Kingdom Of Swaziland Research Articles

Rural Roads and Agricultural Development in Swaziland

The objective of this study was to examine the importance of managing and maintaining the quality of rural roads to support agricultural and rural development in the Kingdom of Swaziland, to facilitate the distribution of agricultural products and its accessibility to the population. A structured questionnaire survey was used to collect both secondary and primary data sources, to fill the key information gaps through random sampling method. The data collected were tabulated and analysed through Excel programme on the Microsoft programme. The findings revealed that local residents were not exposed to new and dynamic flow of opportunities that can enhance their livelihood by providing them with better access to education, medical facilities and markets through rural roads. The study concluded that rural roads are critical in supporting both rural and agricultural development for improved socio economic conditions of the people.

Telecommunications in the Kingdom of Swaziland

The Kingdom of Swaziland is a small, land-locked absolute monarchy, lying between the republics of South Africa and Mozambique. Its principal telecommunications operator is a wireless service provider owned jointly by the MTN Group, the government and the royal household. It competes with SPTC, the state-owned fixed operator. Together with the royal household, Swazi MTN has blocked SPTC from offering cellular and even fixed wireless services. While there is now a regulator, the system of governance is subject to the whims and financial interests of the sovereign, with little regard for the needs of his subjects or for the economic growth of Swaziland.

‘It Depends on Them’ – Exploring Order and Disjuncture in Responding to the Local Needs of AIDS Affected Communities in the Kingdom of Swaziland

Though the role of global–local partnerships in the HIV/AIDS response has been widely advocated, many social theorists question their ability to promote sustainable change in the lives of everyday communities. This is often related to the distance between policy and governance structures, and, the realities of life in AIDS affected communities. This article unpacks the specifics of this ‘distance’ in the context of the HIV/AIDS response in the Kingdom of Swaziland. A framework applies the notions of ‘order and disjuncture’ to structure a discussion of policy documents and a thematic analysis of focus group data with participants who ‘live’ the outputs of policies enabled by global–local partnerships. Findings uncover that programming and community difficulties emerge around assumptions about responsibility (which link back to international discourses on volunteerism) and actual requirements for supporting community life in the context of the pandemic.

Antibodies against Duvenhage Virus in Insectivorous Bats in Swaziland

Several rabies-related lyssaviruses have been associated with bat species in southern Africa, the rarest of these being Duvenhage virus (DUVV), for which only five isolations have been made over five decades. Three of these were from human fatalities, and it is not known which bat species acts as reservoir. In studying a population of Nycteris thebaica in the kingdom of Swaziland, a landlocked country bordering Mozambique and South Africa, we found evidence of the circulation of a lyssavirus. Virus-neutralization assays indicated DUVV-neutralizing antibodies in 30% of the sera collected from this population of N. thebaica, providing the first indication of a Duvenhage virus circulating in this particular species and the first evidence of a bat lyssavirus circulating in Swaziland bats.

Suffer the children

In a troubled country such as the Kingdom of Swaziland, where 31% of adults are HIV-positive and the unemployment rate is 47%, no one is more vulnerable than the children. One marker is the number of orphans within the nation, an estimated 101 000, or 8.4% of the total population. Of those, about

Cultural and societal obstacles in responding to Swaziland’s HIV epidemic

New statistics indicate the HIV epidemic in the Kingdom of Swaziland has stabilized in the past five years, but the country still has the highest HIV prevalence in the world. Phase one of the Swaziland HIV Incidence Measurement Survey indicated that 31% of adults aged 18–49 are HIV-positive ([www

Cape Verde, Namibia, and Kingdom of Swaziland: Selected Issues Paper on the Challenges of Small Middle-Income Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

Cape Verde, Namibia, and Kingdom of Swaziland: Selected Issues Paper on the Challenges of Small Middle-Income Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

Responding to Swaziland’s dual epidemic

They made antiretrovirals free. They ran publicity campaigns, encouraging people to get tested and use condoms. They screened donated blood. But still, a dual epidemic persisted. In the struggle to overcome the world’s highest prevalence of both HIV and tuberculosis (TB), the Kingdom of Swaziland

Patrimonialism (neo) and the Kingdom of Swaziland: employing a case study to rescale a concept

There is a growing recognition that the concept neopatrimonialism is deeply flawed. An emergent critical literature is highlighting its conceptual expansiveness and drift. Many authors within this literature are calling for the concept to be jettisoned altogether. This article, illustrating its central contentions with a case study of patrimonialism in the Kingdom of Swaziland, joins the chorus of critiques against the concept. Instead of entirely dismissing the concept however, argues that it should be rescaled back to Weber's core idea of legitimate domination and that the appended ‘neo’ should be dropped. Moreover, since it is a thin concept, it has little analytical leverage on its own and needs to be grounded in robust theoretical frameworks.

Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among primary schoolchildren in areas devoid of sanitation in northwestern Kingdom of Swaziland, Southern Africa

Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs) including helminths and protozoa are estimated to affect around 3.5 billion people globally and 450 million are ill as a result of these infections, the majority being children.1 Several studies have indicated that geohelminth and/or some protozoa infections may result in impairments in physical, intellectual and cognitive development.2 Like other developing countries, IPIs are a major health problem in the Kingdom of Swaziland (KS). This study intends to explore IPIs status of primary schoolchildren living in areas devoid of sanitation in northwestern KS so as to improve Swazi children health. Geographically, KS can be divided into High- (1200 m), Middle- (600 m) and Lowveld (250 m). Participant schoolchildren from four primary schools including three schools located in the High- (school A), Middle- (school B) and Lowveld areas (school C) of the Hhohho Province as well as one school (school D) located in the Lowveld area of the Manzini Province were selected (Fig. 1) after informed consent was obtained from parents/guardians. In total, 267 fresh stool samples (boys: 115 stool samples, girls: 152 stool samples) were obtained for examination of IPIs by using merthiolate-iodine-formalin concentration method.3 Ethical approval (Ref. no. MH 599B) was obtained from the Health Ministry. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software system (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Figure 1 A schematic illustration of the different biological phenomena of mother-newborn immune interaction which can theoretically affect newborn immune responses to microbial antigens. The present study found that 32.2% (86/267) of schoolchildren in northwestern KS are infected predominantly by intestinal protozoan parasites, e.g. pathogenic (20.6%, 55/267) and non-pathogenic (11.2%, 30/267) protozoa instead of soil-transmitted helminths (Table 1) and all of these pathogenic protozoa, e.g. amoeba, B. hominis and G. lamblia can cause gastrointestinal illness of varying severity and consequence.4 Polyparasitism, e.g. dual (7.5%, 20/267) and triple infections (2.6%, 7/267) Table 1) particularly on different pathogenic and non-pathogenic protozoan co-infections in KS schoolchildren living in High-, Middle or Lowveld areas is very common, reflecting the very possibility that those schoolchildren lack home sanitation and thus have greater opportunities to contact contaminated soil and infected water when taking care of body hygiene and domestic activities.5 Therefore, key measures would be in improving environmental sanitation to prevent intestinal pathogenic protozoan and helminthic infections but also properly treating infected schoolchildren by considering adding praziquantel and/or metronidazole to mebendazole- or albendazole-alone regular deworming regimens to KS schoolchildren. Diagnostics for IPIs in most of the hospital medical laboratories seemed problematic because all of them used an insensitive direct wet smear method which is unable to detect small-sized helminthic ova and protozoan cysts/trophozoites. This led to low/no detection rates of IPIs in KS schoolchildren. A more sensitive merthiolate-iodine-formalin method was recommended to replace direct wet smear method to be used as the detection system for IPIs in KS to greatly improve the detection rate of IPIs. Table 1 Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among primary schoolchildren in northwestern Kingdom of Swaziland, Southern Africa

A Short Note on Telecommunications in the Kingdom of Swaziland

Swaziland is the last remaining absolute monarchy in Africa, though with parallels to Morocco. It faces immense challenges, with a weak economy, a fiscal crisis created by the King and his cronies, plus the highest level of HIV/AIDS infections in Africa. The arrangements for the telecommunications are of considerable complexity. A state-owned fixed operator is largely moribund, sustained by the revenues from a joint venture and partial ownership of the sole mobile operator. That mobile operator is partially owned by some shadowy Swazi investors, by the King and by the Pan-Africa MTN Group. The state-owned fixed operator has attempted to regain some initiative but this has been thwarted by the combined efforts of the King, his ministers and the mobile operator, apparently for personal financial gain.There have been acrimonious disputes, legal actions and arbitration concerning the provision of 3G services, fixed wireless services and allowing the mobile operator its own international gateway. A claim by the Prime Minister that the state-owned operator had been taken over by the Mafia led to a parliamentary inquiry which alleged an ungodly relationship between the various actors.In October 2011, the King appointed a new minister with responsibility for telecommunications who immediately replaced the directors of the state-owned fixed incumbent operator. In turn they appointed new directors to the board of the some mobile operator. The only remaining dispute concerned legislation in the parliament, where the two operators were proposing opposing amendments to the government bill.There is no system for the governance for telecommunication markets in Swaziland. To appease foreign agencies the government will, rather slowly, adopt examples of good practice and then fail to implement them (e.g., Public Enterprises Act and Prevention of Corruption Act). The two operators fight over the spoils or to disadvantage one another, but do not compete in any recognizable way.

High Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis, Swaziland, 2009–2010

In Africa, although emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) represents a serious threat in countries severely affected by the HIV epidemic, most countries lack drug-resistant TB data. This finding was particularly true in the Kingdom of Swaziland, which has the world's highest HIV and TB prevalences. Therefore, we conducted a national survey in 2009-2010 to measure prevalence of drug-resistant TB. Of 988 patients screened, 420 new case-patients and 420 previously treated case-patients met the study criteria. Among culture-positive patients, 15.3% new case-patients and 49.5% previously treated case-patients harbored drug-resistant strains. MDR TB prevalence was 7.7% and 33.8% among new case-patients and previously treated case-patients, respectively. HIV infection and past TB treatment were independently associated with MDR TB. The findings assert the need for wide-scale intervention in resource-limited contexts such as Swaziland, where diagnostic and treatment facilities and health personnel are lacking.

Kingdom of Swaziland - Assessment Letter for Multilateral and Bilateral Donors

This letter provides an assessment of recent macroeconomic developments in Swaziland and an update on the discussions between IMF staff and the Swaziland authorities. Swaziland faces a fiscal crisis caused by an 11 percent of GDP drop in revenue payments from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and one of the largest wage bills in Africa. In response, the authorities have put in place an ambitious Fiscal Adjustment Roadmap and requested IMF staff to monitor its implementation. The IMF Managing Director approved a Staff-Monitored Program with Swaziland on April 4, 2011, that seeks to start the necessary fiscal adjustment, while protecting education, health, and pro-poor spending and improving public financial management. Securing adequate financing in 2011/12 will be critical to avert a more severe fiscal situation.

Kingdom of Swaziland: 2010 Article IV Consultation--Staff Report; Staff Supplement; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for Swaziland

"Volume 2011 (2011): Issue 025 (Jan 2011): Kingdom of Swaziland: 2010 Article IV Consultation—Staff Report; Staff Supplement; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director for Swaziland" published on 24 Jan 2011 by International Monetary Fund.

Kingdom of Swaziland: Staff Monitored Program-Staff Report; Staff Supplement

Kingdom of Swaziland: Staff Monitored Program-Staff Report; Staff Supplement

Characterization of the July 2007 Swaziland fire disaster using satellite remote sensing and GIS

Data from the NASA'S MODIS (Aqua and Terra) and EUMETSAT'S MSG-SEVIRI satellite sensors is analysed to characterise the geographic and temporal (including diurnal) evolution of the July 2007 fire disaster in the Kingdom of Swaziland using a geographic information system (GIS). Significant fire activity was observed during a three-day period beginning on the 27th July 2007. A total of 1358 and 4365 active fire hotpots were detected by MODIS and MSG-SEVIRI, respectively, mainly concentrated in the Highveld (70.91% for MODIS, 89.89% for MSG) and Middleveld (11.27% for MODIS, 5.23% for MSG) with MSG/MODIS active fire count ratio ranging from a high of 3.69 in the Highveld to a low of 0.06 in the Lubombo Plateau. The results indicate complex differences in spatial fire distribution, behaviour and risk within the country and the effect of sensor differences. A pronounced fire diurnal cycle with a broad afternoon peak centred on 14:00 local time is observed, in general agreement with observations from the region. Despite their limitations, the study demonstrates the importance and usefulness of remotely sensed data and GIS technology for fire disaster and risk assessment for a developing country, where fire monitoring resources are scarce.

The Kingdom of Swaziland: 2007 Article IV Consultation: Staff Report; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director

The Kingdom of Swaziland: 2007 Article IV Consultation: Staff Report; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director

Decision support systems for managing the water resources of the Komati River Basin

The Komati River Basin is a trans‐boundary watercourse shared by the Republic of South Africa (RSA), the Kingdom of Swaziland (KoS) and the Republic of Mozambique. The Komati Basin Water Authority (KOBWA) is charged with the management of the river basin under a treaty signed between RSA and Swaziland of which consent was given by Mozambique in a separate Agreement. KOBWA developed Decision Support Systems (DSS) to manage the system. These include DSS for: (i) long‐term water allocation (yield model) between the countries, (ii) short‐term water allocation (rationing model), and (iii) day‐to‐day water release (hydraulics model). An extensive water‐monitoring program has been put in place to improve the effectiveness of these DSSs. There has been a wide acceptance of the DSS by the users in the basin since the DSSs enable water users and water managers to make transparent water management decisions. This paper describes the three DSSs including the institutional framework on which these are applied.

Water, sanitation and sustainability: lessons from a community project

This paper captures the lessons learned from the implementation of water supply and sanitation interventions in Mayiwane community in the rural northeastern region of the Kingdom of Swaziland, relating to water system rehabilitation, water quantity and quality improvements, and the promotion of latrine construction. The issues examined include both the dimensions of implementation efficiency and project effectiveness: first identifying the inputs, activities and final outputs and, then, tracking the entire project cycle, from design to implementation and monitoring. To draw meaningful lessons for the sustainability of similar interventions, project evaluation involved extensive fieldwork, water sampling and testing, review of documentation, and interviews with community members and officials of governmental, civil society and collaborating external agencies.

The Kingdom of Swaziland: 2006 Article IV Consultation: Staff Report; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director

The Kingdom of Swaziland: 2006 Article IV Consultation: Staff Report; Public Information Notice on the Executive Board Discussion; and Statement by the Executive Director