She was speaking at the opening of a ministerial meeting  preparing for today regional summit on security in the mountain kingdom surrounded by South Africa.

President Jacob Zuma will host that summit of the 15-nation Southern African Development Community to be attended by the heads of state of Angola, Namibia, Swaziland,  Tanzania and Zambia.

His Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa Nqakula says Lt General Khoantle Motsomotso’s untimely death underscores the importance of dealing effectively with with the persistent political and security challenges  embracing Lesotho.

“ Our determination to help the people of Lesotho lay to rest their political and security challenges should not be doubted, ” the minister says

She says SADC has the capacity and the the political will to beat rogue elements in Lesotho.

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African leaders, put out by critical reports issued  the continental legislators, brought them in under the African Union umbrella.

The Pan African Parliament sent observer teams to Angola, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

Their reports differed from those of their AU colleagues. So in 2008, the continental body brought them heel.

This year PAP members will join the AU observer teams in Kenya, Senegal, Gabon, Rwanda and Angola.

But the  PAP official in charge of documentation Galal Nassir says it won’t always  be this way.

(take in PAP clip here)

Nassir says the PAP would like to see election observer teams headed by an MP rather than by a  former head of state as the AU does.

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The Convention on International Trade in Endangered species, or CITES,  is meeting for the first time in South Africa which houses the greatest rhino population on the planet and the second highest number of elephants.

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CITES will look at the $20 billion illegal wildlife trade which is the fourth largest illicit business in the world.

It has to decide on whether to toughen or relax trade restriction on 500 species of plants and animals.

Swaziland’s proposed an easing of the ban on the sale of rhino horn.

Zimbabwe and Namibia want to be allowed the sell their ivory stockpiles.

Opponents say this would give carte blanche to organised crime controlling this market and will drive rhino and elephant off the endangered list into extinction.

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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.

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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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It’s  appealing for $204 million immediately to purchase food and transport it to the region to help millions of hungry people.

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World Food Programme  Executive Director Ertharin Cousin says in a telephone briefing from Malawi that 18 million people need emergency food assistance in seven countries severely affected by El Nino — Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

She says  WFP is anticipating an escalation in needs later this year and estimates that approximately 33 million people will be impacted by El Nino and the upcoming La Nina, which could bring severe flooding.

Cousin points to a more than 150 percent increase in people without enough to eat in Malawi as well as a 99 percent increase in Swaziland and a 53 percent increase in Lesotho.

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Last month, he visited other members of one of the world’s oldest customs union – Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland – for similar consultations.

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These consultations began when heads state attended last year’s  inauguration of the new SACU Headquarters building in Windhoek.

The discussions will focus on progress in the implementation of the SACU work programme adopted at its summit five years ago.

Leaders will also consider how regional, continental and global economic and trade developments  impact on their 105-year-old union.

The members are sometimes accused of giving prominence to SACU in dealings with the Southern African Development Community.

Zuma will be accompanied by his ministers of finance, trade and industry and international relations.

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The UN’s health arm says on  World Malaria Day that its aiming to wipe out the disease in at least 10 countries by the end of this decade.

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The World Health Organization  estimates that 21 countries are in a position to become malaria free.

This includes six African countries where the burden of the disease is heaviest.

These are Algeria, Botswana, Cape Verde, Comoros, South Africa and Swaziland.

In South Africa the elimination of malaria is a public health objective.

The country registered 11 700 cases of the disease in 2014 — down from 64 000 in 2000 — with most diagnoses coming from areas bordering Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Nine out of 10 of the 438 000 people who died of malaria last year  came from sub-Saharan Africa.

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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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