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King Mswati III. (File photo)

The despot next door: King Mswati’s greed and repression are a growing threat to southern Africa

As Swaziland descends deeper into dictatorship, the monarch’s influence is spreading, and his alliance with Jacob Zuma threatens the region’s democratic future

s a revamped operation, Eswatini Air said it was taking a cautious approach to ensure a smooth entry in the market by introducing its service in four phases.

Eswatini Air hitting the skies this month

The new airline will commence flights at the end of this month, heralding a new chapter in the country’s travel and tourism industry

Mangosuthu Buthelezi has withdrawn his threat to resign as traditional prime minister to King Misuzulu ka Zwelithini and will sign an affidavit backing the monarch’s ascension to the throne in a high court challenge set down for Wednesday.
 (Photo by Darren Stewart/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

Right of reply: ‘Paddy Harper always returns to his old whipping boy, Mangosuthu Buthelezi’

A threatened coup in Lesotho was averted in 1998 and so was the apartheid regime’s attempt to cede part of South Africa to Swaziland

Graveyard: Wreckage of cars burned by protesters in Eswatini’s unrest in July. A preliminary inquiry has put the number of people killed at 46 but others say that at least 70 people died. (Michele Spatari/AFP)

‘Gross human rights abuses’ in Eswatini

Civil society has called for an investigation into King Mswati’s alleged crimes against humanity

Citizens have been growing increasingly disgruntled (the image below is from unrest in 2018) at the dictatorial regime of King Mswati. (Gianluigi Guercia/AFP)

Eswatini cop says ‘not in my name’

A police officer has fled the country after making allegations of human rights abuses

A barricade in the road that is on fire is seen in Mbabane, Eswatini, on June 29, 2021. – Demonstrations escalated radically in Eswatini this week as protesters took to the streets demanding immediate political reforms.
Activists say eight people were killed and dozens injured in clashes with police.
Internet access has been limited while shops and banks are shuttered, straining communication and limiting access to basic goods under a dawn-to-dusk curfew. (Photo by – / AFP)

The youth of Eswatini demand change – and they want it now

Unless meaningful change occurs soon, more blood will be spilt on Swazi streets

Protests started in the constituency of MP Mduduzi Simelane, who is in hiding, fearing for his life, saying it is ‘heartbreaking to be hunted for exercising your constitutional rights’.

Pro-democracy politicians forced into hiding in Eswatini

King Mswati summons the nation to dialogue but avoids democratic engagement as death toll rises

Power of the gun: King Mswati III of Eswatini inspects a Kalashnikov in Russia in 2019.  (Donat SorokinTASS via Getty Images)

Blood on the streets in Eswatini: The stories of those who have lost their lives

For weeks protests in eSwatini have raged, and dozens of people have been killed. But what is life like for those demanding democracy in the monarchy?

Quality assurer Umalusi said it found no discrepancies during its evaluation of the 2024 NSC examinations

Slight decline in IEB matric pass rate

Private schools writing IEB exams obtained a 98.82% pass rate, a fractional decrease from last year

Unless journalism is holistic and includes aspects such as politics and business, even the best health journalism won’t cut the mustard in the long run.

Making media freedom in ESwatini is more than a dream

Magazine editor Bheki Makhubu, in spite of harassment from King Mswati and his cronies, is undeterred in his bid to expose the regime’s wrongdoings

King Mswati III. (AFP)

eSwatini says fake polygamy story ‘insult’ to king and country

The story, carried by the Zambian Observer said that Swazi men would have to marry several wives starting from June

‘The economic stagnation that South Africa is experiencing is inextricably linked to the failure of the education system,’ write Thando Ngozo and Sabelo Mtantato. (Graphic: John McCann/M&G)

Basic education is failing the economy

A second-class system for the majority poor population entrenches social and economic inequality

In eSwatini, hundreds of subsistence farmers have been rendered homeless and deprived of their means of livelihood as they have been pushed off the land to make way for development. (Image: Amnesty International)

Governments must end the brutal practice of forced evictions

Affordable housing is one of Kenya’s development priorities. But how does it aim to achieve this when it continues to render thousands homeless?

Around 540 000 eligible voters must choose from candidates who have no party affiliation and who are almost all loyal to King Mswati III. (AFP)

New name, same flaws in eSwatini election, say critics

Opposition activists in the tiny southern African country formerly known as Swaziland say Friday’s election is a mockery of democracy

Around 540 000 eligible voters must choose from candidates who have no party affiliation and who are almost all loyal to King Mswati III. (AFP)

Swaziland’s name change challenged in court

Does King Mswati III have the authority to change the name of his country without consultation?

Around 540 000 eligible voters must choose from candidates who have no party affiliation and who are almost all loyal to King Mswati III. (AFP)

Swaziland’s leaders must stop eating all the grass

When King Mswati III celebrated his 50th birthday last month, he was apparently wearing a diamond encrusted watch worth an incredible $1.6-million

Peace and harmony: The hills of Manzini pulsed with the sounds of gqom last weekend

Clash of the cultures: The absolute monarchy and the music festival

The Bushfire festival is one place where Swatis can let their hair down and be themselves, and it is slowly sowing the seeds of change

Big shot: Swazi businessman Victor Gamedze was murdered in January. He forged useful partnerships but also made enemies. His new company

The businessman’s murder that rocked the Swazi kingdom

Victor Gamedze was one of the most powerful men in Swaziland. But his death raises more questions than answers

Wanted: Zweli Dlamini, the editor of Swaziland News, has had to flee the country

Exiled Swazi editor speaks out

Zweli Martin Dlamini’s nemesis — a powerful businessman — was murdered in Mbabane, but the controversial journalist is still too scared to go home

King Mswati III of Swaziland

After Mugabe, could King Mswati be the next strongman to fall?

​In the wake of Robert Mugabe’s fall from grace, commentators are rushing to ask: Which long-term African leader is next in line to hit the dust?