Swaziland’s economy is in free fall and the
infrastructure of the kingdom ruled by King Mswati III as sub-Saharan Africa’s
last absolute monarch is crumbling. Government bills go unpaid and the health
service is near collapse. There is no money to pay state pensions to those who
reach the eligible age of 60 this year. Public servants have been on strike and
look certain to do so again in the coming months. Members of the Swaziland Amy
with the support of their commanders have systematically sexually assaulted
women. The police routinely attack civilians and operate outside of the law.
These are some of the stories reported in the latest
edition of Swaziland: Striving for
Freedom covering the final three months of 2017 and produced by the Swazi
Media Commentary website. It is available to download
free-of-charge from the Scribd website.
Swaziland came 50th out of 54 African countries for
participation and human rights in a survey just published. It has got worse
over the past five years. King Mswati meanwhile has been named
as the third wealthiest monarch in Africa. He has also been accused of
exploiting child labour on his farming land. A new report says more than 11,000
children in Swaziland are forced to stay away from school to tend cattle.
Swazi Media Commentary is published online, updated
most weekdays. It is operated entirely by volunteers and receives no financial
backing from any organisation. It is devoted to providing information and
commentary in support of human rights in Swaziland.
See also
SWAZILAND
UPDATE ON HUMAN RIGHTS
A
DECADE OF NEWS AND VIEWS
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