Play Replay Close highlight Stop listening ENGLISH MBABANE – Almost half of police residential properties have been declared unfit for human occupation. The Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) says deteriorating housing and accommodation shortages have forced some officers to share facilities, leading to disputes, health risks and low morale. Its Second Quarter Performance Report, covering July to September 2026, states that health and environmental officials declared nearly half of police residential properties unsuitable for occupation. REPS acknowledges that the affected buildings require urgent repairs or replacement. The service also faces deteriorating police stations and other infrastructure, which it says affects officers’ welfare and policing operations. Sharing accommodation has increased pressure on utilities and added to maintenance problems. Government allocated E15.75 million to REPS for rehabilitation and security fencing during the 2026/27 financial year. The funding, under Phase II of the capital development programme, covers several police facilities. Planned work includes...

Play Replay Close highlight Stop listening ENGLISH EZULWINI – Customer experience should not be left to one department within an organisation, but treated as a responsibility shared by everyone who interacts with customers, a Zimbabwean research practitioner has said. Patson Gasura, who was speaking at the 11th Customer Service Experience Conference at SibaneSami Hotel, said businesses often focus heavily on customer service without considering the full experience a customer has with the organisation. Delivering a presentation titled Beyond Customer Satisfaction: Turning Customer Experience Research into Customer Loyalty and Business Growth, Gasura said customer service was only one part of the customer journey. “Customer experience is everybody’s responsibility,” he said, stressing that every employee who is visible to customers can contribute to either a positive or negative experience. Gasura said organisations should therefore look beyond whether a product or service was delivered and consider how customers felt throughout their interaction with...

Play Replay Close highlight Stop listening ENGLISH MBABANE – Eswatini’s Neliswa ‘Tiger’ Dlamini, Thubelihle Mavuso, Yekisizwe Khumalo and Sambulo ‘Masoso’ Simelane stand on the verge of Zimbabwean PSL glory with Hardrock FC. Following a goalless draw on Wednesday afternoon between Kwakhe Thwala’s Scottland FC and Chicken Inn, top-of-the-table Hardrock now hold a commanding four-point lead with only two matches remaining in the Castle Premier Soccer League season. The mathematical advantage means Hardrock need just three points from their final two fixtures to seal a monumental league triumph. A victory would mark an extraordinary achievement for Hardrock, who secured promotion from Zimbabwe’s lower divisions only last season. Achieving back-to-back success by capturing the top-flight championship in their debut PSL campaign would write a fairy-tale chapter in Southern African football. The Eswatini quartet have been instrumental to Hardrock’s fairy-tale ascent since moving to Zimbabwe. Their seamless transition into top-flight football provided immediate...

Play Replay Close highlight Stop listening ENGLISH LOBAMBA – The granting of two commercial radio broadcasting licences has come under political scrutiny. This follows allegations that one of the awarded companies is linked to individuals associated with progressive political movements who were allegedly involved in the political unrest that rocked the country in 2021. The allegations were made by Mbabane East Member of Parliament (MP), Welcome Dlamini, who questioned the vetting process followed before the licences were awarded, particularly whether political affiliations were considered during the assessment of applications. Dlamini raised the concerns during the portfolio committee debate on the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology’s (ICT) second-quarter performance report in Parliament yesterday. Although the MP did not identify the licence holder or the individuals he was referring to, he questioned the decision to grant two licences when the initial announcement had reportedly indicated that only one would be issued....

Play Replay Close highlight Stop listening ENGLISH The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Kingdom of Eswatini Senator Pholile Shakantu met with the British High Commissioner, His Excellency Colin Wells to discuss ways to deepen cooperation between Eswatini and the United Kingdom. The two countries share strong historical ties dating back centuries and are working to strengthen their relationship through programmes focused on bilateral cooperation, trade and migration. Migration featured as an important area of discussion. The meeting explored ways to support safe, orderly and regular movement between the two countries. Both sides also recognised the importance of people-to-people links and continued dialogue on migration matters. Building on the success of the UK–Eswatini Business Seminar held during EITF 2026, the meeting explored how Eswatini businesses can make greater use of opportunities in the UK market. Discussions included tariff-free access for eligible goods under the SACUM–UK Economic Partnership...

Play Replay Close highlight Stop listening ENGLISH MBABANE – Businesses have been urged to recognise that their brand reputation is shaped by every employee and department, not just their marketing teams. Award-winning speaker Nikki Jacobsz,.who is a customer service expert said organisations could not promise customers exceptional experiences without equipping their employees with the necessary tools, information, training and authority to deliver on those promises. She was speaking during the 11th Customer Service Conference, a two-day event being attended by representatives from various organisations. The event is currently taking place at Sibane Hotel. Jacobsz said brand alignment required businesses to ensure that what they promised customers through their marketing was consistent with what their operations and employees could actually deliver. She challenged organisations to move away from treating branding as the responsibility of marketing departments, arguing that customers experienced a business as a whole rather than its individual departments. “When...

Play Replay Close highlight Stop listening ENGLISH MBABANE – The Commission on Human Rights and Public Administration Integrity has raised concerns over the treatment of young people queueing for police jobs, recommending changes to the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) recruitment process. The commission highlights nine concerns about the manner in which the recruitment exercise is being conducted, while proposing four measures to make the process more accessible and dignified. In the advisory issued yesterday, the commission expressed concern over reports of large numbers of applicants spending prolonged periods in exposed conditions while waiting to submit their applications in person at regional police offices across the country. The commission, which issued the advisory under reference number HRC/ADV/004/2026, said it had observed that hundreds of young people had gathered in long queues along public roads, exposing themselves to harsh weather conditions as they waited to access the recruitment centres. It acknowledged...

Play Replay Close highlight Stop listening ENGLISH MBABANE – Great opportunities are on the horizon for aspiring female footballers. South African Betway Premiership giants Kaizer Chiefs have opened their doors to local female players to try their luck with the Amakhosi Ladies team. This was revealed by Kaizer Chiefs Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) and former Manzini Wanderers defender Bheki Shongwe. Shongwe was addressing top-performing players in the 2026 KFC Scara Thindwa Soccer Foundation during their visit to Amakhosi’s base at Naturena Village in Johannesburg on Friday last week. The three players, two boys and a girl were accompanied by their teachers, who were later joined by KFC Eswatini Chief Executive Officer Nigel England. Shongwe revealed that they now have a Kaizer Chiefs Ladies team, which punched above their weight in their first season in the Hollywoodbets Super League after finishing third in the standings, behind champions Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies...

Play Replay Close highlight Stop listening ENGLISH MBABANE – EswatiniMed has been accused of using its dominance to frustrate rival healthcare providers through alleged anti-competitive practices. The allegations originate from complaints lodged by Paramed Laboratories and the Eswatini Private Doctors Association (EPDA), which accused the medical aid fund of conduct that allegedly disadvantaged healthcare providers competing with its own service providers. The complaints are being investigated by the Eswatini Competition Commission, which has already dismissed Eswatini Medical Aid Fund’s (EswatiniMed) preliminary objection that it does not fall under the Competition Act No. 8 of 2007. In a ruling delivered on July 31, 2026, the commission held that the fund’s medical aid activities were subject to the competition law, despite its not-for-profit status. The commission reasoned that providing medical aid in exchange for contributions from members constituted economic activity. It also considered the fund’s investment and control in Ezulwini Private Hospital...

Play Replay Close highlight Stop listening ENGLISH Sourced from ustr.gov WASHINGTON — Today, Ambassador Jamieson Greer issued a statement following President Trump notifying Congress and the governments of Rwanda and South Africa of his intent to terminate these countries from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) trade preference program, as of January 1, 2027. “The Office of the United States Trade Representative led the annual interagency review of sub-Saharan African countries’ eligibility for the AGOA trade preference program. Based on the review, President Trump found that the governments of Rwanda and South Africa are engaging in practices that are inconsistent with AGOA’s eligibility criteria,” said Ambassador Greer. “These concerning and pervasive practices include, but are not limited to, barriers that undermine American trade and investment and practices that pose a threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy interests in the region. The Trump Administration is working to ensure...