Swaziland Newsletter No. 890 – 15
August 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.
eSwatini MPs push for mandatory DNA
testing
By
Reporter, eSwatini Observer, 12 August 2025
Due to the increasing number of reports
on men raising children who are not biologically theirs,
Members of Parliament are expected to move a motion urging government to
introduce mandatory DNA testing, particularly in cases where paternity is
disputed or unclear, before the issuance of birth certificates.
The aim is to address growing concerns
over paternity fraud and its social consequences. This is contained in the
notice paper published yesterday by the office of the Speaker of the House of
Assembly. The motion is expected to be moved by Mahlangatsha MP Mgucisi Dlamini
and Mhlambanyatsi MP Dr Bonginkosi Dlamini.
According to the MPs, there has been a
rising number of cases in which men have unknowingly raised children who are
not their biological offspring. According to the motion, the MPs are expected
to argue that the current birth registration system does not verify paternity,
potentially leading to emotional trauma, broken families, and unjust financial
obligations.
They emphasised that a birth
certificate was a legal
document affirming a child’s identity and parentage, and should therefore be
based on accurate and verifiable information.
The MPs are expected to argue that truth
and transparency in family matters are essential for social stability, justice,
and the protection of both men and children.
They therefore called on the Ministry of
Home Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, to develop and
implement a policy requiring DNA testing in cases where paternity is disputed
or unclear, prior to or during birth registration.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://eswatiniobserver.com/eswatini-mps-push-for-mandatory-dna-testing/
By
Sipho Kunene, Afrobarometer, 12 August 2025
Most citizens say the police and courts
need to do more against these threats.
The government of Eswatini has committed
itself to promoting women’s rights and eliminating gender discrimination by
signing and ratifying several international treaties and conventions, including
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. To honour these
commitments, the government has implemented a range of domestic policies and
programmes, including the National Gender Policy and the Sexual Offences and
Domestic Violence Act (Department of Gender and Family Issues, 2024).
Eswatini ranks 47th out of 146
countries on gender equality in the Global Gender Gap Index, level with
Luxembourg and Singapore (World Economic Forum, 2024). An independent
assessment notes that Eswatini’s relatively high ranking on the index is mostly
“driven by near-gender parity in education, improved health outcomes, and a
progressive legal and policy framework” (Coope, Mabundza, & Sihlongonyane,
2025). Eswatini also performs well in labour-force participation, especially in
the share of technical and professional workers, where there is 100% gender
parity (World Economic Forum, 2024). And the government has made progress on
four priority indicators that form part of the United Nations’ Sustainable
Development Goal 5 (gender equality), including meeting demand for family
planning among women of reproductive age (Department of Gender and Family
Issues, 2024).
Despite these efforts, significant
challenges remain, including high rates of gender-based violence, limited
access to resources for women, and cultural norms that perpetuate gender
inequality. Coope, Mabundza, and Sihlongonyane (2025) observe that among
Emaswati, boys and girls continue to be socialised differently, in line with
gender expectations that dictate women’s roles primarily as caregivers,
limiting their opportunities for economic participation and personal
development.
Girls face particular hurdles in
completing school, including pregnancy and child marriage. According to UNICEF
(2025), in Eswatini, pregnancies are responsible for 41% of all dropouts in
lower secondary school and 52% of those in senior secondary school. And 17% of
married Swati women were wed before they reached legal adulthood (Heart for
Africa, 2025).
To read more of this report, click
here
The bold plan to end youth
unemployment in eSwatini
By
Adam Walsh, Borgen Project, 12 August 2025
Youth unemployment in Eswatini is a
chronic problem. A staggering 58.2%
of young people in Eswatini remain
unemployed, one of the worst rates in the world. Furthermore, the World Bank
estimates that 25,000 young people enter the labor market each year, with only
1,000 jobs created annually. Young people in Eswatini make up 30% of the population
and account for 48.4% of the labor force, a strikingly high share that
underscores growing concerns about youth unemployment.
This crisis stems largely from Eswatini’s
skills gap, one of the world’s widest. Consequently, young people’s skills due
to training or education are far below what employers require. In 2017, Eswatini
ranked 136/139 in the
International Labor Organization Skills Mismatch Index. Furthermore, more than
50% of Eswatini’s workforce holds jobs in the informal sector, leaving many
young people without wage protections.
High youth unemployment can fuel poverty
and inequality, with 53% of the population already living below the poverty
line. Furthermore, as young people are discouraged by repeated failures in the
job market, many may leave the labor market altogether. This lost potential
threatens to hold back progress and risks entrenching young people in cycles of
dependency and social instability.
Recognizing the severe economic and social
risks posed by youth unemployment, the World Bank has stepped in with a bold
response. It launched the Eswatini
Youth Employment Opportunities Project to
help the country harness the full potential of its young population. The first
component of the World Bank’s project aims to expand income-earning
opportunities for young people.
The scheme will specifically target 30,000
young people, at least 50% female and provide targeted support in the
agricultural sector, aiming to promote self-employment opportunities. Given the
size of Eswatini’s farming population, this can revolutionize the farm job
market and lower youth unemployment in Eswatini.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://borgenproject.org/youth-unemployment-in-eswatini/
See also
EU committed to
empowering eSwatini youth (European Union)
https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/eswatini/eu-committed-empowering-eswatini-youth_en
eSwatini
government’s acceptance of US deportees challenged in court
AFP, 14 August 2025
Eswatini activists have urged
the High Court to declare as unconstitutional the country’s acceptance of five
foreign nationals deported from the United States where they had been jailed
for crimes including murder.
The men from Vietnam, Laos,
Yemen, Cuba and Jamaica were flown to the Southern African country by US
military aeroplane in July as part of Washington’s programme of deporting
migrants to third countries.
In an urgent court application
to the Eswatini High Court, three legal and civil society groups said that
the deal was
unconstitutional because its terms had not been made known and there had been
no consultation with the public or parliament.
They called on the government
of Eswatini to release the full terms of its agreement with the United States.
“The circumstances under which
this agreement has been concluded raise serious concerns about executive
overreach, human rights and national security,” they said in a statement
announcing the court action.
The five deportees are being
held in solitary confinement in a maximum security prison that is already at
171% capacity, the statement said.
Last week, the neighbouring
South Africa protested to Eswatini about its acceptance of the convicted criminals, saying that it was
concerned about their profiles and potential “adverse impact” on its own
security.
Drugs shortage fuels surge in illegal
pharmacies
By
Joseph Zulu, eSwatini News, 9 August 2025
MBABANE: A deepening shortage of essential
medicines in Eswatini’s public hospitals is fuelling a surge in medicine prices
and the rise of ‘street pharmacists’.
An investigation by Eswatini News
has found that some pharmacies are charging significantly higher than normal
for common drugs, with the gap most visible in rural and peri-urban communities
far from major hospitals.
In urban areas like Manzini, Matsapha or
Mbabane, some pharmacies are said to be charging slightly higher, cashing in on
the shortage of drugs.
The shortages, which have left many
government facilities without basic treatments, have created an opportunity for
both licensed and unlicensed sellers to cash in. Normally, a visit to
government hospitals can cost between E13 to E20.
This includes medicines at no extra
charge. However, when there are no drugs, this results in patients heading to
registered or non-registered ones.
In some outlets, the price of Panado – a
common painkiller – has climbed from as low as E8 to between E15 and E20. Cold
and flu medication and antibiotics such as amoxicillin have also seen price
increases.
For flu, patients pay at least E50 in
addition to the E13 or E20 they usually pay at hospitals before heading to the
pharmacies.
To read more of this report, click
here
See also
MPs reject drugs procurement proposal
(Times of eSwatini)
By
Musa Mdluli, Swaziland News, 11 August, 2025
MBABANE: Acting Judge Johannes Hendrickus
Roelofse of the Mpumalanga High Court has dismissed with costs an application
filed by eSwatini seeking to declare that, Swaziland News editor Zweli
Martin Dlamini committed terrorism by interviewing members of the pro-democracy
Swaziland International Solidarity Forces (SISF).
The Acting Judge ruled that, the editor
cannot be labelled a terrorist without a fair trial.
“In terms of section 179(2) of the
Constitution of South Africa, the prosecuting authority has the power to
institute criminal proceedings on behalf of the State, and to carry out any
necessary functions incidental to instituting criminal proceedings. Whether a
crime is committed and whether to institute criminal proceedings is a matter
that falls within the competence of the National Director of Prosecutions. To
declare that the respondents have committed acts of terrorism under sections 2
and 3 read with the definition of terrorist activity in section 1 of the
Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities
Act no 33 of 2004 by publishing false allegations against King Mswati of
eSwatini and the soldiers and police of the Eswatini Government in the articles
of 25 November 2022 and 13 November 2022 in relation to the terrorist
activities of the organization known as the Swaziland International Solidarity
Forces described in those articles” would not only offend the principle of
separation of powers but also convict the respondents without a fair trial.
This relief must therefore be dismissed”, reads the Mpumalanga Court judgement
in part.
On another note, the South African
Government rejected an application by the eSwatini Government seeking to arrest
and handover the editor to the eSwatini police.
To read more of this report, click
here
https://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=9710
Swaziland News editor Zweli Martin Dlamini
See also
‘South African Government is refusing
to arrest and handover Swaziland News editor ‘Zwemart’ but wants us to
repatriate United States criminals,’, writes Times editor Mfankhona
Nkambule (Swaziland News)
https://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=9691
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