KEY POINTS
- Eswatini opposition leader Mlungisi Makhanya was poisoned in an alleged assassination attempt in South Africa.
- Makhanya’s party, Pudemo, claims the attack is politically motivated ahead of planned protests.
- The Eswatini government denies any involvement in the poisoning incident.
The leader of Eswatini’s main opposition party has been poisoned in an assassination attempt. According to a report by his party, he is currently receiving treatment in a hospital.
Mlungisi Makhanya, 46, has lived in exile in South Africa for the past two years, following the firebombing of his home in 2022. He ran away from Eswatini, citing fears for his life amid a government crackdown on pro-democracy activists in Africa’s last absolute monarchy.
“Our president has been stabilized but remains in critical condition,” the People’s United Democratic Movement (Pudemo) said in a statement.
Eswatini government denies involvement in poisoning
Eswatini government spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo denied any involvement by the state, saying, “The government does not kill or poison suspects.”
Pudemo claims the assassination attempt comes ahead of planned protests next month calling for multi-party elections in the country. Currently, Eswatini allows independent candidates to run for parliament but bans political parties from participating.
King Mswati III, who has ruled since 1986, has faced criticism for his lavish lifestyle and intolerance of opposition, which his government denies.
In January 2023, human rights lawyer Thulani Rudolf Maseko, an outspoken critic of the monarchy, was assassinated at his home in Mbabane, igniting international condemnation.
In September 2022, Makhanya’s home in Eswatini was allegedly firebombed by state agents. He now lives in Pretoria, South Africa, with his family. Makhanya leads Pudemo, one of the country’s prominent pro-democracy parties, which is banned from participating in elections.
The poisoning reportedly took place early Tuesday at Makhanya’s residence in Pretoria. According to the Swaziland News Website, Pudemo alleges a “young boy” was used as an “agent of evil intent” by the Eswatini government.
Makhanya was rushed to a Pretoria hospital under police escort and later moved to the Intensive Care Unit, where he remains in critical but stable condition.
Makhanya reportedly told police and doctors that he had been poisoned and that his cell phones were stolen during the incident.
Pudemo deputy president Wandile Dludlu told reporters on Wednesday that an “extremely dangerous and fatal” pesticide was used in the poisoning. “It was an assassination attempt on the life of our leader,” Dludlu said.
According to a report by Ghana Web, the Eswatini government rejected the allegations. “Law enforcement agencies only apprehend suspects and bring them to justice alive, not dead,” Nxumalo said in a statement.
Calls for international support and political reform
Pudemo has called for international support to ensure Makhanya’s safety and that of his family while he remains in the hospital.
The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN), a group of Swazis living in South Africa, condemned the attack, describing it as a “clear assassination attempt” and called on the South African government to act against Swazi state agents targeting exiled pro-democracy activists.
Opposition groups in Eswatini have accused security forces of killing dozens of protesters who have blamed the country’s lack of development on the political system.
In 2021, student-led protests over alleged police brutality escalated into calls for political reform.
According to Human Rights Watch, at least 46 people were killed in clashes between security forces and demonstrators. The government disputes this figure, claiming police were responding to violent attacks.
“This is a political fight between the oppressed masses and the autocratic monarch,” Dludlu said, vowing that Pudemo would proceed with next month’s protests as planned.
