Swaziland
Newsletter No. 935 – 17 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.
MPs back changes to election laws over
‘discrimination’ concerns
By Sifiso Nhlabatsi, eSwatini Positive News, 15
July 2026
LOBAMBA: The House of Assembly
has unanimously adopted a motion calling on Government to amend Eswatini’s
electoral laws to align them with the Constitution, following concerns that the
current legal framework discriminates against male candidates while failing to
clearly define the role and accountability of Regional Women Members of
Parliament.
The motion, moved by Kubuta MP
Masiphula Mamba during Private Members’ Motions and seconded by Mbabane East MP
Welcome Dlamini, paves the way for the Minister of Justice and Constitutional
Affairs to table legislation before Parliament.
Mamba’s motion calls on the
minister to introduce a Bill amending the Elections Act, 2013 (Act No. 10 of
2013), the Election of Women Members of the House of Assembly Act, 2018 (Act
No. 9 of 2018), and related provisions of the Senate (Elections) Act, 2013 (Act
No. 7 of 2013).
The proposed amendments seek
to ensure full alignment with the principles of equality before the law and
non-discrimination enshrined in Section 20 of the Constitution of the Kingdom
of Eswatini Act, 2005, particularly regarding the electoral processes and
eligibility criteria for Regional Women Members of Parliament.
Motivating the motion, Mamba
said the current legal framework creates unequal treatment between male and
female candidates who contest constituency elections.
“What happens now is that when
a male candidate loses an election, that is the end of the road. However, women
who lose constituency elections can still become Members of Parliament through
the regional women’s election process. If that opportunity exists, then the law
should apply equally, or the legislation should clearly justify the
distinction,” he said.
Mamba argued that Parliament
has a constitutional duty to ensure all citizens are treated equally before the
law. He further said the legislation should explicitly define the mandate,
responsibilities and reporting lines of Regional Women MPs.
According to him, the absence
of clear provisions has created uncertainty regarding their role,
accountability and constitutional status.
Supporting the motion, Mbabane
East MP Welcome Dlamini said the issue has affected parliamentary candidates
for years and deserves urgent attention.
He remarked that it was
unfortunate Lobamba MP Michael Masilela, whom he described as one of those
affected by the current arrangement, was not present in the House when the
debate began.
“They told him he could not
have a second bite of the cherry,” Dlamini said.
He argued that Parliament has
only two options if it wishes to eliminate what he views as discrimination.
“The first option is to allow
male candidates the same second opportunity, or alternatively remove the second
opportunity for women. The law must apply equally,” he said.
Dlamini also questioned the
legal position of Regional Women MPs, saying their responsibilities remain
inadequately defined.
He said he had been informed
that some Regional Women MPs struggle to access certain public resources,
including the Regional Development Fund (RDF), because legislation does not
clearly outline their status and functions.
“Their role must be clearly
defined so they know exactly how to execute their duties and access the
resources necessary to serve their communities,” he said.
Regional Women MPs who
participated in the debate supported the motion, acknowledging that uncertainty
surrounding their mandate has created practical challenges.
However, they cautioned
against framing the issue as a contest between male and female legislators.
To read more of
this report, click here
https://eswatinipositivenews.online/mps-back-changes-to-election-laws-over-discrimination-concerns/
More US deportees arrive in eSwatini
Legalbrief Africa, 13 July 2026
Eleven more migrants deported from the US have arrived in eSwatini as part of President Donald Trump's wide-ranging immigration crackdown. A US immigration attorney said the group includes at least two who have legal protection that advocates say should shield them from deportation.
Africanews says it is the latest expulsion in line with the Trump administration’s unprecedented ‘third-country’ deal that has already seen 19 people sent to eSwatini since July 2025. Two of them – a Jamaican and Cambodian – have been repatriated, but 17 remain in a high-security prison, held without charge.
It
is not yet clear what are the nationalities of the 11 who arrived in eSwatini
on Wednesday. Eswatini confirmed last year it had received around $5.1m from
the US to accept the deportees. King Mswati III’s Government has been accused
of human rights violations and Amnesty International has called the deportation
scheme ‘deeply abusive’. While nations like eSwatini have held most US
deportees indefinitely, other nations such as Ghana, have quickly sent them back
to their home countries.
To read more, click here
https://www.africanews.com/2026/07/08/fourth-group-of-deportees-from-us-arrive-in-eswatini/
See also
Eleven more Trump
deportees arrive in eSwatini from the United States, lawyer says (Reuters)
Amnesty
International calls for the release of individuals detained under the
US-eSwatini arrangement (Channel Africa)
DNA plan could swallow E126m of Home Affairs budget
By Sibusiso Shange, Times of eSwatini, 15 July
2026
MBABANE: Making DNA testing
compulsory before issuing birth certificates could cost taxpayers about E126
million annually, enough to fund free Grade I education for nearly 188 000
children.
An analysis by the Times of
Eswatini, based on the country’s average of between 29 200 and 29 600
births annually, according to the population census 2025, shows that universal
DNA testing would cost government between E125.5 million and E127.3 million
each year if outsourced to private laboratories charging about E4 300 per
test.
DNA, which stands for
deoxyribonucleic acid, is the molecule that carries the genetic instructions
for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of all known living
organisms and many viruses.
The projected expenditure
would consume almost 46 per cent of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ annual budget
of E274.5 million, exceed government’s E98 million allocation for the School
Feeding Programme and cost almost as much as Parliament’s entire annual budget
of E157 million.
It would also come at a time
when government is projecting expenditure of E36.9 billion, revenue of E31.9
billion and a fiscal deficit equivalent to 4.9 per cent of gross domestic
product (GDP).
Under Eswatini’s Free Primary
Education Act of 2010, government provides E672 per Grade I learner annually
for tuition and stationery. Based on that grant, the estimated DNA bill could
finance free Grade I education for about 187 500 children for one year.
The estimated E4 300 required
for one DNA test is equivalent to the annual Grade I grant for approximately
six children.
The financial implications
have intensified debate over whether compulsory DNA testing represents the best
use of limited public resources, particularly as government continues investing
heavily in education, healthcare, infrastructure and social protection while
servicing rising public debt.
To read more of
this report, click here
https://times.co.sz/38899/news/dna-plan-could-swallow-e126m-of-home-affairs-budget/
See also
Men push for
compulsory DNA tests (eSwatini Observer)
https://www.eswatiniobserver.com/men-push-for-compulsory-dna-tests/
Maloma Mine workers protesting in demand for salary
increment
By Bongiwe Dlamini, Swaziland News, 16 July
2026
MBABANE: The Industrial Court
of Eswatini has stopped a ‘strike’ at Maloma Colliery as workers demand a
salary increment and that, Inyatsi Group Chairman Michello Shakantu must
personally address them.
The workers have been
protesting this week only for the Management to run to court’ police were
subsequently deployed on Wednesday afternoon to disperse the Maloma Colliery
employees.
But after the court order
stopping the strike, the Management addressed the workers on Thursday and an
agreement was reached that they will go back to work pending negotiations.
See also
Industrial Court
declares Maloma Colliery strike unlawful (Times of eSwatini)
https://times.co.sz/38968/news/industrial-court-declares-maloma-colliery-strike-unlawful/
Witchdoctors’ chief on rising divorces: Umjolo not
marriage
By Sibusiso Shange, Times of eSwatini, 16 July
2026
MBABANE: There are over 50
divorces per month, says the Ministry of Home Affairs first quarter report for
the 2026/27 financial year.
In April, it is said 54 ended
their marriage, 56 in May and 54 in June, which tallies 164. This is a decline
of 45 as 209 were recorded in the same period last year. To this, Tati
TaseSwatini and the Witchdoctors Association Chairman, Makhanya Makhanya has
expressed the view that many people are divorcing because they wish to ‘fly’
without having wings. Makhanya was reacting to the Ministry of Home Affairs’
first quarter report to Parliament for the 2026/27 financial year. The report
pointed out that the ministry responsible for the registration of birth,
marriage and death recorded 164 divorces in three months.
When asked to clarify
his statement, Makhanya explained that he meant individuals rush into marriage
without following the proper procedures outlined in Eswatini Laws and Customs.
He said the failure to adhere
to these procedures often results in casual relationships known locally
as umjolo being registered as marriages. He said without
adhering to the laid down procedure, people will ‘fly’ and ‘fall’, meaning they
will not succeed.
 |
Witchdoctors’
Association Chairman, Makhanya Makhanya
To read more of this report, click here
https://times.co.sz/39071/news/witchdoctors-chief-on-rising-divorces-umjolo-not-marriage/
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