Swaziland Newsletter No. 882 – 20
June 2025
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
Cabinet
given 14-day ultimatum
By
Nokuphila Haji, eSwatini Observer, Press Reader edition, 19 June 2025
MPs say health system falling apart,
demand plans, not promises • Claim there is no political will to solve crisis
Members of Parliament (MPs) have given
Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini 14 days to return to the House of Assembly
with satisfactory responses backed by actions in addressing the prevalent drugs
shortage in public health institutions.
This was the resolution taken by the MPs
following a heated debate after some legislators were for the adjournment of
the sitting while others called for Cabinet to be excused and be given time to
address the issue.
Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo said
he was of the idea that the premier takes up the issue with Cabinet and address
the drugs crisis in public hospitals, and return with responses in 14 days.
He said after the 14 days, he expected
Dlamini to deliver a statement on which direction the country would be taking
in addressing the issues that marred the health sector.
He said this would not benefit them,
adding that the nation was losing hope in them because the debate yielded no
positive.
The premier was in the House to respond to
motions concerning his office like the government grand plan, employment policy
and others. He said they should not even discuss the health issue, but halt
everything so that the nation would note that their legislators were hard at
work.
He said they would wait for the response
from government because if they failed to do so, the nation would also lose
hope in them. He said the PM should take the issue as a collective and attend
to it fully.
“They should bring responses not because
they have to respond but answers that are backed up by action. The situation is
dire, it has never been this bad before,” he said.
Nhlambeni MP Manzi Zwane asked if it would
be wrong to ask Cabinet to excuse them so that they could discuss the issue and
return with a report.
He noted that there was political
resistance and no political will on the issue.
He said the situation was dire on the
ground and they should have
received a concrete report on the issue.
He said health officials were rioting endlessly because there was no medication
in hospitals.
He said there were powerful stakeholders,
but they were also not sure of their identity. He said if there was political
will, the ministry would have fixed the issue by now. He added that the
ministry hinted at disposing drugs, yet that was the supplier’s duty.
“Can the PM be granted 14 days as the head
of Cabinet to sort this issue out? This is now supposed to be addressed by the
PM so that he can give us the direction that we have to take because this is
the same response that we get everyday. Can Cabinet return with the responses
that we need not what we are doing now,” he said.
Lobamba MP Michael Masilela said they
should adjourn the debate and also suspend the sitting so that they could allow
Cabinet to address the health challenges.
Ngudzeni MP Charles Ndlovu also called for
the adjournment of debate and allow Cabinet to return with responses on the
health crisis in 14 days. The speaker said they could not allow some motions
into the House while others take time to be debated.
He said the challenge was that the other
MPs did not support Khumalo, but stated their motions.
Khumalo said the motions that appear from
what they had were without notice. He emphasised that in the 14 days Cabinet
should work on the responses.
Attorney General Mashampu Khumalo said if
they considered motions without notice, they should also look at Standing Order
74. He said if they raise a motion without notice, they might operate in the
context of Standing Order 74.
He said motions that could be considered
for the adjournment of the House or debate were allowed if the motion was of an
urgent matter of public interest.
World
Food Programme eSwatini Country Brief, May 2025
Relief
Web, 19 June 2025
In Numbers
227.2 MT of food assistance distributed to
861 NCPs
USD 0.5 million six months net funding
requirements, representing 14 percent of total requirement (June to November
2025)
26,682 people assisted in May 2025
Operational Updates
Children Social Food Safety Net
In May 2025, WFP provided support to
26,628 orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs) in 861 neighbourhood care points
(NCPs). WFP is also supporting the government of Eswatini with the development
of standard operating procedures for NCPs to provide guidelines for the Social
Centres in alignment with the NCP strategy. This aims to improve the efficiency
and standardization of NCP operations while fostering accountability and
ensuring proper registration of NCPs.
Livelihood Projects
Under the UBRAF-funded livelihoods
support, WFP has assisted 30 beneficiaries with income-generating activities
aimed at strengthening resilience among vulnerable populations affected by HIV.
The project focuses on improving food and nutrition security through
sustainable livelihoods, particularly for individuals living with or affected
by HIV and those living with disability. In May 2025 four beneficiaries who
were awaiting delivery of layer chickens have now received them and have
started selling eggs, contributing to improved household income and
self-reliance.
Climate Resilience
WFP, in collaboration with the Ministry of
Agriculture (MoA), FAO, NAMBoard, CFI, and the Ministry of Tinkhundla
Administration and Development (MTAD), trained 24 participants (17 youth and 7
community leaders) on improved vegetable production, market access,
post-harvest handling, financial management, and shifting from subsistence to
business-oriented farming
To download full report
https://reliefweb.int/report/eswatini/wfp-eswatini-country-brief-may-2025
School
teacher Nompilo Mamba who took pictures and videos of armed police abducting
children during political unrest leaves eSwatini in fear for her life
By
Musa Mdluli, Swaziland News, 16 June, 2025
MBABANE: Nompilo Mamba, the Mbabane John
Wesley Secondary School teacher who took pictures and videos of armed police
officers abducting children inside the classroom during the political unrest,
has left eSwatini and secured a job in Ireland.
On Tuesday 12th October 2021, this Swaziland
News reported that police armed with guns, invaded John Wesley Secondary
School in Mbabane grabbing school children who were suspected to be protesters.
The armed police officers arrived after
learning that children from Mater Dolorosa (MDS) and John Wesley were
protesting.
After entering the classroom, the officer
was seen notifying his colleagues that he had caught some of the children
before grabbing them to the Police Station where they were reportedly tortured.
Reached for comments by this Swaziland
News earlier, Mbongwa Dlamini, the President of the Swaziland National
Association of Teachers (SNAT) confirmed the matter saying the students from
MDS were grabbed by the police and detained in a classroom at John Wesley.
“What we can confirm is that the protest
started at MDS and proceeded to Wesley Secondary. The police then grabbed the
children who were from MDS and detained them in a classroom while waiting for a
van to take them to the police station”, said the SNAT President.
Phindile Vilakati, the Police Spokesperson
declined to respond our questions regarding the abduction of the children.
But Nompilo Mamba, the teacher who took
the pictures and exposed the abduction of the children, subsequently received
threats from the police officers and State agents were allegedly plotting to
abduct her as well.
Efforts to seek a comment from the teacher
proved unsuccessful, she is reportedly working in Ireland-Europe.
Eswatini is an absolute Monarchy, human
rights defenders are arrested, tortured or even killed for demanding democracy.
John Wesley Secondary School teacher Nompilo Mamba who took pictures of armed police abducting children during political unrest leaves eSwatini in fear for her life
SA
faces steep costs in Swazi lilangeni after ditching Taiwan
SA
Freight News, 13 June 2025
Eswatini’s cargo transporters – air, rail
and road – as well as freight forwarders and warehouse lessors are excited by
the prospect of Taiwan relocating its business interests, including
manufacturing concerns, from South Africa to their country.
There is wide consensus that the small,
landlocked nation’s limited resources will be offset by a winning advantage as
Africa’s only country to still maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. “My
company hauls cargo for Taiwanese companies in South Africa,” said the manager
of a road freight firm based at the Matsapha Industrial Estate, halfway between
Mbabane and the commercial hub of Manzini, who prefers to remain anonymous.
The manager said the company moves
especially Taiwanese goods and exports to Eswatini.
The relocation of factories owned by
business interests from the Republic of China to Eswatini “will open the
biggest new opportunity for our freight industry since apartheid”, the manager
added.
In the 1980s, several multinational
companies moved out of South Africa to avoid apartheid-era sanctions and
relocated to what was then still officially Swaziland.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/sa-faces-steep-costs-swazi-lilangeni-after-ditching-taiwan
eSwatini’s
education system receives a major boost
By
Siphesihle Dlamini, eSwatini Daily News, Press Reader edition. 18 June
2025
Enhancing the educational landscape of
Eswatini, the Minister for Education and Training, Owen Nxumalo, received a
generous donation of 200 computers and 10,000 books on Tuesday at the
Ministry’s Headquarters. The donation, made possible by the collaboration between
Computers for Africa and the Eswatini Literacy Project, aims to equip schools
across the nation, particularly those in rural areas, with essential resources
to improve learning outcomes.
The event was marked by a spirit of
gratitude and optimism, as stakeholders gathered to celebrate this milestone in
Eswatini’s quest for quality education.
The Chairperson of the Eswatini Literacy
Project, Senator Ntfombiyenkhosi Dlamini, emphasised the organisation’s
commitment to fostering a culture of reading among students. “We have
established this organization to promote the culture of reading in students,
particularly from schools in rural areas,” Dlamini stated. The initiative aims
to bridge the educational gap by ensuring that every child has access to books
and learning materials that can enrich their knowledge and imagination.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://www.pressreader.com/eswatini/eswatini-daily-news-9y77/20250618/281539411925259
Did
Swaziland’s government order men to marry five wives or risk jail term?
By
Elizabeth Ogunbamowo, Dubuwa, 18 June 2025
Claim: Several Facebook posts claimed
the government of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) ordered its men to marry five
wives or risk being jailed.
Verdict: False! The government made
no such request and had debunked the claim years earlier.
In Africa, discussions around polygamy
often gain traction on social media. In most cases, women tend to oppose the
idea, while men frequently defend it, citing unverifiable research claims that
suggest polygamy is “natural” to the male gender.
Recently, a claim surfaced
on Nigerian social media alleging
that the government of Eswatini issued a controversial directive supporting
polygamy.
The claim, shared on Facebook on
May 29, 2025, alleged that the Swaziland government had ordered men to marry
five wives, warning that any man who opposed the directive would risk
imprisonment.
Several Facebook accounts reposted the claim,
which has since gone viral.
Some Nigerian users, who shared the post, expressed a desire for a similar law
to be enacted in Nigeria, while others joked about relocating to the Southern
African country.
Given the virality of the claim and its
potential to mislead the public, DUBAWA fact-checked it.
Verification
Eswatini is a country in the Southern
African region. It is referred to as the world’s last remaining absolute monarchies, ruled by
King Mswatini III, who assumed power in 1986 after his 18th birthday.
The country, formerly known as
Swaziland, was
renamed kingdom of Eswatini
in 2018 to mark the country’s 50th independence anniversary.
Public accounts of
King Mswatini’s harem note that he has at least 15 wives, while his father
reportedly had over 70 wives. This context may lend superficial credibility to
the claim that he ordered men to marry at least five wives.
However, a Google keyword search showed
that the claim previously trended online in 2019. At the time, the context surrounding
the claim was that the government promised to fund the marriage ceremonies and
provide houses for the couples and that failure to comply could result in a
life sentence.
The reports further stated that the
alleged directive was prompted by the country’s growing female population and a
shortage of men.
However, findings showed the claim had
been debunked in the past. Media reports quoted government spokesperson Percy
Simelane, who described the reports as
“malicious” and “poisonous” at the time.
“His Majesty has not made any
pronouncement to that effect as it has never been an issue raised,” Simelane
had said.
He also said such a report was an insult
to the monarchy and the culture of eSwatini and a disgrace to journalism.
The rumour was also debunked, as
seen here.
DUBAWA went through the official social
media accounts of the Eswatini government on Facebook and X and
found no such directive.
Also, a video posted in May 2024 on YouTube showed
officials of Eswatini debunking a similar claim that the country was giving
“free wives” to men from Uganda and other African countries to increase its
population.
Findings indicate that polygamy is legally
permissible in Eswatini, provided it is consensual. However, there are ongoing concerns regarding
women’s rights and the discriminatory aspects often associated with such
unions, particularly with traditional and customary practices.
While some argue that polygamy contravenes Article
3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees
equal rights for men and women in the enjoyment of all civil and political
freedoms, others maintain that polygamy does not infringe upon women’s rights
any more than monogamy does.”
Meanwhile, DUBAWA fact-checked
a similar claim, which was in
support of polygamy in January 2024 and found it to be false.
Conclusion
The claim that the government of Eswatini
ordered men to marry five wives or risk a jail term is false.
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