Swaziland family treat teenager like a dog because she cannot walk and care for herself

A report in Swaziland / eSwatini says a teenager with physical challenges was forced by her family to live in a shack like a dog.

It demonstrates the extreme difficulties people with disabilities in the kingdom face. They are often hidden away because it is thought they are cursed or bring bad luck.

The latest case involving a 17-year-old girl at Mhlaleni in the Manzini Region was reported by the Times of Swaziland on Monday (18 March 2019). She has deformed feet and has never been able to walk. 

The newspaper reported her stepfather said at first they tried to accommodate her in the family house but as she was physically challenged she would frequently soil herself if there was no one around to assist her. 

The Times reported, ‘The stepfather claimed that the situation was so unbearable to a point that they decided to relocate the girl to the make-shift structure to remedy the situation.’ She has been there for two years.

The Times added, ‘The make-shift structure is constructed out of timber with spaces in between, allowing cold air into the structure. The structure also has a leaking roof and during rainy days, water seeps through, a scenario that poses hazardous effects to the health of the child.’

Her case is not unusual in Swaziland where people with disabilities are often hidden by their families. 

In 2017 Autism Swaziland Director Tryphinah Mvubu said people with Autism were often excluded from social services because their parents kept them away from the public in fear of embarrassment. 

The Swazi Observer newspaper reported her saying, ‘Some parents refuse to accept children with this condition as this disorder is considered to be a bad omen, hence they are locked in the house day in and day out so they cannot be seen by members of the community. They are so stigmatised to an extent that in some cases they are not even counted as members of the family.’

It is not only autistic children who are hidden. In July 2016, it was reported in local media that two disabled orphan children in Swaziland had been concealed from the world after a government official told their family it would harm the image of the kingdom if people knew of their condition.

It was reported that the two children aged 16 and eight might be suffering from polio. It was said they had not walked since they were born and had shrunk muscles and could only crawl. They both cannot talk. 

The abandonment of the children was one of many examples of poor treatment of people with disabilities in Swaziland.

A report published by SINTEF Technology and Society, Global Health and Welfare in 2011 that studied living conditions among people with disabilities in Swaziland, found, ‘There is a general belief that those who have a disability are bewitched or inflicted by bad spirits.

‘Many believe that being around people with disabilities can bring bad luck. As a result, many people with disabilities are hidden in their homesteads and are not given an opportunity to participate and contribute to society.’

It also found that people with disabilities had been abandoned by the Swazi Government. The report stated, ‘The absence of any comprehensive laws and policies to address people with disabilities’ access to equal opportunities reflect a lack of political will and a failure to recognize disability as a human right issue contributes to the devaluing and dehumanising of people with disabilities.

‘People with disabilities have the same rights as able-bodied people and they are entitled to enjoy all citizenry rights.’

See also

Sick kids 'hidden to save Swazi image'

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2016/07/sick-kids-hidden-to-save-swazi-image.html

 

Hidden sick kids: UNICEF responds

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2016/07/hidden-sick-kids-unicef-responds.html

 

Disabled people ‘treated like animals’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/08/disabled-people-treated-like-animals.html

Not enough Supreme Court judges so Swaziland Terrorism Act appeal postponed

The Supreme Court in Swaziland /eSwatini postponed hearing the government’s appeal against a judgement declaring parts of the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act and Suppression of Terrorism Act unconstitutional because it did not have enough judges to form a bench.

Usually, the Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala sits with four other judges. The Times of Swaziland on Wednesday (20 March 2019) reported there were seven judges in the Supreme Court and Maphalala said a majority of them had dealt with the matter one way or the other in the past.

He said the case would be postponed until they could find sufficient judges.

The case had originally been tabled for October 2017 but did not go ahead because the government’s representatives did not attend court. The case was reinstated in March 2018 and has taken a  year to get to its current position.

Both Acts have been used by successive governments of King Mswati III who rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch to stop advocates for democratic reform. Political parties are banned from taking part in elections and the King chooses the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and all senior judges.

In September 2016, Swaziland’s High Court ruled that sections of the two Acts were unconstitutional. Judges said the Acts contravened provisions in the Constitution on freedom of expression and freedom of association.

The ruling was delivered after years of campaigning to have the Acts overturned.

In 2015 Amnesty International renewed its criticism of Swaziland for the ‘continued persecution of peaceful political opponents and critics’ by the King and his authorities. 

The human rights organisation called for the two Acts to be scrapped  or drastically rewritten.

It said the Swazi authorities were using the Acts, ‘to intimidate activists, further entrench political exclusion and to restrict the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.’

Amnesty said the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act violated Swaziland’s human rights obligations. It placed the onus on the accused to prove that their alleged acts, utterances or documents published were not done with ‘seditious intention’.

The Act also obliged courts to conduct proceedings in camera relating to an offence under the Act if so requested by the prosecution. 

Amnesty also said the Suppression of Terrorism Act was incompatible with Swaziland’s human rights obligations because of, ‘The failure to restrict the definition of ‘terrorist act’ to the threatened or actual use of violence against civilians; 

‘The failure of the definition to meet the requirements of legality, that is, accessibility, precision, applicability to counter-terrorism alone, non-discrimination and non-retroactivity.’

It added offences were, ‘defined with such over-breadth and imprecision that they place excessive restrictions on a wide range of human rights, including the right to hold opinions without interference and the right to freedom of expression.’

See also

Scrap Swazi Terror Act – Amnesty

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/04/scrap-swazi-terror-act-amnesty.html

No amnesty in ‘terror’ cases

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2016/06/no-amnesty-in-terror-cases.html
 

Swazi Terror Act stops free speech

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/11/swazi-terror-act-stops-free-speech.html

‘Opposition to King is terrorism’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2016/01/opposition-to-king-is-terrorism.html

Swaziland Govt wage bill chaos as Auditor General reveals error and fraud

In his budget speech Neal Rijkenberg the Finance Minister of Swaziland / eSwatini stated that public service salaries had risen by 125 percent in the past 10 years and he threatened to cut the kingdom’s wage bill. He said the kingdom could not afford to pay cost of living salary adjustments (CoLA).

Now, the Swaziland Auditor General (AG) Timothy Matsebula in his annual report has revealed that the government has no clear idea how much money it is legitimately paying out in salaries. Matsebula reported in the year ending March 2018 the government overpaid its workers by E6.2 million and a further E1.9 million was paid to ‘ghost employees’ – that is workers who do not exist.

He also said that it was impossible to tell how many ghost workers there were in schools across Swaziland.

The AG reported the overpayments were made across a number of government departments. 

The AG stated there was a total loss from public servants of E3.44 million and E15.74 million in the financial years 2017 and 2018 respectively. The figure for 2018 included more than E6 million in unrecovered loans made to civil servants. 

The AG stated, ‘These include salary payment of “ghost employees”, overpayment of salaries, non-staggering of salaries for employees on long-term study leave, unrecovered reimbursement of salary and training costs from officers who have abandoned official training, and unrecovered loans. The salary payment of “ghost employees” comprises of payment of salaries for people who have resigned or exited the public service, employees who have not been reporting for work and/or employees who were suspended for a lengthy period.’

The AG said financial controls were ‘weak’ and risked ‘embezzlement and fraud’. He added, ‘ghost-employees or fictitious employees are included in the payroll system and continue being paid for an extended period of time until they are uncovered or may remain uncovered until retirement age’.

The AG also reported that at schools across Swaziland teachers were not regularly signing registers when collecting their salary advice slips and ‘this poses a risk as it makes it hard to see the presence of “ghost” employee(s)’. This means the number of ghost workers in Swaziland is not known. 

This chaos in government is going on at the same time that Finance Minister is threatening to cut the public sector salary bill. In his budget speech in February 2019 Finance Minister Rijkenberg said, ‘Our growing wage bill is placing insurmountable pressure on our budget and Government has been under immense strain to pay salaries due to the cash flow crisis.’

He added, ‘Given the state of the economy, it is not prudent or possible to budget for a CoLA in 2019/20, as the country simply cannot afford it.’

He said paying the salary increase would contribute to the kingdom’s debts. If debt increased, he said, ‘we will have no option but to cut the wage bill’. He did not give details but it would mean either cuts in salaries or job losses (or both).

Rijkenberg made his bold statement without knowing what the true public sector wage bill is in Swaziland. 

AG Matsebula also reported the Swaziland Government finances were in such a mess that billions of emalangeni could not be accounted for. Government bank balances had been misstated by E1.3 billion. The amount of revenue collected in the kingdom was misstated by E1.35 billion. The amount of income tax and road toll collected was understated by E1.34 billion.

The amount of government financial liabilities was misstated by E13 billion. He stated this could be down to fraud or error.

The AG report is revealing the truth in Swaziland where King Mswati III rules as an absolute monarch and appoints members of the government and top public servants and where political parties are banned from taking part in elections. The kingdom is in chaos and nobody knows where the money is going. 

Public sector workers should not be blamed for the crisis.

Richard Rooney

See also

Billions unaccounted for in Swaziland Govt finances, Auditor General reports

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/03/billions-unaccounted-for-in-swaziland.html

 

Swaziland Finance Minister threatens public sector job cuts if workers don’t back his budget

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/03/swaziland-finance-minister-threatens.html

Gap between rich and poor in Swaziland continues to grow, Finance Minister reports

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/02/gap-between-rich-and-poor-in-swaziland.html 

Swaziland Govt broke: up to 1,000 prisoners could be freed from jail early

As many as 1,000 prisoners in Swaziland / eSwatini could be released from jail before the end of their sentences because the government cannot afford to keep them locked up.

The move follows reports that His Majesty’s Correctional Services that run jails in the kingdom could not afford to feed all inmates. Electricity has been cut off because of unpaid bills and water has been rationed.

The Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III who rules Swaziland as an absolute monarch, reported on Wednesday (13 March 2019) that between 600 and 1,000 inmates could be released.

According to official figures from Swaziland published by World Prison Brief, Institute for Criminal Policy Research, as of March 2015 the prison population in Swaziland (including pre-trial detainees / remand prisoners) was 3,610.

The Observer reported Correctional Services Deputy Public Relations Officer Mandla Sibiya saying special boards would meet to decide who could be freed before the end of their sentences.

The newspaper reported Sibiya said through these early releases the Correctional Services ‘would save a lot of money that was otherwise spent on food and utilities’.

Swaziland is broke and public services across the kingdom have been cut. Children are going hungry at because school feeding programs financed by the government have run out of money. 

In February 2019 it was reported food had run out at Hlatikhulu Government Hospital and patients were fed thin porridge. Previously, it was reported Mbabane Government Hospital had run out of food because of unpaid bills and patients only had apples and juice.

Health services across Swaziland are in crisis. In September 2018 it was reported at least six children in Swaziland had died from diarrhoea and many more were sick because the government was broke and could not pay for vaccines. It would cost US$6 for the vaccine to immunise a child.

See also

Children at risk of food poisoning as Swaziland Govt’s financial crisis continues

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/01/children-at-risk-of-food-poisoning-as.html

 

Probe into ‘inhumane’ jail conditions

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/05/probe-into-inhumane-jail-conditions.html

Billions unaccounted for in Swaziland Govt finances, Auditor General reports

The finances of the Government of Swaziland / eSwatini are in such a mess that billions of emalangeni cannot be accounted for, the kingdom’s Auditor General (AG) reported.

In his annual report for the year ending March 2018, AG Timothy Matsebula stated government revenue, assets, and liabilities ‘were materially misstated’. He said in some cases it was impossible to reconcile government cash books with bank statements.

The AG report revealed government bank balances had been misstated by E1.3 billion. The amount of revenue collected in the kingdom was misstated by E1.35 billion. The amount of income tax and road toll collected was understated by E1.34 billion.

The amount of government financial liabilities was misstated by E13 billion.

The AG report demonstrates that the government which is handpicked by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, does not have a clear idea how much money it has and how it is being spent.

The AG reported, ‘Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these Financial Statements.’

On 27 February 2019 Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg in his annual budget said Swaziland was broke. He said the kingdom faced ‘an unprecedented economic crisis’. Part of his solution was to not pay public servants cost of living wage increases. He also announced tax increases on electricity, tobacco and alcohol.  

He also said, ‘This budget seeks to ensure that your hard-earned taxes and our international partner’s financial support is spent in a sustainable, transparent manner for the betterment of our economy and future generations.’

He added, ‘All levels of Government will be held accountable for transparent, responsive communication and delivery on our responsibilities.’

The Auditor General report shows government finances are not transparent. The Finance Minister does not have the correct information about the kingdom’s actual revenues and expenditures. 

In his budget speech he said, ‘We are in trouble because we have not been balancing our books.’ A reading of the AG report suggests it is impossible to say one way or another whether the books in Swaziland balance.

This is not the first time the Swaziland Government has been exposed for losing control of the kingdom’s revenues and expenditures. In the previous annual report to March 2017 Acting Auditor General Muziwandile Dlamini said, ‘Bank balances were misstated by E7,528,772,278.72 due to non-reconciliation between the government cash books and bank statements. Some bank balances were overstated by E2,285,935,191.93 and other bank account balances were understated by E5,242,837,086.79 thus reflecting an incorrect cash flow position of the Government of Swaziland at year end.’

Richard Rooney

See also

Govt ministries broke law on spending

http://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/govt-ministries-broke-law-on-spending.html

US$632 million error in govt accounts

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/us632-million-error-in-govt-accounts.html

Death penalty available in Swaziland, but no plans to use it, Justice Minister says

The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in Swaziland / eSwatini Pholile Shakantu said the kingdom was not ready to use the death penalty, even though it remained lawful to do so.

Shakantu was speaking at a portfolio committee at the Swaziland Senate. 

There has been confusion over the use of the death penalty for many year. Section 15 of the Swaziland Constitution that came into effect in 2006 allows for the death penalty but states it is not be mandatory. The last execution in Swaziland was in 1983.

In 2016 Swaziland voted at the United Nations on a global suspension of executions but made no attempt back home to ban the death penalty.

The Swazi Observer reported on Monday (11 March 2019) that Shakantu, speaking at the Swazi Senate, said the kingdom did not embrace the death penalty in practice.

Shakantu said the kingdom had not made any move towards abolition as it was up to Parliament to amend laws that included the death penalty. 

As recently as 2012 an advert was placed in local media seeking a hangman. No suitable applications were received, the then Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Chief Mgwagwa Gamedze told parliament.

There are believed to be at least three people on ‘death row’ in jail awaiting execution, including David Simelane who was convicted in 2011 of killing 28 women.

See also

Swazi killer sentenced to hang

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/04/swazi-killer-sentenced-to-hang.html

 

Swaziland wants to appoint hangman

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/01/swaziland-wants-to-appoint-hangman.html

 

Death penalty test for human rights

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/12/death-penalty-test-for-human-rights.html

Swaziland King’s wife LaDube (31) dies, after unhappy life at royal palace

Inkhosikati LaDube (Picture: Facebook)

Inkhosikati LaDube, the 12^th wife of King Mswati III, the absolute monarch of Swaziland / eSwatini, has died, aged 31.

No details of the cause of death have been officially released but newspapers in South Africa say she was being treated for skin cancer.

The King chose Nothando Dube to be his 12^th wife in 2004 when she was a 16-year-old schoolgirl. He noticed her when she was a finalist in the Miss Teen Swaziland beauty pageant. King Mswati was aged 36 at the time.

The King has married at least 15 times, but the exact number is considered a state secret. Another wife Inkhosikati LaMasango died in April 2018, aged 37, reportedly following an overdose of pills. Others of the King’s wives have reportedly escaped from him and moved abroad.

Unintentionally, during her life LaDube exposed some of the worst tendencies of King Mswati. In 2010 she was caught in an adulterous affair in a room at the Royal Villas hotel, Ezulwini with the then-Swaziland Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Ndumiso Mamba. 

Mamba was a childhood friend of Mswati. The King was on an official visit to Taiwan at the time.

The affair was kept secret from the Swazi people. In Swaziland all broadcast media are under state-control. Of the two daily newspapers, one is in effect owned by King Mswati and the other consistently censors itself when reporting about the King and his family.

Media outside Swaziland reported the affair and its aftermath fully. A palace source told AFP, the international news agency, that LaDube would dress in a military uniform to slip out of the Lozitha palace and meet Mamba in a hotel room. AFP quoted a palace source saying, ‘She allegedly got into her room and changed into her uniform and walked straight to the gate and no one bothered to ask where was this soldier going. In no time a car was there to pick the “officer” up and whisked her to Royal Villas about 10 kilometres west of the Lozitha Palace.’

Photographs of Mamba captured by police hiding under the bed at the hotel room circulated in South African newspapers and on the Internet.

Mamba who like the Prime Minister and all government ministers had been personally appointed by King Mswati, quit his post. 

City Press in South Africa reported that Swaziland’s military agents had been on the trail of the adulterous pair for several months. LaDube was placed under what amounted to house arrest and was not seen in public for a year. Mamba was at first arrested but not charged with an offence. He has kept a low profile in Swaziland.

In July 2011, the Mail & Guardian newspaper in South Africa reported LaDube was ‘begging’ to be rescued from house arrest. It reported LaDube had been restricted to her royal residence in July 2010. She told the Mail & Guardian that she has not seen or spoken to the King since and that none of the members of the royal family had confronted her about the allegations, which she denied.

LaDube said the royal security guards told her she was not allowed to see or interact with her family and friends.

‘My side of the story was not heard. Ever since that scandal happened, we haven't been talking with this man that I married. Things have been bad and now they are worse. I really, really want out and I can’t, he is just not letting me go. It's like I am in prison; I am under 24-hour surveillance,’ she said.

‘My friends and family have been banned from seeing me and I really feel like I don't want to be here anymore because I feel like I am in jail. This is not healthy and I can't live like this forever and I see no point of sticking around.’

She claimed she had endured abusive treatment from security guards. ‘Every time I want to go somewhere the security guards become aggressive with me. It happens about once a week, when I try to go somewhere. They literally hit me, they kick and they punch me. I am not allowed to go anywhere or see anyone. I can't even see a doctor. If I am sick or anything, they have to come to me. My family is not allowed to speak to the King. I am also not allowed to see him. How am I not allowed to see the man that I married?’

At about the same time the Swazi Shado blog published a report that seemed to contradict LaDube’s account. It said that she had been seen in public for the first time in about a year and gave an interview on fashion tips to the Times Sunday, an independent newspaper in Swaziland.

In November 2011, the Sunday Times newspaper in South Africa reported LaDube had been kicked out of the royal palace following a fight with a security guard. She said she pepper-sprayed him in the eyes to protect herself.

It added she was ordered to ‘immediately leave the palace’ by royal governor Timothy Mthethwa, ‘who was accompanied by other senior members of the royal family’.

LaDube, who was aged 23 at the time, told the newspaper she had had an argument with a security guard who refused to let her out of the palace. She wanted to take the youngest of her three children, aged two, to hospital after she had injured herself while playing - but the guard said she was not allowed to leave.

The matter was reported to the Queen Mother who, the Sunday Times reported, apparently decided that LaDube had been disrespectful and had to be kicked out.

CNN, the US-based cable news channel, also reported LaDube had been ‘banished’ from the palace.

In December 2011, Independent newspapers in South Africa reported she had ‘been dumped at her maternal grandmother’s home in Hhohho’. 

It added, ‘She has been separated from her children, the youngest being two years. She has no food and the house she was dumped in has no bedding.’

It also reported LaDube was the third of King Mswati’s wives to leave the palace. She followed LaMagwaza and LaHwala, who went to live in South Africa. 

It reported, ‘LaMagwaza was accused of having a steamy sexual relationship with a South African toy boy. Sources claimed that she was sex starved, as the King would not visit her. 

‘At the height of the sex scandal, she was granted permission to visit her family home at Mbekelweni in central Swaziland and never returned. She is reported to be living a prosperous life after marrying an SA tycoon with whom she has a child.

‘LaHwala was also neglected by the King who would deny her conjugal rights for six months at a time. 

‘Her uncle and guardian, Simon Noge, made a special request to the King for her to visit South Africa. She never returned.’

See also

Swazi King’s torrid life with wives

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/09/swazi-kings-torrid-life-with-wives.html

 

Swazi sex scandal and polygamy

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2010/08/swazi-sex-scandal-and-polygamy.html

 

‘Help rescue Swazi King’s 12th wife’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/07/help-rescue-swazi-kings-12th-wife.html

First community radio station registered in Swaziland after 19 years trying

Lubombo has become the first community radio station to be registered in Swaziland / eSwatini after 19 years of trying. It still has to apply for and be granted a licence before it can start broadcasting.

Nearly all broadcast media in Swaziland is state controlled and they operate as a propaganda arm for King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

Lubombo Community Radio made the announcement of registration on its Facebook site, saying it hoped to mobilise resources so it could apply for the licence to operate. Lubombo which is in eastern Swaziland has in the past been granted a one-day licence to broadcast events surrounding the King’s birthday.

A ‘community’ radio station is usually a non-profit service that is owned and managed by the particular community the radio station serves. If such stations were set up in in Swaziland and truly served the interests of their community they would challenge the present news media that is dominated by the needs of political, social and business elites in the kingdom.

At present in Swaziland the broadcast news agenda is manipulated in favour of King Mswati. Political parties are banned from taking part in elections in Swaziland and the King appoints the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, as well as top civil servants and judges. No opposition to the King or his government is allowed on the airways.

A report from UNESCO called Assessment of Media Development in Swaziland, and published in 2017, revealed the extent to which news is manipulated. It stated, there is a ‘lack of editorial independence in the state-controlled broadcast media’.  It added, ‘Swazi TV and radio are effectively departments of the civil service and government mouthpieces.’

It stated, ‘In the case of the SBIS [Swaziland Broadcasting and Information Services], which operates the radio station, the broadcast journalists are considered civil servants first and journalists second. As they are employed as information officers, they are part of the civil service and are thus expected to abide by the Government General Orders.

‘As government information officers they are expected to censor disruptive or critical information likely to compromise national security and frustrate government’s realisation of socioeconomic development goals, which clearly contravenes the spirit of editorial independence.

‘In addition, the ICT [Information, Communications and Technology] Ministry has invoked the Public Service Announcement (PSA) Guidelines to control the state broadcasters. These guidelines bar all Swazi citizens, irrespective of their status, from airing their opinions on the radio and television stations before their opinions have been cleared by their chiefs. Thinly veiled as public announcement guidelines, the PSA guidelines regulate all operations and activities of the state broadcasters.’

It said no PSA is allowed on air, ‘that is negative or does not support Government’s agenda’.

UNESCO reported, ‘According to the Swaziland Broadcasting and Information Services Code of Conduct and Operational Procedures of 1987, all state events and occasions which involve the presence of the King, Indlovukazi (Queen Mother) and Prime Minister shall receive priority coverage.

‘Article 3 of the same code stipulates that SBIS is a national radio station fully supported by the government and therefore broadcasters must abide by the policies and should not allow their political affiliations to intrude into broadcast messages.’

UNESCO reported this was contrary to international standards on public service broadcasting, ‘which caters for all people irrespective of their social or economic status in society. It provides programming for everyone; be it the general public or minority audiences.’

Broadcasting, UNESCO reported, should be, ‘A meeting place where all citizens are welcome and considered equals. It is an information and education tool; accessible to all and meant for all, whatever their social or economic status.’

See also 

MPs block Swazi state-radio funds

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/03/mps-block-swazi-state-radio-funds.html

 

No chance of open broadcasts

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/08/no-chance-of-open-broadcasts.html

 

Govt has total control of TV news

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/06/govt-has-total-control-of-tv-news.html

 

The case for community media

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/06/case-for-community-media.html

Not enough information on Swaziland budget made available to public, U.S. Govt reports

Swaziland /eSwatini should open up its national budget for greater scrutiny. It is not always clear how money is allocated, the latest review of ‘fiscal transparency’ in the kingdom, published by the United States Government reveals.

It says not all of the budget is subjected to audit and oversight. Spending by King Mswati III, the absolute monarch, and his royal family should be scrutinised.

The U.S. Department of State 2018 Fiscal Transparency Report reviewed the year 2017. It said that while budget documents ‘provided a general picture of government revenues and expenditures, revenues from natural resources and land leases were not included in the budget. Expenditures to support the royal family were included in the budget but lacked specific detail and were not subject to the same oversight as the rest of the budget.’

It added, ‘Information in the budget was considered generally reliable.’

In Swaziland King Mswati controls natural mineral rights. He holds 25 percent of mining royalties ‘in trust’ for the Swazi Nation. The government also takes 25 percent. The Fiscal Transparency Report stated, ‘Criteria and procedures for awarding natural resource extraction licenses and contracts were outlined in law, but the opacity [lack of clarity] of the procedures, which involve submitting applications for licenses directly to the King, cast doubt on whether the government actually followed the law in practice. 

‘Basic information on natural resource extraction awards was not always publicly available. 

‘eSwatini’s fiscal transparency would be improved by providing more detail on expenditures and revenues in the budget, particularly for off-budget accounts, natural resource revenues, land leases, and royal family expenditures; subjecting the entire budget to audit and oversight; demonstrating applicable laws are followed in practice for awarding natural resource extraction contracts and licenses; and making basic information on natural resource extraction awards publicly available.’

The United States releases annual reports on fiscal transparency for countries that receive U.S. assistance to ‘help ensure U.S. taxpayer money is used appropriately’. It said Swaziland had shown no improvement in fiscal transparency since the last report in 2017.

The United States is not alone in expressing concerns about the lack of information on Swaziland’s national budget.

In 2017 Swaziland received a score of three out of a possible total 100 for budget openness. It received zero points in a section on public participation as there were no opportunities for the public to engage in budget processes. The Transparency Open Budget Survey was produced by the International Budget Partnership (IBP). The 2017 report is the most recent available. 

In an 80-page report IBP revealed that the Swaziland members of parliament provided weak oversight of the budget. In Swaziland political parties are banned from taking part in elections and the Prime Minister, Cabinet and top judges and public servants are all chosen by the King.

IBP said the Swazi parliament was unable to discuss the budget properly because it was not provided with sufficient information. It said the government’s budget proposal should be available two months before the start of the budget year.

See also

Swaziland budget repeats failed economic policies of the past

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/03/swaziland-budget-repeats-failed.html

Swaziland Finance Minister threatens public sector job cuts if workers don’t back his budget

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/03/swaziland-finance-minister-threatens.html

Gap between rich and poor in Swaziland continues to grow, Finance Minister reports

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/02/gap-between-rich-and-poor-in-swaziland.html 

‘Bisexual’ pastor suspended by Swaziland church in latest example of LGBTI discrimination

A pastor in Swaziland / eSwatini has been suspended from his church after being accused of being a bisexual.

 

The Times of Swaziland newspaper on Monday (4 March 2019) published details of an audio recording it said included the pastor from Siphofaneni ‘proposing love to another man’.

The Times did not name the pastor or the church for ethical reasons.

It reported, ‘Subsequently, elders of the church suspended the pastor from all church activities, including ministering the Word of God.’

The pastor reportedly locked the church which forced people to worship under a tree.

Churches in Swaziland where homosexual acts are illegal are at the lead in encouraging discrimination against LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex) people.

In the past Melusi Simelane, spokesperson for Rock of Hope, an LGBTI advocacy group, said, ‘It is worth noting that many in the religious circles, continue to spew hate speech and show utter disregard for the deeds of the Lord, by being judgmental and expelling some of the LGBTI community from their places of worship.’

Gender Links, an advocacy group based in Johannesburg, South Africa, reported LGBTI people in Swaziland expressed concern about the lack of respect shown to them because of their sexual orientation.

Sifiso Nhlabatsi, writing on the website of Gender Links, an advocacy group based in Johannesburg, South Africa, said LGBTI people in Swaziland had tried to engage churches to sensitize them about their rights but had little success.

Nhlabatsi wrote about a meeting held between pastors and members of the LGBTI community in August 2018. ‘During the meeting which was attended by over 20 pastors and I was also part of, pastors made it clear that they cannot allow gay people to “flaunt” their behaviour in front of congregants. Pastors said what is being done by LGBTI community  is “demonic” and through prayer maybe can be healed.’

Nhlabatsi added, ‘The meeting which started off on a good note ended on a sour note as the two parties had a clash of opinions. Senior Pastors in the country did not even bother to attend the dialogue.’

Swaziland is a tiny landlocked kingdom with a population of about 1.3 million people, mostly living in rural communities. It is ruled by King Mswati III who is one of the world’s last absolute monarchs who reportedly described homosexuality as being ‘satanic.’

In May 2016 four organisations jointly reported to the United Nations about LGBTI discrimination in Swaziland. Part of their report stated, ‘LGBT[I]s are discriminated and condemned openly by society. This is manifest in negative statements uttered by influential people in society e.g., religious, traditional and political leaders. Traditionalists and conservative Christians view LGBT[I]s as against Swazi tradition and religion. There have been several incidents where traditionalists and religious leaders have issued negative statements about lesbians.’ 

On a more progressive note, Ark of Joy International Ministry, a church that welcomes and supports LGBTI people, relaunched in Coates Valley, Swaziland in December 2018.

 

See also

LGBT Pride film shows what it’s like to live with prejudice and ignorance in Swaziland

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/11/lgbt-pride-film-shows-what-its-like-to.html