MBABANE – Demonstrating a continued commitment to female empowerment, His Majesty King Mswati III has endorsed Nontobeko Mabuza for a prestigious global role.
Adding to this, on Friday, His Majesty officially unveiled Tandzile Maziya as his female interpreter, much to public adoration and support. In a statement from Eswatini Sugar, its council is also in full support of Mabuza for the position of Executive Director at the International Sugar Organisation (ISO).
She is presently the head of advocacy and stakeholder engagement at Eswatini Sugar. According to Eswatini Sugar, Mabuza has long been recognised for her exceptional leadership and deep expertise in the sugar industry. Now, she is poised to take that dedication to the global stage, backed by an extraordinary level of national support, which include the royal and Cabinet backing.
Cabinet approved her candidacy while the King endorsed it.
Reads the statement: “Eswatini Sugar’s Council approved the candidacy and support of Nontobeko Mabuza, Head Advocacy & Stakeholder Engagement, in her application to become the executive director of the International Sugar Organisation (ISO).” Added Eswatini Sugar: “Nontobeko has demonstrated exceptional leadership, deep expertise in the sugar industry and a strong commitment to advancing the sector both locally and internationally. We believe she is exceptionally well-qualified for this important role and will represent Eswatini Sugar and the broader industry with distinction.”
It must be said that the journey to this point began in November 2025 when five countries initially submitted eligible candidates for the role. Today, the race has narrowed to a highly competitive final stage. Mabuza finds herself pitted against two equally decorated rivals. These are Dr Eduardo Leão de Sousa from Brazil, a global powerhouse in sugar production and Devesh Dukhira from Mauritius, a fellow African nation with a rich sugar history. The winner will be decided by a Special Council Session vote in London on September 22, 2026.
Because this is a diplomatic election requiring engagement with 84 eligible voting nations, Mabuza’s campaign is being fully supported by Eswatini’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, transforming her bid into a matter of statecraft. The successful candidate will take on a demanding four-year mandate, with the possibility of serving a maximum of two terms. Other emaSwati holding international position include Moses Vilakati, the former Minister for Agriculture, who was elected the head of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (ARBE) department of the African Union (AU).
Dumsani Masilela, the former Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Commissioner General of the Eswatini Revenue Services (ERS), is current Executive Secretary of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). Before he joined SACU, Masilela held the position of Revenue Management Specialist for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington DC, USA.
Themba Masuku, the current Shiselweni Regional Administrator and ex-Deputy Prime Minister, worked as Director of the Food Agricultural Organisation (FAO) with the United Nations in New York.
Previously, Masuku was the director of the FAO Liaison Office in Geneva, Switzerland. Meanwhile, Mabuza is an economist and trade specialist with vast experience in development finance, regional trade policy and sugar market access. As head of advocacy and stakeholder engagement at Eswatini Sugar, she leads advocacy on sugar industry matters, assists the government on trade negotiations related to sugar and strategic stakeholder engagement across Southern African Customs Union (SACU), Southern African Development Community (SADC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and AfCFTA frameworks for the sugar industry. According to Sugar Africa, her work focuses on market access. In her work, the publication says she champions strengthened regional collaboration, evidence-based policy advocacy and innovative valuechain development as essential pathways to building competitive, sustainable and future-ready African sugar industries.
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