Eswatini News

Mbabane – When Simangele Dlamini was diagnosed with a pre-cancerous cervical lesion, all the 50-year-old mother from Mankayane in Eswatini could think about was the welfare of her children. “My husband died in 2017 and I didn’t know who would raise them if I died of cancer,” she recalls.

Instead, Dlamini benefited from a multi-pronged strategy by the Government of Eswatini to curb cancers affecting women. Cervical cancer incidence in the country, at 84.5 per 100 000 women, is the highest in the world and compounded by the country’s high HIV burden. 

The Multi-Country Assignment Team (MCAT) - South Africa Hub, covering South Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Botswana, held a significant retreat from March 6-8, 2024. This event, hosted in South Africa, aimed to strengthen the coordination and operational modalities of MCATs to deliver strategic high-level technical assistance to these countries.

Mbabane – Marcia Motsa, a human-resources professional and mother of two, from Manzini, Eswatini, started her journey with blood donation during high school, when the local blood bank visited and provided detailed information about the process. Although she stopped donating after school as work and family shifted her focus, in 2023 her commitment was reignited by a presentation given by the Ministry of Health at her workplace. 

Mbabane – It was an enormous relief to mother Jabumkhaliphi Sifundza when her ten-year-old daughter, Nozweno, was vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV). She’d heard about the vaccine on social media and wanted to do everything possible to protect Nozweno from cervical cancer.

The Eswatini World Health Organization (WHO) Representative Dr Susan Tembo presented her credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations Honorable Thuli Dhladhla.