Opposition Leaders Detained Amid Rising Unrest in Eswatini

Police in Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, have detained the head of the country’s largest opposition party along with several other political figures and activists during coordinated raids on their homes, according to opposition groups.

The arrests took place on Friday as public dissatisfaction with King Mswati III — Africa’s last absolute monarch — has intensified over the past year. Protesters accuse the king of using state resources to support an extravagant lifestyle while many of the nation’s 1.5 million citizens struggle to survive through subsistence farming of crops such as maize and sugarcane.

Police Commissioner William Dlamini told reporters that authorities had merely “invited some individuals to assist us in our enquiries pertaining to state security information,” denying that anyone had been formally arrested or detained.

However, opposition parties insist that key figures were taken into custody. The Political Parties Assembly, which has been involved in organizing recent anti-monarchy demonstrations, was reportedly a main target of the raids.

Mlungisi Makhanya, president of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), told Reuters that the party’s secretary-general, Wandile Dludlu, was among those arrested. He added that political materials and electronic devices were confiscated. Other individuals allegedly targeted include a sitting legislator, a former trade union leader, and the presidents of both the Swaziland National Association of Teachers and the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress.

The Communist Party of Swaziland reported that its national chairperson, Dumisani Fakudze, had also been detained.

Jan Sithole, a prominent trade unionist, stated after his release that police had seized his mobile phone, laptop, and flash drives.

Over recent months, anti-monarchy demonstrations have erupted across the country, some turning violent as police deployed tear gas, stun grenades, and water cannon against stone-throwing protesters. The government has remained largely silent; when approached for comment, Percy Simelane, spokesperson for both the government and the king, referred inquiries to the police.

A previous Forbes estimate placed King Mswati III’s net worth at around $200 million a decade ago — a figure he has since dismissed as inaccurate. Nonetheless, opposition voices continue to accuse the monarchy of economic irresponsibility amid widespread poverty.