Swaziland
Newsletter No. 950 – 30 October 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.
Justice
for every victim of 2021 but are we ready for the full truth?
Editorial
comment, Swazi Bridge, 28 October 2026
This week, officials from the Attorney
General’s office will fly to the United Nations offices in Geneva to explain
what has become of the investigation into the murder of human rights lawyer
Thulani Maseko. Earlier this week Swazi Bridge reported that government has
been forced to write a comprehensive response to the UN human rights body on
the progress, or the lack thereof, on finding out what happened to Maseko. The
message could not be clearer. The world has not forgotten Thulani. More than
three years after his death, it still wants answers. On Sunday Swazi Bridge
also reported on the confessions of the killers of Thulani Maseko.
Our story put Maseko’s assassination back
on the national agenda. Judging by the feedback, this country has not found
closure. Our people still wants to know who killed Thulani and why. Two
reactions, from the barrage on social media and emails, stood out for us
though. The first came from the leader of one of the banned political parties.
His comment was buried deep among many, but it stands out because of who he is
and what he proposed. The people who can bring us real answers, he proposed,
are the FBI, (or independent investigators of FBI calibre).
That is a sharp observation, and a hard
one to argue with. The second came from a senator, who had previously asked why
we always isolate Thulani Maseko when we talk about the violence of 2021 and
never the victims of the progressives’ violence. In particular, why does the
media never demand justice for Chief Prince Mahloma of Zandondo, who was
savagely killed by members of the Swaziland International Solidarity Forces
(SISF)? Here is the dichotomy: Maseko was a prominent and popular leader of the
progressives while Prince Mahloma was a revered member of the royal family. The
senator’s complaint therefore is that the focus on only one is unfair. That is
a fair criticism, and it deserves an answer, not a shrug.
Anyone who follows the progressives’
arguments can understand their frustration. Many people were killed by the
police and army as the state tried to crush the 2021 uprising. The day the full
scale of that brutality is revealed, many people will be embarrassed they cheer
led the government. Consider, for example, the four boys killed by soldiers at
Lobamba. They were not protesting. They were not burning anything. They were
boys, and they are dead. Consider the young boy captured in the documentary “The
Unthinkable”, who is today paralysed. Consider the woman who was allegedly
burnt in a fire and spent almost two years in a South African hospital.
To this day she has received no justice.
There are unconfirmed reports that some people were thrown into the fires at
the Matsapha breweries. Their stories lie buried under the forced silence and
the pretence of normalcy that has followed 2021. They are not the only ones.
The eSwatini Solidarity Fund documentary managed to trace and document many
people who were shot, killed and assaulted by the police and army. A full and
transparent investigation by “the FBI”, as the party leader suggested, would
expose the true scale of the state led terrorism. We have already heard
confessions from the defecting police and correctional services officers who
describe the nights they went out to kill, and who came back to recount it in
the camps.
Yet the country never conducted a full
investigation that could help us all heal. Many of the soldiers and police who
were ordered to kill are mentally disturbed or depressed today because haunted
by what they were made to do. Sadly the low ranking junior officers men who did
the dirty work for the authorities carry the scars, and have nowhere to lay
down the guilt, the pain and the moral weight of it and are to this day refused
their legitimate salary adjustment.
To read more of this commentary,
click here
https://swazibridge.com/article/index.php?iywtrre=eFuu
See also
eSwatini blames widow for stalled
Maseko murder probe, offers conditional international cooperation (Swazi
Bridge)
https://swazibridge.com/article/index.php?iywtrre=eFur
Thulani Maseko assasination files
(Swazi Bridge)
https://swazibridge.com/article/index.php?iywtrre=eFuq
1
516 girls drop out of school due to pregnancy
By
Timothy Simelane, Times of eSwatini, 27 October 2026
MBABANE: A total of 1 516 girls left
school due to pregnancy between 2023 and 2025, while the number of reported
violence cases in schools increased from 45 in 2023 to 204 in 2024–2025.
This has raised concerns about learner
protection and retention in Eswatini’s education system.
The figures are contained in a
presentation on the Guidance and Counselling Programme, delivered by Acting
Director of Guidance Londiwe Ngci Dube during the 2026 Education Joint Sector
Review (JSR) Indaba, held at Sibane Sami from October 26 to 28.
According to the presentation, the number
of primary school girls who left school due to pregnancy increased from 88 in
2023 to 180 in 2025, representing a rise of about 105 per cent. At secondary
school level, the figure increased from 964 to 1 336 over the same period, a 39
per cent increase.
The presentation warned that pregnancy was
the leading recorded reason for school dropout, while other reasons, including
abuse at home, substance use and bullying, also increased.
The figures are counts rather than dropout
rates, and the presentation cautioned that some of the increase could be
attributed to improved reporting. It said enrolment figures were needed to
calculate accurate dropout rates.
The presentation was made under the JSR’s
deep dive into equitable access, participation and inclusion. During the
ongoing Education Sector Review at Sibane Sami Hotel. It assessed
progress in guidance and counselling services against the Education Sector
Strategic Plan (ESSP) 2022–2034, particularly the commitment to assist learners
at risk of dropping out.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://times.co.sz/47244/news/1-516-girls-drop-out-of-school-due-to-pregnancy/
King
calls for no hungry student project at UNESWA
By
Melisa Msweli, eSwatini Observer, 25 October 2026
UNESWA Chancellor His Majesty King
Mswati III on his way to the main arena for the 44th
graduation Ceremony at Kwaluseni Campus (Pic: Lucky Simelane)
His Majesty King Mswati III has called for
the implementation of the No Hungry Student Project at the University of
Eswatini to ensure students receive the nutritional support they need.
The king outlined challenges facing the
institution and called for measures to support students.
He said the project should be implemented
to ensure learners had access to the nutritional support they needed while
pursuing their studies.
The call formed part of His Majesty’s
wider remarks on the need to improve conditions at the university as it
continues to educate young people and contribute to national development.
The King also highlighted the challenge of
student accommodation, saying only 2 900 out of 9 000 students had access to
on-campus housing.
He said the majority were left in
potentially unsafe off-campus situations and called for public-private
partnerships to address the housing challenge.
His Majesty said UNESWA required E1
billion in capital investment to modernise teaching spaces, expand ICT
facilities and enhance security measures.
He encouraged public and private sector
partners to continue supporting the university through infrastructure funding,
research grants and technology transfer.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://www.eswatiniobserver.com/king-calls-for-no-hungry-student-project-at-uneswa/
See also
King Mswati urges UNESWA graduates to
consider creating jobs amid scarcity of employment opportunities (Swaziland
News)
https://swazilandnews.co.za/articles/40061
UN
advances inclusion at Ekwetsembeni special school
By
Gcwalisile Mhlabane, eSwatini Positive News, 27 October 2026
EKWETSEMBENI: The United Nations (UN) has
reaffirmed its commitment to inclusion and equal opportunities for persons with
disabilities through a visit to Ekwetsembeni Special School, where learners
received staple food donations and support towards essential plumbing repairs.
The visit, held on October 26, 2026,
brought together UN representatives, learners, teachers, caregivers and school
leadership for a day centred on solidarity, inclusion and the shared
responsibility of ensuring that no one is left behind.
The UN family donated staple food items
and contributed towards plumbing repairs to support the school’s daily
operations and the wellbeing of learners. The contributions reflected the
collective commitment of the UN system, alongside the generosity of individual
staff members.
Speaking on behalf of UN staff, Staff
Federation President Zanele Thabede emphasised the importance of solidarity and
equal opportunities for persons with disabilities.
“Building inclusive communities requires
all of us to stand together and ensure that persons with disabilities are
treated with dignity, afforded equal opportunities and supported to participate
meaningfully in society,” Thabede said.
She stressed that inclusion should extend
beyond words to practical actions that address the needs of vulnerable groups
and ensure that everyone feels valued in their communities.
UN Resident Coordinator George Wachira
reaffirmed that inclusion and equality are central to the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The promise of the 2030 Agenda is clear:
to leave no one behind. This means ensuring that everyone, including persons
with disabilities, has the opportunity to live with dignity and access the
support they need to thrive,” Wachira said.
He emphasised that building a just and
compassionate society requires collective responsibility, meaningful
partnerships and deliberate efforts to address the needs of people who require
additional support.
Wachira also paid tribute to Ekwetsembeni
Special School’s teachers and caregivers for their dedication, patience and
compassion in creating a nurturing environment where learners can develop their
abilities and reach their full potential.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://eswatinipositivenews.online/un-advances-inclusion-at-ekwetsembeni-special-school/
King
Mswati allegedly backed by the United States to maintain diplomatic ties with
Taiwan
By
Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 26 October 2026
MBABANE: King Mswati is allegedly backed
by the United States (US) to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan; an
Island historically regarded as a Chinese Province and in terms of the United
Nations Security Council Resolution 2758 of 1971.
It has been disclosed that, the US now
regards Eswatini as a key strategic diplomatic partner in southern Africa amid
deteriorating relations with the neighbouring South Africa.
As a result, diplomatic relations were strengthened with Eswatini by the
current United States President Donald Trump administration.
But two ‘political competitors’ in the US
have different views or positions regarding the issue of Eswatini, President
Barack Obama’s Democrats political party has been vigorously supporting the
calls for democratic reforms in the Sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute Monarchy
while President Donald Trump’s Republicans “supports the Monarchy and/or the
current ruling Tinkhundla system of Government in the Kingdom”.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://swazilandnews.co.za/articles/40091
See also
The China-Taiwan diplomatic war is
more about politics than economics (The Diplomat)
eSwatini
repatriates 11 third-country nationals
By
Stanley Khumalo, Times of eSwatini, 25 October 2026
MBABANE: Eswatini has repatriated 11
third-country nationals since July 2025 under an arrangement with the United
States Government.
The latest to return home is a national of
Guinea who departed Eswatini on Friday and arrived in his country on Saturday.
Acting Government Spokesperson Thabile
Mdluli announced this in a statement yesterday, saying the individual had
voluntarily returned to his country-of-origin following arrangements to
facilitate his repatriation.
According to the statement, the latest
departure brings the total number of third-country nationals repatriated from
Eswatini to 11 since the arrangement with the US Government commenced in July
2025.
Government said it continued to work with
relevant national authorities and international partners to facilitate the safe
and orderly return of the individuals to their respective countries.
It added that the process was being
conducted in accordance with applicable laws and procedures, with due regard
for the rights, dignity and well-being of those concerned.
Government also reassured the nation that
it remained committed to managing the process responsibly and making the
necessary arrangements to support the individuals’ safe onward travel.
It said it would continue to inform the
public of significant developments concerning third-country nationals
temporarily residing in the country, where appropriate.
SWAZI
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