prevention Indaba study, which explored barriers and enablers to HIV prevention
among different population groups across the country.
The study was presented to the Editors’
Forum yesterday at Emafini Conference Centre by the National Emergency Response
Council on HIV and AIDS (NERCHA).
It was said during the study that some
textile workers say their remuneration is very low and does not meet all their
needs. They reportedly said at times they become in danger of contracting HIV
due to sleeping around.
This, they reportedly said, is because
they want money to fulfil their needs.
Among those who were interviewed during
the study, one woman recommended an important aspect that government
should intervene and ensure that textile firms remunerate their employees
better.
“If we may ask the government, where can
it increase the money? This is the reality we face. You find us in kombis with
conductors who steal E20 from employers and spend it on us. When a conductor
tells you, ‘With the E20, let’s go to the forest,’ you are forced to choose
between your dignity and survival. You need that E20 for electricity or bread,
because if you are absent from work, you do not get paid,” a textile worker
reportedly recommended.
For workers who are paid according to
attendance, the pressure is compounded by the fear of losing income if they
leave work. The study participant described situations where a woman could need
even a small amount of money to buy bread or pay for electricity, making an
immediate financial offer difficult to refuse.
The issue is not presented by the study as
a justification for risky sexual behaviour, but as a structural factor that HIV
prevention programmes need to address.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://times.co.sz/42338/news/low-wages-push-textile-workers-into-sex-for-e20/
See also
‘Bring new HIV fight approaches’ (eSwatini
Observer)
https://www.eswatiniobserver.com/bring-new-hiv-fight-approaches/
Prime
Minister meets World Food Programme to discuss ways of strengthening eSwatini
food security
By
Musa Mdluli, Swaziland News, 24 August 2026
MBABANE: Prime Minister Russell Mmiso
Dlamini met with the Country Representative of the World Food Programme (WFP)
in Eswatini Nanga Kaye at the Private and Cabinet Office, Government online
platforms reported on Monday.
It has been reported that, the discussions
focused on the existing strategic partnership between Eswatini and the WFP, as
well as opportunities for further cooperation.
The Prime Minister shared Eswatini’s vision of attaining food sovereignty and
sought the WFP’s support in the establishment of the country’s grain reserves,
as well as in the development of a concept to strengthen the national school
feeding programme.
Also discussed was the country’s El Niño
response plan and the WFP’s anticipated role in supporting its implementation.
The Prime Minister urged the WFP to work
closely with Government in supporting high-impact projects and to utilise
locally available capacity in the food distribution programme, thereby creating
employment opportunities for emaSwati. He further encouraged the organisation
to consider training emaSwati in the implementation of the Cash Transfer
Programme, in anticipation of the need for such a facility should El Niño
affect the country.
See also
PM seeks WFP help to build grain
reserves (Times of eSwatini)
https://times.co.sz/42212/news/pm-seeks-wfp-help-to-build-grain-reserves/
eSwatini
puts agriculture at centre of economic growth, job creation
By
Gcwalisile Mhlabane, eSwatini Positive News, 22 August 2026
MANZINI: Eswatini is placing
agriculture at the centre of its economic transformation with billions of
Emalangeni being invested in food production irrigation livestock development
and youth empowerment as Government seeks to turn the sector into a major engine
of economic growth and job creation.
The agriculture sector has been allocated
between E2.02 billion and E2.24 billion in the 2026 national budget
representing about 6.2 per cent of the national budget.
The investment is being channelled towards
food sovereignty water security commercial farming agricultural financing
livestock development and critical infrastructure with the broader goal of
increasing productivity while creating sustainable economic opportunities for
EmaSwati.
A major pillar of the strategy is the E432
million Eswatini Youth Empowerment Opportunities Project (EYEOP) under the
Ministry of Economic Planning and Development.
The project is targeting 30000 young
people aged between 18 and 35 with about 20000 expected to benefit from
agriculture and agriculture-related opportunities.
EYEOP is set to be rolled out at community
level bringing opportunities closer to young people particularly those in rural
communities where agriculture remains a major source of livelihoods.
The project is expected to open pathways
into farming livestock production agro-processing agricultural services and
other businesses across the agricultural value chain.
To read more of this report, click
here
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