In talks with King Mswati III they discussed ways of clearing up backlog in border boast between South Africa and kingdom it surrounds.

In the process of getting to know his regional counterparts better, President Cyril Ramaphosa has visited Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique.

In eSwatini he discussed regional, continental and world affairs with King Mswati III.

South Africa and the Kingdom have a joint bilateral commission and the 21 agreements between the countries cover cross-border movement of goods, trade and industry, health, defense and policing.

South Africa is Swaziland largest trading partner. Two-day trade of 33-and-a-half billion rand is roughly evenly split.

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The gay rights group Rock of Hope organized the event despite some strong public opposition in the kingdom where homosexuality is still illegal.

The eSwatini Commission on Human Rights was at the Prince of Wales Stadium in the capital Mbabane where marchers congregated with gay rights groups from South Africa showing solidarity.

The US Ambassador to the Kingdom Lisa Peterson, over served proceedings along with representatives of the European Union and other diplomats.Petersen said she was thrilled that event could take place, adding that the envoys were there to make justice for all.

Just last Sunday the Swaziland Observer published a full-page letter accusing the organizers of the march of promoting 

paedophilia and bestiality.

King Mswati III has called homosexuality satanic and questioned whether there are gay people in his kingdom

Rock of Hope communications officer Melusi Simelane said gay pride is about promoting the safety of homosexuals, lesbians and transexuals.

The right time would never come for many Swazis to accept this so it’s matter of being brave enough now.

The participants wore t-shirts declaring God is love.

Official spokesman for aid-dependant eSwatini Percy Simelane has anti sodomy laws with the government having questioned in the past whether LGBTIQ people even existed in the country.

Swazi government officials insist it is unfair to describe the Kingdom as homophobic.

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Other religious groups has slammed this saying it fuels intolerance.

Swazi schools opened for their new year this week with new text books mentioning only the Bible.

Schools are obliged to submit their religious studies syllabi at the start of each term to show they contain no Islam or Judaism .

Criticism has been particularly strong the Muslim community that makes up a tenth of the Kingdom’s 1,2 million population.

They say it will create religious friction in the Kingdom-particuarly in rural areas where they experience discrimination

Swazi authorities say the move is designed too avoid confusing pupils.

Many Swazis combine Christianity with indigenous beliefs, and religious freedoms are written into the country’s 2005 constitution.

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King Mswati III’s representative Ted Riley wept when he told the conference of the parties to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species about his rangers who had lost their lives protecting the rhino

Ted Riley is one of the veterans of wildlife conservation in Africa, setting up the national parks in the Swazi kingdom.

He maintains it’s grossly unfair for countries across the world from Africa are trying to increase the protection given to rhino and tell Africans how to safeguard the   species.

“Why don’t they just upgrade all species to CITES appendix  one, including the tsetse fly. That is hoe ridiculous this argument has become,” said Riley.

By adopting a shoot to kill policy against rhino poachers and imposing heavy prison sentenced on those caught, Swaziland has had the most success in protecting the species.

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At least 27 million people – about nine percent of the SADC population – are food insecure this year as a result of the poor 2015/16 farming season.

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The current El Niño-induced drought in SADC is the worst in 35 years.

The  regional El-Niño response team has so far prepared a regional drought appeal for assistance.

SADC chairperson, President Ian Khama of Botswana launched the regional appeal amounting to US$2.7 billion.

Yesterday the SADC Organ on Peace and Security, now under Tanzania’s  chairmanship, discussed the security explosion in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar and Lesotho as well as requests by Burundi and the Comores to join SADC.

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The watchdog cites concerns in Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the host country Swaziland.

ends intro

The 1992 Windhoek treaty establishing the 15-nation SADC places huge importance on human rights, peace, security and equality.

The region is relatively peaceful , says Human Rights Watch but realising the human rights principles and objectives set out in the treaty has been painstakingly slow.

In fact, in some member states, there has been a noticeable rollback of human rights in recent years.

With high levels of state under-preparedness to withstand economic shocks, it is hardly surprising that public discontent has become more strident and  people are demanding government protection from spiralling inflationary pressures and an impossibly high cost of living.

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Incensed animal rights activists condemn what they call a  cruel, purely money-making operation.

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The audacious, secret operation involves sedating three elephant bulls and 15 cows, crating them and hoisting  them aboard a cargo plane in Swaziland.

The elephants will be split among zoos in Dallas, Kansas and Nebraska.

They’ll be exhibited and used for breeding purposes.

Conservation group Friends of Animals say they were due to argue against transferring what they’re calling the stolen 18 in a US federal court next Thursday.

They failed to get an emergency injunction to stop the elephants 15 000 km  move from the wild into captivity.

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They’re demanding that this punishment end for the man serving a two-year sentence for contempt of court.

Thulani Maseko was put into solitary confinement at Big Bend Prison in Swaziland on Thursday for having written a thank your letter to friends and colleagues.

Maseko was sentenced to two years imprisonment after The Nation newspaper published articles he penned raising concerns about judicial independence and integrity in Swaziland.

Civil society’s slammed his conviction and sentence saying it amounts to the persecution of activists voicing discontent with the judicial process.

The international community widely criticises the use of solitary confinement as a punitive measure.

The lawyers groups say Maseko’s behaviour doesn’t justify the imposition of solitary confinement.

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King Mswati III urges his subjects to protect the country from what he calls these destructive elements.
The absolute monarch tells Swazis they should be deeply concerned that people who have no knowledge of their culture are portraying it in bad light in some foreign forums.
King Mswati III says this deprives the nation of key benefits that could contribute handsomely to its sustainable development and social welfare programmes.

Citing Swaziland’s democratic shortcomings, the United States last year removed the kingdom from the African Growth and Opportunity Act giving its goods preferential access to American markets.

The king, who has a household budget of R600 million, stifles political protest and arrests opponents in a population most of whom live on less than R10 a day.

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