18/08/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SWALIMO Condemns King Mswati III's Election as SADC Troika Deputy Chairperson, Citing Egregious Human Rights Abuses and SADC's Failure to Act
Monday, August 18, 2025
MBABANE, ESWATINI – The Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) expresses its profound disappointment and outrage at the recent election of King Mswati III, Eswatini's absolute monarch, as the Deputy Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation (the Troika). This decision, announced at the 45th Ordinary SADC Summit in Madagascar this weekend, is a grave insult to the people of Eswatini and a disturbing endorsement of tyranny by a regional body purportedly dedicated to peace, security, and human rights.
SWALIMO unequivocally condemns this election, which sends a chilling message that accountability for gross human rights violations can be bypassed for political expediency. King Mswati III presides over a regime characterized by systemic repression, a complete disregard for democratic principles, and widespread abuses against his own people. We remind SADC and the international community of the following undeniable facts:A Reign of Terror and Banned Freedoms: Under King Mswati III, political parties remain effectively banned, and any form of dissent is met with brutal force. Civil society activists, journalists, and pro-democracy advocates face relentless harassment, arbitrary arrests, detention, torture, and physical violence. The tragic assassination of prominent human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko in January 2023, among other extrajudicial killings, remains uninvestigated by the state, denying victims and their families justice.
The 2021 Massacre of Unarmed Civilians: The election of King Mswati III comes despite his direct responsibility for the horrific massacre of unarmed Swazis during the pro-democracy protests of June and July 2021. When citizens peacefully demanded democratic reforms, Mswati's security forces responded with live ammunition, tear gas, and an internet shutdown. While the government officially acknowledged a death toll of 27 to 34, credible human rights organizations and independent commissions reported a much higher figure, with some estimates nearing 100 unarmed Swazis brutally butchered and hundreds more sustaining severe injuries, including gunshot wounds.
SADC's Abject Failure to Uphold Its Mandate: The SADC Troika Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation, whose very purpose is to prevent and resolve conflicts and promote good governance in the region, demonstrated a woeful failure to adequately address the Eswatini crisis during and after the 2021 unrest. Despite dispatching fact-finding missions and calling for national dialogue, SADC allowed King Mswati III to repeatedly postpone and derail genuine inclusive talks. His recent declaration that "peace has been restored" and Eswatini was removed from the Troika agenda, against the backdrop of continued repression and a lack of true reform, is a testament to SADC's complicity through inaction. This election is not just a diplomatic blunder; it is a betrayal of the Swazi people's legitimate aspirations for freedom and democracy. To elevate a monarch with such an egregious human rights record to a position of leadership within a regional security body undermines SADC's credibility and casts a dark shadow over its commitment to its foundational principles.
SWALIMO calls upon SADC leaders to reconsider this deeply flawed decision and to instead focus on holding King Mswati III accountable for his crimes against humanity. We urge SADC to actively support the people of Eswatini in their struggle for a democratic, just, and free society where human rights are respected and protected for all. We will continue our unwavering fight to eliminate the oppressive absolute monarchical system and establish a democratic Eswatini where the people govern and enjoy equal rights and freedoms. The election of King Mswati III will only strengthen our resolve.
Issued by the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO)
Ingiphile Dlamini (SWALIMO Spokesperson)
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