By Kwanele Dhladhla
There has been a unanimous call for government’s motto of Nkwe (promptly addressing issues of national importance) to also apply in declaring Gender Based Violence (GBV) as a national emergency following a revelation by Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) that 4 700 GBV cases were recorded in 10 months.
Out of the 4,700 cases reported between April 2024 and January 2025, 894 were rape cases. The rape cases rose from 823 between April 2023 and January 2024.
During the same period in the past financial year, the total number of GBV cases recorded was 4,359 which translated to an increase of eight per cent.
Comparatively, GBV cases increased by 341 over the past year.
“The police service will continue rolling out of programmes to mitigate GBV together with other stakeholders which include educating various communities and strategic stakeholders on Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV),
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conducting awareness campaigns and prioritizing investigation of such cases to ensure timely arrest of offenders,” committed National Commissioner of Police (NATCom) Manoma Masango in the REPS annual performance report.
One Billion Rising Africa Regional Coordinator Colani Hlatshwako said there was a high possibility that statistics collated by REPS were not a true reflection of the dire situation on the ground because some cases remain unreported.
She said there was a strong likelihood that the numbers were higher than what has been reported hence the need to declare GBV a national emergency.
She stated that there were a number of misconceptions associated with GBV that ought to be dispelled in society.
“We really need to intensify our strategies in strengthening law enforcement. As One Billion Rising we have adopted quite a number of strategies to improve economic empowerment because poverty also plays a part in perpetuating GBV,” said Hlatshwako.
She went on to point out that the surge in GBV cases has a negative effect on the economy through discouraging Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
“The country has adopted a Nkwe approach. Therefore, Nkwe should also apply in declaring GBV as a national emergency.
Nkwe must apply in budgets and programmes aimed at eliminating GBV as well,” Hlatshwako urged.
Swaziland Action Against Abuse (SWAGAA) Director Nonhlanhla Dlamini condemned the continuous increase of GBV cases especially those involving children.
She disclosed that the cases reported to SWAGAA on GBV were also on the rise despite frantic efforts to implement rigorous campaigns aimed at eliminating GBV in the kingdom.
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Dlamini said it was very disturbing and disgusting to learn that a majority of the cases reported to SWAGAA lately involved children below the five-years old.
“This is disgusting to say the least. GBV must end now. In fact, it is high time we declare GBV as a national emergency,” Dlamini emphasized.
She explained that it would be important to declare GBV as a national emergency because it would get every stakeholder on board with intent to maximize on preventative measures.
The director said there was also an urgent need to develop a special task team that would unearth the causes of GBV.
