Velaphi Mamba and Mary Pais on What’s Happening in  

In this segment, we discuss recent developments in Eswatini, the last remaining absolute monarchy in Africa, where King Mswati III has ruled with impunity for a generation. This tiny, landlocked kingdom rarely makes headline news - and for those who are not aware, it is probably the worst dictatorship you’ve never heard of. As one example, among many, just this week, two former members of the country’s parliament were sentenced to decades in prison after being found guilty, in a sham trial, for “inciting unrest” during pro-democracy demonstrations three years ago. Before being sentenced this week, the two men had already spent three years behind bars in utterly deplorable conditions.
This pattern of abuse might seem unthinkable, too callous to be true. But it is not. Helping to shed some necessary light on this latest injustice in Eswatini, as well as some broader context, are two exemplary activists: Velaphi Mamba, a well-known Swazi activist who has been leading the charge for democratic change in Eswatini for many years, and Mary Pais, a Swazi attorney and co-director of the African Initiative of Women Human Rights Defenders.