Eswatini - June 2023

On 1 June, two MPs at the forefront of Eswatini’s pro-democracy movement, Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube, were convicted of terrorism and murder in the country’s High Court. The convictions, described by Amnesty International as ‘flawed’, relate to the MP’s participation in pro-democracy protests in 2021. These protests called for reform of Eswatini’s centralised system of government, under which it’s absolute monarch, King Mswati III, enjoys considerable executive powers, including over the judiciary. Anti-terrorism legislation has frequently been used by the state to silence government critics and the charges brought against the MPs were widely perceived to be politically motivated. According to analysts, the convictions signal the king’s strong resistance to democratic reform and, because of his control of the electoral system, this is likely to make it more difficult than ever for pro-democracy candidates to be elected at the forthcoming parliamentary elections, that are scheduled for September 2023.

Sources: Africa News, Voice of America, Southern African Litigation Centre,  CIVICUS, Africa Confidential, International IDEA