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Eswatini,formally the Kingdom of Eswatini and also known by its former official name Swaziland and formerly the Kingdom of Swaziland,is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its north,west,south,and southeast. At no more than 200 km (120 mi) north to south and 130 km (81 mi) east to west,Eswatini is one of the smallest countries in Africa;despite this,its climate and topography are diverse,ranging from a cool and mountainous highveld to a hot and dry lowveld.
Mswati III is the Ngwenyama (King) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family. He heads an absolute monarchy,as he has veto power over all branches of government and is constitutionally immune from prosecution.
The Swazi or Swati are a Bantu ethnic group native to Southern Africa,inhabiting Eswatini,a sovereign kingdom in Southern Africa,and South Africa's Mpumalanga province. AmaSwati are part of the Nguni-language speaking peoples whose origins can be traced through archaeology to East Africa where similar traditions,beliefs and cultural practices are found.
Prince Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini was a Swazi politician who served as Prime Minister of Eswatini,from 1996 to 2003 and again from October 2008 to September 2018.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) people in Eswatini have limited legal rights. According to Rock of Hope,a Swati LGBTQ advocacy group,"there is no legislation recognising LGBTIs or protecting the right to a non-heterosexual orientation and gender identity and as a result [LGBTQ people] cannot be open about their orientation or gender identity for fear of rejection and discrimination." Homosexuality is illegal in Eswatini,though this law is in practice unenforced. According to the 2021 Human Rights Practices Report from the US Department of State,"there has never been an arrest or prosecution for consensual same-sex conduct."
Eswatini,Africa's last remaining absolute monarchy,was rated by Freedom House from 1972 to 1992 as "Partly Free";since 1993,it has been considered "Not Free". During these years the country's Freedom House rating for "Political Rights" has slipped from 4 to 7,and "Civil Liberties" from 2 to 5. Political parties have been banned in Eswatini since 1973. A 2011 Human Rights Watch report described the country as being "in the midst of a serious crisis of governance",noting that "[y]ears of extravagant expenditure by the royal family,fiscal indiscipline,and government corruption have left the country on the brink of economic disaster". In 2012,the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) issued a sharp criticism of Eswatini's human-rights record,calling on the Swazi government to honor its commitments under international law in regards to freedom of expression,association,and assembly. HRW notes that owing to a 40% unemployment rate and low wages that oblige 80% of Swazis to live on less than US$2 a day,the government has been under "increasing pressure from civil society activists and trade unionists to implement economic reforms and open up the space for civil and political activism" and that dozens of arrests have taken place "during protests against the government's poor governance and human rights record".
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a regional economic community in Africa with twenty-one member states stretching from Tunisia to Eswatini. COMESA was formed in December 1994,replacing a Preferential Trade Area which had existed since 1981. Nine of the member states formed a free trade area in 2000,with Rwanda and Burundi joining the FTA in 2004,the Comoros and Libya in 2006,Seychelles in 2009,Uganda in 2012 and Tunisia in 2018.
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Eswatini nationality law is regulated by the Constitution of Eswatini,as amended;the Swaziland Citizenship Act,and its revisions;and various international agreements to which the country is a signatory. These laws determine who is,or is eligible to be,a national of Eswatini. The legal means to acquire nationality,formal legal membership in a nation,differ from the domestic relationship of rights and obligations between a national and the nation,known as citizenship. Nationality describes the relationship of an individual to the state under international law,whereas citizenship is the domestic relationship of an individual within the nation. Eswatini nationality is typically obtained under the principle of jus soli,i.e. by birth in Eswatini,or jus sanguinis,born to parents with Eswatini nationality. It can be granted to persons with an affiliation to the country,or to a permanent resident who has lived in the country for a given period of time through naturalisation or the traditional khonta system.
Sibongile Ndlela-Simelane was Minister for Health for Eswatini from 2013 to 2018 under the government of Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini. During her time as minister she led calls for lessons from southern Africa's HIV response to be applied to malaria. She also commissioned on World TB Day in 2017 a national drug resistance survey. In 2018 she requested the arrest of an Eswatini Observer journalist who had photographed the cars of government ministers. She also commissioned new offices for the Swaziland Nursing Council.
Tenanile Sandiswa Ngcamphalala is a Liswati footballer who plays as a forward for Young Buffaloes FC and the Eswatini women's national team.
Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza is a Swazi politician and pro-democracy activist. Formerly a member of the House of Assembly of Eswatini,he was arrested during the 2021 protests,and in 2024 was sentenced to 25 years in prison on charges of terrorism,sedition,and murder,in a trial condemned by national and international human rights organisations.
In Eswatini,abortion is a criminal offence. The 2005 Constitution of Eswatini allows exceptions if approved by a doctor. Providing or receiving an illegal abortion is punishable by life imprisonment.
References
- 1 2 Dlamini, Welcome (28 September 2014). "All is not well - Judge Qinisile". Swazi Observer. Archived from the original on 30 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ↑ Phakathi, Mantoe (5 March 2010). "RIGHTS-SWAZILAND: Property Rights At Last for Women". Inter Press Service. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ↑ Otieno, Janet (8 March 2010). "Property rights: A mockery for Swazi women". Africa Review. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ↑ "Word for word: What International jurists said on suspension of judges". Zambian Watchdog. Zambia Watchdog. 22 May 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ↑ "Judges' arrests on hold as Emaswati furore continues". amaBhungane. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
- ↑ Jele, Linda (17 September 2016). "Judge Qinisile Lands Top Post". Swazi Observer. Press Reader. Retrieved 6 November 2017.