Eswatini Observer

Credibility of budget being a national budget challenged

LOBAMBA Lomdzala Member of Parliament Marwick Khumalo says the credibility of the budget as a national budget is being challenged. Khumalo said this when moving for the adoption of the committee report in Parliament. He said ministers, who are part of...

GOVT EVACUATES 25 EMASWATI FROM UAE

Government has successfully repatriated 25 Emaswati who were stranded in the war-torn Gulf region following His Majesty King Mswati III’s order for the evacuation. This comes as the Gulf region is currently experiencing a major conflict as United...

FINALLY...

(Pic: Lucky Simelane)

Govt car rentals rise by 12.2% to E85.7m

DESPITE government investing over E490 million in purchasing a new fleet, rental expenditure increased by 12.2% in the last financial year. This is according to a report by Auditor General Timothy Matsebula, which was tabled in Parliament on Friday by...

POWER TRIP: MPS WANT CONTROL

THE House of Assembly’s finance committee has recommended that the approval for officia parliamentary travel be vested in the presiding officers; that is the speaker and Senate president. This suggestion is in the committee’s report which was tabled...

PM, ICT minister appear before Senate

IT was business as usual for Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini and Minister of Information, Communication and Technology Savannah Maziya yesterday as they appeared before the Senate. They were the only Cabinet ministers who had business during the...

No tariff hike expected - MPs

MPs say His Majesty’s directive is clear: electricity must remain affordable, vow to ensure king’s guidance is implemented to protect households from tariff increases Parly emphasises king’s advice that govt must work with EEC to solve financial...

‘I WILL FIGHT TO END DRUG SHORTAGES’

MINISTER of Health Mduduzi Matsebula has vowed to fight to end the drug shortage affecting public health facilities in the kingdom. He emphasised that he would be taking His Majesty King Mswati III’s guidance to government and the health sector “as...

ID SERVICES RESUME, MANZINI ROLL OUT FALLS SHORT

Long queues were witnessed at the ministry of home affairs headquarters in Mbabane yesterday as over 150 people turned up to process their national identity documents following the official restoration of ID services. However, frustration mounted among...

MPS WARN CABINET: NO MORE EXCUSES

SOME members of the Legislature have vowed to hold government accountable by ensuring that the Nkwe spirit applies in resolving the issues that His Majesty King Mswati III touched on when delivering his Speech from the Throne. The legislators were...

KING RECEIVES ROYAL ENVOY FROM SAUDI ARABIA

His Majesty King Mswati III received a special envoy from King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, represented by Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Eswatini Faisal bin Falah Al Harbi. He was tasked with...

Public awaits good news

AS the nation prepares for the opening of the Third Session of the 12th Parliament tomorrow, the public awaits good news from His Majesty King Mswati III’s Speech from the Throne, hoping for solutions to pressing national challenges. While the nation...

4 IN COURT FOR ALLEGED MURDER

Tshepo Bright Kgaledi’s alleged killers; Mduduzi Maziya, Mndeni Mbuyisa, Fana Bheki Shongwe and Lomaswati Dlamini during their first court appearance before Siteki Principal Magistrate Musa Nxumalo yesterday. Kgaledi (inset), who worked at a gambling...

PM calls for Cabinet unity again

● Premier urges ministers to put aside divisions and work collectively as one government and one team, stressing the need for unity in pursuit of national goals ● Acknowledges challenges faced in 2025, insisting that only decisive and disciplined...

WOMAN (22) BRUTALLY KILLED FOR ENDING AFFAIR

LIZINYANE SHARES CANCER SURVIVAL STORY

Princess Mchelewebukhosi yesterday shared a moving testimony of resilience and hope after successfully overcoming cancer, a journey she described as both challenging and life-changing. She was speaking during the launch of the Eswatini Childhood Cancer...

100 contract teachers

MORE than 100 contract teachers in the Manzini region have been left devastated after being informed that their contracts would not be renewed when they reported to the regional education office (REO) to collect their posting letters yesterday. The...

Relief for consumers as fuel prices decrease

RELIEF for consumers as the ministry of natural resources and energy announces a significant decrease in fuel prices. The ministry said the prices of Unleaded Petrol, Diesel 50ppm S and Illuminating Paraffin would decrease by 70 cents per litre. The...

Woman (32) shot twice, killed by admirer (67)

A 32-year-old woman of Mvembili has been shot dead, allegedly by her 67-year-old admirer. Mother of two, Thobile Dlamini was shot twice in the head by the pensioner who is now behind bars. Sourced claimed that the incident occurred around 5:30pm on...

Stakeholders should have been engaged

PARENTS say all critical education stakeholders should have been engaged on the rollout of the CBE in secondary schools. They said situation currently on the ground was disappointing because they hadpaid for their children’s schools fees yet there...

ANNUAL CLEANSING CEREMONY

(Pic: Lucky Simelane)

COMMUNITY DIVIDED ON ZAMA ZAMA RAIDS

On Sunday, morning fog is likely in some places. Skies will be mostly cloudy with occasional clear intervals and temperatures will be cool in highland areas but warm to hot in the lowveld. Scattered thunderstorms and rainshowers are also expected in...

Minister must retract

FOLLOWING his statement that there was no place for gays in schools, the Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organisations (CANGO) has called on Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo to retract his remarks. CANGO labelled the remarks...

Drama as parents ‘camp’ to block headteacher

MAZOMBIZWE High School Headteacher Ndoda Zondo says he feels threatened going to the school after parents allegedly ‘camped’ on the premises vowing to chuck him out. As a result he did not attend yesterday despite it being the first day of the 2026...

‘KING’S PrEP CALL INSPIRES HIV AWARENESS, ACTION’

Mngomezulu) (Pics: Mduduzi

‘Embrace PrEP in HIV fight’

HIS Majesty King Mswati III urged the nation to embrace pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as part of the fight against HIV and AIDS. The king further encouraged the public to uphold abstinence and responsible behaviour as the foundation of a healthy...

PM tours rain-hit roads

IN a true Nkwe spirit, Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini will tour some of the roads which have been badly damaged by the non-stop rains experienced by the country since the New Year. As temperatures will be favourable today the rains having...

PROPOSED 20.67% TARIFF HIKE: Businessman blames ESERA for high tariffs

(Pic: Mfanzile Shongwe)

COLD FRONT EXPECTED SUNDAY Status Capital

A cold front is expected to pass through the country this Sunday at around 2pm. According to Eswatini Meteorology Department Meteorologist Buhle Simelane, the persistent rains currently experienced in the country are expected to stop on Saturday. He...

Schools opening postponed

DUE to persistent rains, government has postponed the opening of schools for the first academic term by a week. Schools were initially scheduled to open next Tuesday, but the opening has now been shifted to January 27. Minister of Education and...

MUDDY SEND-OFF

The solemn journey for Princess ‘Nunu’ Johnson became a struggle for grieving family members and mourners as the funeral convoy could not navigate the slippery and muddy road, leaving many stranded for almost the entire night ahead of the burial...

Wife had asked for prayers - Pastor, friends

Pastor says Johnson pleaded for prayers, had approached his wife about domestic troubles Friends say she asked for prayers over family, had faith

COUPLE DIES IN FATAL CRASH

The wrecked Mazda 2 sedan involved in a fatal head-on collision with a truck along the MR4 Road near Mankayane. A couple from Dvudvusini lost their lives in the crash which occurred on Monday night

AYIBUKELWA

Youth turn out in numbers, share that they wanted firsthand experience of the momentous cultural event Chiefs, princes hail king for uniting nation International tourists reveal they had a wonderful experience throughout the event Miss SA 2025 first...

INGAJA BRINGS IMPRESSIVE LUSEKWANE

His Majesty King Mswati III leads thousands of Ingaja in song and dance during the delivery of lusekwane at the Ludzidzini Royal Residence yesterday. This marks the climax of the sacred ceremony as tomorrow is the Main Incwala.

KING COMMISSIONS INGAJA

Thousands of Ingaja from the northern Hhohho region leaving after being commissioned by His Majesty King Mswati III despite the heavy rainfall at Buhleni Royal Residence yesterday. They camped at Mvembili Umphakatsi under Chief Prince Msudvuka before...

Excellent you lot!

THE first cohort of CompetencyBased Education (CBE) learners in the country performed exceptionally well. This is the Grade VII group of 2025. With the change to the CBE syllabus, Grade VII is now known as the Eswatini Primary School Assessment (EPSA)...

INCWALA DAY 9

Ingaja rushing to join other regiments in dancing the Little Incwala at Ludzidzini Royal Residence yesterday, despite the heavy rainfall. The ceremony was led by Her Majesty the Indlovukazi. His Majesty King Mswati III also led Libutfo at Mbangweni...

JC pass rate drops

Pass rate declines by 1.08% to 82.07% from 83.15% in 2024 3 114 candidates failed in 2025, compared to 2 782 failures in 2024 SNAT says number of failures worrying, while headteachers reveal results are not what they expected

Cops bust Asians in raid

Asians running ‘ice pop factory’ inside 3-bedroom house caught after tip-off from locals

ENPF SCORES BIG IN IDCE

The Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF) received E9 million dividend from the Industrial Development Company of Eswatini (IDCE), which declared a historic E14m dividend to its shareholders for the year ended in June 2025. This was during a...

Government, Alpheous salary talks collapse

GOVERNMENT’S attempt to resolve the salary dispute involving embattled spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo through an out-of-court settlement has collapsed, with the matter now set to proceed to full legal argument at the Industrial Court next year. The...

MPs give Cabinet ultimatum

MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) have threatened to block the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP) 2026 budget if government fails to appoint a substantive Chief Executive Officer (CEO), more than a year after the position became vacant. The warning...

Churches need regulation - Senator

SENATOR Isaac Magagula has urged Christians not to be quick to dismiss government’s proposed regulatory framework for churches, saying growing governance and moral challenges within religious institutions require structured and deliberate...

Rural schools get 68 pieces of ICT equipment for digitalisation

Minister of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Savannah Maziya and Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo with ESCCOM officials and partners during the donation of ICT equipment to support the ongoing digitalisation of schools...