埃斯瓦蒂尼

When asked to provide more context about who was particularly unlikely to enjoy their right to education in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• All people, due to high school fees, especially for secondary and higher education, especially households with a low income
• Eswatini is facing an education crisis, due to a shortage of teachers since 2018, a lack of educational resources and equipment, a lack of funding from the government towards primary school fees, and mass boycotts and picketing by the Swaziland National Union of Teachers (SNUT)
• People in rural areas, especially children
• People working in factories in Matsapha
• Children from rural areas and children who are homeless who don’t have access to legal documents such as birth certificates to register for school
• Children who are refugees or seeking asylum, due to not having access to their birth certificates to register for school, the language barrier, as well as a lack of government response to the influx of children from Mozambique
• Children, due to schools not being sufficiently funded by the government, especially in rural areas, leading to many parents having to pay or not being able to send their children to school
• Student activists, children of political activists, or students with a political affiliation can lose their scholarships
• Children who were arrested in association with the 2021 protests and unrest
• Girls, due to missing school because of period poverty or facing patriarchal discrimination
• People with disabilities, due to insufficient facilities and accommodations

When asked to provide more context about who was particularly unlikely to enjoy their right to food in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• All people, due to reduced maize harvests, high food prices, inflation, and slow recovery following the pandemic
• All people below the poverty line experience food insecurity, especially in areas with high levels of poverty and drought such as the Lubombo and Shiselweni regions
• People in interim settlements in Matsapha
• People living in slums
• People who are perpetually evicted from their residences
• Victims of forced evictions in Mbondzela, Vuvulane, and Malkerns areas, including squatters
• People who are unemployed, particularly young people
• Children, especially those who are homeless or orphans
• Children who do not attend school, or those who attend schools with no food programmes
• People in the rural countryside
• People in the Low Veld and the dry Middle Veld areas due to agricultural issues, such as rain-dependent crop failures, and limited government assistance
• Political opposition and party members are discriminated against and face economic hardship, limiting their ability to access food
• Political detainees, especially people accused of ‘terrorism’, are deprived of food while in custody
• Hospital patients, due to food shortages in hospitals

When asked to provide more context about who was particularly unlikely to enjoy their right to health in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• All people, due to hospitals lacking basic supplies, medical equipment, staff, and necessary medications, and drug shortages, especially medication for chronic conditions
• All people, except the royal family and other affluent families
• People who live below the poverty line, especially in rural areas or urban slums such as Matsapha, Piggs Peak, or Nhlangano
• Girls lack access to hygiene and period products
• People who are homeless and people in rural areas lack access to medical care, including vaccines or snake bite antidotes
• Members of political parties avoid health services because they are likely to be detained by authorities when they receive care
• Political detainees
• Patients are required to fuel government ambulances
• Most people have no health insurance or access to healthcare and prescriptions can be costly, leading many to die because they cannot afford their medications
• Public hospitals and pharmacies are being privatised, increasing the cost of healthcare
• Private hospitals hire public hospital specialists, leaving public hospitals understaffed and causing healthcare prices to increase
• Affordable healthcare and low-cost treatments are shut down due to lack of funding
• Drug shortages cause preventable deaths, especially for women in labour

When asked to provide more context about who was particularly unlikely to enjoy their right to housing in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• All people, due to the high cost of living
• The housing problem is worsened by storms, heavy rain, and strong winds which damage housing structures
• There are no government programmes to provide housing for people, it is an individual responsibility that not everyone can afford
• People living in stick and mud houses, especially in slums or shacks, lack access to clean water, and are exposed to the elements and diseases
• Members of political parties and unions sometimes have their households destroyed or bombed, including the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), the Swaziland Victims and Survivors Association (SWAVISA), and Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT)
• People with low incomes in rural areas, due to low quality housing and building supplies
• There are two refugee receiving sites without camps or temporary housing set up, so the sites are overcrowded and under supplied when a large number of people arrive
• People living below the poverty line
• Elderly women living in rural areas
• People from rural communities lose their homes in forced evictions, especially in Malkerns, Vuvulane, and Mbondzela
• Farmers
• Widows
• Political Activists

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to arbitrary or political arrest and detention by government agents in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• The government uses the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008 to prosecute political opponents, dissidents, and activists, especially those promoting democracy
• Anyone speaking out against the government
• Political leaders who oppose the government
• Former members of parliament Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube, who were arrested in 2021 for supporting pro-democracy protests and sentenced to 18-25 years of prison under the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008, are denied legal representation and visitors
• People associated with political parties or civil society groups, including the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS), the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS), and the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO)
• Human rights activists, defenders, and lawyers
• Political activists considered to be associated with ‘terrorism’, especially student activists
• Anyone who attended or is otherwise linked with the 2021 protests and civil unrest is likely to be arrested
• Protestors, especially student activists and members of labour unions, are often detained and later released without charges, particularly members of Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS)
• Students protesting about scholarships
• University student Mayibongwe Pupu Nyawo was arrested in January 2024 and charged with terrorism under the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008, for burning a national flag and a police vehicle during the student protests of 2022
• Human rights activist Tanele Maseko, who has been speaking out against the government since her husband, Thulani Maseko, a human rights lawyer who was detained and then killed, was detained without cause at the border and had her passport and phone confiscated

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to disappearance by government agents in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• People who oppose the government, especially leaders and members of political parties
• Political leaders, members, and activists of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS), the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS), and Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO)
• People accused of terrorism, especially those linked to the 2021 protests and civil unrest
• People who have been missing since 2021, such as political activists, especially students and youth, who attended or are otherwise linked with the 2021 protests and civil unrest
• Leaders and members of civil society organisations
• Human rights activists, defenders, and lawyers
• LGBTQIA+ advocates

Expert respondents did not provide any specific information about who is especially vulnerable to violations of this right.

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to extrajudicial killing by government agents in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• Political leaders who oppose the government
• Members and leaders of opposition political parties, including the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO)
• Political activists
• Anyone who attended or is otherwise linked with the 2021 protests and civil unrest
• Human rights activists, defenders, and lawyers
• Students protesting about scholarships
• Anyone suspected of poaching animals, including nearby residents whose livestock approach park boundaries and must be fetched
• Motor mechanic Zwakele Gama who was suspected of stealing motor vehicles in January 2024, was detained, restrained, shot in the leg and head by police, and died in custody

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to restrictions on their rights to assembly and association by the government or its agents in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• Anyone who wants to hold public meetings, political gatherings, or deliver petitions to the government offices in Mbabane, needs permission from local authorities
• Groups and organisations are regularly denied permits to assemble
• All political parties are banned, and people are not allowed to gather without fear of reprisal or being accused of terrorism under the Suppression of Terrorism Act 2008
• Political gatherings without permits are criminalised and participants arrested
• There are reports of people being arrested at funerals, especially the funerals of activists
• The Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) and its exiled President Mduduzi Simelane organised a political rally and prayer for the crisis in Eswatini in South Africa, due to political gatherings being banned in Eswatini
• Human rights activists, defenders, and lawyers
• LGBTQIA+ organisations are denied registration
• Students, student activists, and student union members
• Protests and social movements, including student movements, are restricted
• Non-governmental organisations are denied or limited in their ability to assemble and operate
• The government tried to stop president of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers Mbongwa Dlamini from returning to his teaching duties, in the court case appealing his 2022 dismissal by the Teacher’s Service Commission, a state entity
• Leaders and members of organisations are denied from holding meetings, rallies, and campaigns, such as the Mass Democratic Movement (MDM), the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS), the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO), the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC), the Political Parties Assembly (PPA), the Multi Stakeholder Forum (MSF), the Swaziland Democratic Party (SWADEPA), the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS), the Trade Union Congress of Eswatini (TUCOSWA), the Economic Freedom Fighters of Swaziland (EFF Swaziland), the Swaziland Victims and Survivors Association (SWAVISA), the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO), the Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities (ESGM), and the Swaziland Transport and Allied Workers Union (SWATCAWU)

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to restrictions on their rights to opinion and expression by government agents in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• All people, due to the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act of 1938, which makes it illegal to oppose or criticise the King or the government, and is used to suppress dissent
• Any person with opposing political views or who speaks out against the King or the government
• All political parties are banned and, people are not allowed to express dissent or opinions without fear of reprisal or being accused of terrorism under the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008
• The Cyber Act of 2022 allows the government to monitor and regulate social media and other online platforms, preventing individuals from sharing their opinions
• Labour union leaders and members face legal issues and police crackdowns, particularly those who organise protests or demand things from the government
• Human rights activists, defenders, and lawyers
• Political activists, especially students
• Non-governmental organisations and activists are restricted by bureaucratic registration, funding constraints, and intimidation
• Civil society leaders and members
• Journalists, as the media and news are controlled by the monarch and regularly monitored, journalists are regularly threatened, and any opposition to the government is punished
• Leaders and members of organisations such as the Mass Democratic Movement (MDM), the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS), the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO), the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC), the Political Parties Assembly (PPA), the Multi Stakeholder Forum (MSF), the Swaziland Democratic Party (SWADEPA), the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS), the Trade Union Congress of Eswatini (TUCOSWA), the Economic Freedom Fighters of Swaziland (EFF Swaziland), the Swaziland Victims and Survivors Association (SWAVISA), the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities (ESGM), and the Swaziland Transport and Allied Workers Union (SWATCAWU)

When asked to provide more context about who was especially vulnerable to restrictions on their political participation by the government or its agents in 2024, our respondents mentioned all of the following:

• All political parties are banned since 1973; people do not have the right to join any political party, and political parties are not able to register to participate in elections
• Political opposition is not allowed and political opinions different to those of the government are considered acts of terrorism, such as PUDEMO
• Human rights activists, defenders, and lawyers
• Students, and student activists
• Civil society leaders and members
• Members of banned or unrecognised political parties, including the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC), the Swaziland Democratic Party (SWADEPA), the Mass Democratic Movement (MDM), and the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS)