Eswatini

Monthly Event Reports GSOD Indices

Eswatini is a lower-middle income country, performing in the low range across Representation, Rights and Rule of Law. Its mid-range performance in Participation falls on the cusp of low-range. Over the past five years, it has advanced in Freedom of Movement but has experienced notable declines in Freedom of Expression, Freedom of the Press, Rule of Law and Personal Integrity and Security. Economically, poverty and unemployment pose major challenges to the landlocked African nation. Eswatini relies heavily on neighboring South Africa for trade, and its primary industries include agriculture and manufacturing.

The royal line of the Swazi royal family predates British rule and stretches back to 1550. From 1903 until 1968, the country was a protectorate of the British Empire. Political power rests with the royal family, as well as with Eswatini’s traditional chiefs, who are themselves under the influence of the monarchy. The country’s parliament is politically powerless and political parties are banned. The Tinkhundla system, introduced in 1978, governs elections to the House of Assembly and gives chiefs significant power over who can stand for election; in addition, ten out of the sixty-five House seats are directly appointed by the King. Freedom of expression is repressed by the state, and human rights are regularly violated by security forces and other state actors. These factors led to widespread protests in 2021 and 2022, with pro-democracy protestors increasingly demanding the dismantling of the monarchy. The government has in turn responded to the protests with a crackdown that has involved extra-judicial killings and torture.

While the call for democratic reforms represents the most salient source of societal conflict in Eswatini, society also faces myriad other challenges, particularly in the area of development. The incidence of HIV/AIDS is the highest in the world, and the country has also struggled with tuberculosis. Only 55 per cent of people have access to basic sanitation, further worsening Eswatini’s health challenges. Furthermore, the population is widely impoverished, as nearly 60 per cent live on less than $1.90 USD per day. Most citizens of Eswatini cite a lack of governmental action in addressing these challenges. In addition, perceptions of corruption have worsened in recent years.

Issues of discrimination and minority rights are also salient in Eswatini. Despite being constitutionally protected, women face discrimination and violence as a result of cultural norms and practices. Gender-based violence is an enduring challenge that is faced by one-third of women and girls. LGBTQIA+ people continue to face discrimination and criminalization under a colonial-era sodomy law, although some progress has recently occurred. Children in Eswatini are subjected to forced labor and sexual exploitation, and nearly 12 per cent of those between 5 and 14 are working. Finally, people with disabilities face discrimination and barriers to accessing the justice system.

Looking ahead, it will be important to watch how the pro-democracy movement fares, especially as the monarchy rejects calls for dialogue. Given the country’s development challenges as well as recent food insecurity and the impact of climate change, it will be important to monitor its reliance on foreign assistance, including from Taiwan, and the impacts that may have on internal politics.

June 2023 | Two pro-democracy MPs convicted of terrorism and murder

On 1 June, two MPs at the forefront of Eswatini’s pro-democracy movement, Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube, were convicted of terrorism and murder in the country’s High Court. The convictions, described by Amnesty International as ‘flawed’, relate to the MP’s participation in pro-democracy protests in 2021. These protests called for reform of Eswatini’s centralised system of government, under which it’s absolute monarch, King Mswati III, enjoys considerable executive powers, including over the judiciary. Anti-terrorism legislation has frequently been used by the state to silence government critics and the charges brought against the MPs were widely perceived to be politically motivated. According to analysts, the convictions signal the king’s strong resistance to democratic reform and, because of his control of the electoral system, this is likely to make it more difficult than ever for pro-democracy candidates to be elected at the forthcoming parliamentary elections, that are scheduled for September 2023.

Terrorism High Court

January 2023 | Influential human rights lawyer and democracy activist shot dead

In a development that could further destabilise Eswatini, human rights lawyer and democracy activist Thulani Maseko was shot dead in a suspected state assassination (an allegation the government denies). Since May 2021, the country has been gripped by a violent political crisis, which has pitted the county’s absolute monarch, King Mswati III, against a coalition of political and civil society actors seeking the democratisation of Eswatini. Maseko was a highly influential advocate of a negotiated transition to democracy and commentators fear his death may undermine his cause within the increasingly militant pro-democracy coalition, making the peaceful resolution of the crisis less likely. In recent months, the crisis has descended into violent conflict, with pro-democracy extremists carrying out reprisal killings against the security agencies and Mswati allies in response to the continuing state-repression of protesters (which has included killings, abductions and torture).

Torture Enforced Disappearance Assassination King Mswati III Thulani Maseko

November 2022 | Militant pro-democracy group carries out spate of violence in Eswatini

A spate of violent attacks carried out in November by the underground pro-democracy group, the Swaziland International Solidarity Forces (SISF), mark a further escalation in Eswatini’s increasingly violent political crisis, which has pitted the country’s repressive absolute monarch, King Mswati III, against a coalition of political and civil society activists seeking an end to his 35-year reign and reform of the Tinkhundla system of government (a form of local government through 55 constituencies) he oversees. According to local media, the SISF, which operates as the quasi-military wing of the more militant elements of this coalition, claimed responsibility for the execution of a traditional chief (thought to be a relative of the King), the killing of a police officer and an unspecified number of soldiers, and an attack on the home of a pro-Tinkhundla member of parliament. These incidents appear to be a part of a new wave of attacks that began in October 2022.

Swaziland International Solidarity Forces King Mswati III