Latest news with #Mswati
IOL News
26-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Outrage erupts over U. S. deportation of violent criminals to eSwatini
The government has denied the involvement of King Mswati in the deportation of hardened criminals from the U.S. to South Africa's neighbour. Image: Supplied/Eswatini Government U.S. President Donald Trump's administration's decision to send five dangerous hardened criminals to eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) has sparked outrage in the neighbouring country and fears that they may end up in South Africa. The Trump administration announced over a week ago that it would be sending the men who are illegal immigrants from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Cuba convicted of child rape, murder, burglary, and being gang members and whose countries refuse to take them back. This week, the eSwatini Women's Movement has raised concerns about whether the five individuals informed of their removal and given access to consular support from their home countries as this is a fundamental right of anyone detained or deported across international borders. It demanded to know who within the eSwatini government authorised the acceptance of these individuals and the legal basis and if they were detained in line with a valid detention warrant or a certificate of detention as prescribed by the Immigration Act. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ "If there is no such legal basis, under what authority are they currently being held? Any alternative basis for detention may contravene the Correctional Services Act No. 13 of 2017 and risks undermining the rule of law in eSwatini," the movement said. In addition, it wants to know how much has been paid to the government of eSwatini to support the stay of the five deported individuals and the plan after the conclusion of their sentences. The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN), which mobilises exiled emaSwati, has urged the country's citizens at home and in the diaspora to fight what it described as a shameful arrangement. The SSN said emaSwati must organise, mobilise and protest against the decision and make it clear to their government that their country is not for sale nor is it an American prison. According to the network, the U.S. homeland security department has stated that the convicted criminals must be removed so that they can never hurt another American victim, which by implication means they must now hurt emaSwati. "This is a deliberate act of collusion by two corrupt governments to dump America's most violent criminals in one of the world's poorest nations. And the (King) Mswati-led Tinkhundla (eSwatini local government administrative division) regime quietly agreed without consulting the nation or informing its own rubberstamp Parliament," the SSN said. It called on emaSwati to demand answers on whether this is a paid-for deal or a political favour, the terms and conditions. "This is an act of betrayal and is proof once again that the Tinkhundla regime does not prioritise the safety and wellbeing of the Swazi people. It has not only auctioned off national sovereignty but it has turned Swaziland into a dumping ground for foreign governments looking to offload hardened criminals," the network complained. Other organisations – the Swaziland Litigation Centre, the Swaziland Rural Women's Assembly and the Southern Africa Litigation Centre – said in a 2024 report on human rights practices in eSwatini, the U.S. noted that prisons were overcrowded, constituting inhumane treatment and that there were reports of torture. They are demanding that the eSwatini government commit to not accepting inmates from third countries. "The eSwatini Commission on Human Rights and Public Administration and international bodies, as official visitors under section 122 of the Correctional Services Act, visit the individuals to establish the facts surrounding their detention and their detention conditions. "The international bodies should include the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, which is currently conducting an official visit in eSwatini, and the International Committee of the Red Cross in Pretoria," the organisations demanded. Additionally, they want the government to clarify the legal and factual basis on which the five individuals were accepted into eSwatini and for their countries' consulates urgently arrange for consular services to ensure that they obtain legal representation. The eSwatini government has denied King Mswati's involvement in the prisoners' deportation while the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa did not respond to questions on Saturday.
The Citizen
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Royal runaway: Zuma's daughter flees Eswatini palace after just months of marriage
Jacob Zuma is apparently refusing to meet with King Mswati's royal envoy dispatched to Nkandla to negotiate the return of Nomcebo. King Mswati III's 16th wife and former South African president Jacob Zuma's daughter, Nomcebo Zuma, is said to have abandoned her royal marriage to the Eswatini monarch. The king's 22-year-old junior wife, known as Inkhosikati LaZuma in the tiny kingdom, is said to have left the palace, allegedly complaining that she could no longer bear being in a polygamous marriage where she 'goes for months without seeing her husband'. The ruler of the last remaining absolute monarchy in Africa has already been married 15 times and fathered 36 children. Eswatini ruler King Mswati III, left, and Jacob Zuma with his daughter Nomcebo. Pictures: Mohd Rasfan/ AFP and X/ @DZumaSambudla As Zuma's daughter, Nomcebo is, of course, no stranger to polygamy — with her 82-year-old Zulu father boasting six wives and at least 20 children. Sources close to the palace claim that Nomcebo nevertheless struggled with the high emotional toll of King Mswati's polygamous lifestyle. King Mswati's 'Wife No 12': Nomcebo Zuma Nomcebo became King Mswati's 'Wife No 12' after appearing at the annual uMhlanga Reed Dance ceremony as the new inkhosikati ('queen') of the 56-year-old king in September 2024. Jacob Zuma's daughter, Nomcebo, left, is pictured singing while marching during the 2024 Umhlanga Reed Dance ceremony at the Ludzidzini Royal Residence on Monday, 2 September 2024. Picture: Emmanuel Croset/ AFP Soon thereafter, his young bride accompanied the ruler on a lavish R200-million state trip overseas. The Citizen previously reported that the lobola for Nomcebo amounted to a staggering R2 million and 100 head of cattle. [PHOTOS]: His Majesty King Mswati III and Liphovela LaZuma have arrived safely in Samoa, where His Majesty is expected to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). — Eswatini Government (@EswatiniGovern1) October 24, 2024 ALSO READ: Precious time: Nomcebo Zuma flaunts R3.9m watch on first state trip with King Mswati King Mswati dispatches royal envoy to Nkandla In an attempt to deal with this rare challenge to Eswatini's royal marital customs, a delegation of royal negotiators has been dispatched to Zuma's Nxamalala homestead in Nkandla, northern KwaZulu-Natal. In line with Swazi tradition, when a wife disappears – a practice known as kwemuka – the husband sends a delegation to her family to plead for her return. Why is Zuma 'refusing to meet' with delegation? The Eswatini-based publication Swaziland News, however, cited insiders' claims that the royal delegation has been camped out in Nkandla for days while the former president has allegedly refused to even greet them. According to the sources, the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party leader told the envoy that he had never supported the marriage from the start, but only went along with it because his daughter was insistent. King Mswati III, Nomcebo Zuma and her father, Jacob Zuma. Picture: X Reporting on the lobola negotiations last year, Sunday World stated that Zuma was under the impression that King Mswati wanted his son, who is in his 30s, to marry his young daughter. During the negotiations, however, it came to light that the king himself was eyeing Nomcebo as the latest addition to his own cohort of wives. ALSO READ: The luxury life of King Mswati III: Eswatini monarch arrives in SA in 'flying palace' Eswatini ties with Zulu monarchy and Jacob Zuma There are strong traditional ties between Eswatini and South Africa's Zulu monarchy, with the current Zulu King Misuzulu ka Zwelithini being Mswati III's nephew. Zuma and Mswati are also already relatives through marriage. So far, neither the Zuma family nor Eswatini's royal palace has issued an official statement. READ NOW: Is daughter's marriage to King Mswati a 'strategic political move' by Zuma camp?
IOL News
12-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Eswatini Targets R30bn investment ahead of AfCFTA
King Mswati commissioned the Government to work towards improving the economy and create jobs. The conference, facilitated by the Eswatini Investment Promotion Authority (EIPA), seeks to boost both foreign and domestic investment to drive economic growth and development. He made the announcement during a press conference in Pigg's Peak last Friday. ESWATINI is aiming to secure R30 billion in investments at its upcoming Investment Conference, according to Mancoba Khumalo, the country's Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Trade. Khumalo confirmed that Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), would attend the event, while Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini would deliver the keynote address. In an interview with IOL News on Saturday, Sibani Mngomezulu, the chief executive of EIPA, reiterated the R30bn investment target, clarifying that it encompasses Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Domestic Investment. 'The R30 billion target includes both FDI and domestic investments, as well as the expansion of existing projects alongside new investments,' Mngomezulu said. In a related development, King Mswati III has directed the government to prioritise economic improvement and job creation under the national development slogan 'Nkwe'. * Zweli Martin Dlamini is the managing editor of Swaziland News, an independent online publication. ** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, Independent Media, or IOL.
IOL News
12-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Eswatini Targets R30bn investment ahead of AfCFTA
King Mswati commissioned the Government to work towards improving the economy and create jobs. The conference, facilitated by the Eswatini Investment Promotion Authority (EIPA), seeks to boost both foreign and domestic investment to drive economic growth and development. He made the announcement during a press conference in Pigg's Peak last Friday. ESWATINI is aiming to secure R30 billion in investments at its upcoming Investment Conference, according to Mancoba Khumalo, the country's Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Trade. Khumalo confirmed that Wamkele Mene, Secretary General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), would attend the event, while Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini would deliver the keynote address. In an interview with IOL News on Saturday, Sibani Mngomezulu, the chief executive of EIPA, reiterated the R30bn investment target, clarifying that it encompasses Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Domestic Investment. 'The R30 billion target includes both FDI and domestic investments, as well as the expansion of existing projects alongside new investments,' Mngomezulu said. In a related development, King Mswati III has directed the government to prioritise economic improvement and job creation under the national development slogan 'Nkwe'. * Zweli Martin Dlamini is the managing editor of Swaziland News, an independent online publication. ** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, Independent Media, or IOL.
