Eswatini: murder of pro-democracy activist prompts outrage

Fears security agencies may have been involved in shooting of Thulani Maseko in his home on Saturday Authorities in Eswatini have promised a full investigation of the murder of a leading pro-democracy activist amid widespread fears that state security agencies may have been involved. Thulani Maseko, chairperson of a coalition of pro-democracy groups, was shot… Read more »

This UK gay guy went to Swaziland’s 1st Pride: his story is shocking and inspiring

Interview: ‘Are there going to be petrol bombs? Rubber bullets?’ Riyadh Khalaf on tense journey making latest film ‘”We need kidnapping random insurance.’” That’s what Riyadh Khalaf’s director of photography told him right before they and their six-person crew set off to make documentary ‘Fighting For Pride: Swaziland’, about the country’s first-ever Pride parade this… Read more »

Swaziland held its first Pride parade despite homosexuality being illegal – and it was amazing

Swaziland has celebrated its first ever Pride parade, defying a national ban on homosexuality. Around 500 people marched along the streets of Mbabane, the capital of Swaziland – which renamed itself eSwatini earlier this year – despite fears of a violent backlash. A Pride event held at Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp in June led to… Read more »

Africa: Few Programmes Target Gay Men, Other MSM and Transgendered in Southern Africa, Study Says

Analysis Despite the Global Fund’s progressive policies on the inclusion of gay men, other men who have sex with men and transgender individuals (GMT) in programmes supported by the Fund, only a tiny fraction of the money spent by the Fund in six countries in Southern Africa has targeted this population. This is one of… Read more »

70% Of Swaziland’s Sex Workers HIV Positive

Unadjusted HIV prevalence among sex workers stands at 70.3%. This is contained in the Swaziland HIV Bio-Behavioral Surveillance Study and Qualitative Study among  Most At-Risk Populations (MARPS) conducted by the Population Service International (PSI) in  conjunction with the John Hopkins University based in the United States. The findings of the study were released by Director… Read more »

Rest in Peace, Pitseng Vilakati

It’s one thing to know that you live in a place where homosexuality is locked up, locked down, punished by draconian laws and vigilante “justice”. It’s another to, well, know. When I first moved to southern Africa this year to do HIV/AIDS work, I knew but I didn’t know. Oh, I heard about how South… Read more »

Swaziland News & Reports

1 ‘Brand HIV-positive people on the buttocks’ 5/09 2 Africa: Prevention efforts and infection patterns mismatched 5/09 3 African MP apologizes for call to brand PWAs 5/09 4 ‘Gays turned back in clinics’ 2/10 5 Open Society Hosts Meeting Of LGBT Activists From So. Africa 8/11 May 24, 2009 – African Eye News Service 1… Read more »

The Killing Disease

Editor’s note: Swaziland has the highest HIV infection rate in the world. Life expectancy there has fallen from 55 to 29 since AIDS first appeared. Peace Corps has had a strong presence in Swaziland for many years. Almost all volunteers there are involved in some form of education or community development that involves AIDS prevention,… Read more »