We have just celebrated Christmas, which is a day the global community celebrates the birth of Christ. His birth was unique, primarily due to his supernatural conception by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin, Mary.
This made him fully divine and fully human, conceived without a human father. Despite his divine status, he was born in a manger in Bethlehem, underlining God’s humility and his identification with humanity.
This also indicates that Christ would relate to even the downtrodden of society. I hope emaSwati continue to be inspired by Christ’s birth, not merely as a day for family gatherings and good meals, but appreciation that love prompted Christ to be born human to save us from sin. His mission was prompted by compassion.
As I reflected on this day, I could not forget that the Eswatini Government and the American Government forged an agreement for the former to accept immigrants from America, as part of President Trump’s campaign promise to rid the country of undesirable illegal immigrants.
When the first group were reported to have been transported to Eswatini’s Maximum Prison, according to CNN, Spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Tricia McLaughlin, stated that the five deported individuals are nationals of Jamaica, Laos, Cuba, Yemen and Vietnam. “This flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back,” she wrote on X. “These depraved monsters have been terrorising American communities, but thanks to Trump, they are off American soil.”
The nation expressed shock when social media broke the story about the immigrants being brought into our country. The only response from government was that the immigrants pose no danger to emaSwati.
It is public knowledge that another group was later received in the country’s maximum prison and to date, there are about 14 already received and more may be coming. We have learnt through the media that the US Government has paid some money (US$1.5 million). Is this money worth undermining our human rights values as emaSwati, especially ‘ubuntu’?
We have been following efforts by lawyers to access the immigrants, but to date they have not been able to access them. Eswatini has a Constitution with human rights. It is stated in section 14 (1) that The fundamental human rights and freedoms of the individual enshrined in this Chapter are hereby declared and guaranteed, namely – (a) (b) respect for life, liberty, the right to fair hearing, equality before the law and equal protection of the law; e) protection from inhuman or degrading treatment, slavery and forced labour, arbitrary search and entry.
It is stated in section 2: “The fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in this Chapter shall be respected and upheld by the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary and other organs or agencies of Government and, where applicable to them, by all natural and legal persons in Swaziland and shall be enforceable by the courts as provided in this Constitution.”
To underline the country’s commitment to human rights, Eswatini commemorated Human Rights Day on December 10, 2025, at Mbabane Theatre Club. The theme for Human Rights Day 2025 was: ‘Human Rights Our Everyday Essentials,’highlighting that human rights are not abstract, but fundamental aspects of daily life, like food, shelter, peace and dignity, focusing on them being positive, essential and attainable. This theme aimed to reconnect people with human rights principles by showcasing their relevance and impact in daily experiences; encouraging action for a more just future. Human rights bring joy, safety and well-being into daily life; they are the basic needs and freedoms we rely on.
These rights enshrined in the Constitution define our values as a country. It is, therefore, concerning that the individuals who are kept at His Majesty’s Correctional Services facilities committed no crime in Eswatini and it remains a mystery what law was used to detain people who have committed no crime in the country. Sadly, they are kept in maximum prison where their rights are severely curtailed.
They are far away from their countries, families, relatives and friends. Why are Correctional Services authorities denying these individuals the right to justice, which is a constitutional right that is also to be enjoyed by these individuals.
The nation was assured that the individuals were in transit, pending processes to facilitate their transfer to their countries of origin. However, to date, we have learnt that only one individual has been successfully repatriated to Jamaica.
I would like to plead with Parliament to hold the Executive accountable, while the church and civil society organisations should raise their voices so that government fast tracks the repatriation of these individuals to their respective homelands.
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