QUEEN MOTHER AND DPM ACCUSED OF DEFRAUDING WOMEN THROUGH SWEET SCHEME
Queen Ntombi Tfwala, mother of King Mswati III, and Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Thulisile Dladla stand accused of defrauding thousands of Eswatini women through the Swaziland Women Economic Empowerment Trust (SWEET). The alleged multimillion-rand fraud scandal has left many women, especially those in rural areas, financially devastated.
SWEET was established by Queen Ntombi with the stated aim of empowering women engaged in informal businesses such as selling handcrafts. To oversee the initiative, the Queen Mother appointed the DPM and former Central Bank Deputy Governor Sibongile Mdluli as members of the Board. However, allegations have surfaced that the Board, under Dladla’s leadership, orchestrated the looting of funds meant to uplift vulnerable women.
On Wednesday, women who had invested in the scheme gathered at the Manzini Library to collect what little remained of their investments. Many were left heartbroken after receiving as little as R25 despite investing R500 or more over a period of nearly a decade. For these women, SWEET represented hope for financial stability and growth, but its collapse has shattered that promise.
Efforts to hold the Board accountable have so far proven fruitless, with police reportedly failing to arrest those involved due to their political connections and influence. Critics argue that the lack of accountability highlights systemic corruption and the impunity enjoyed by powerful figures in Eswatini.
A questionnaire sent to DPM Thulisile Dladla, who also served as the SWEET Board Chairperson representing the Queen Mother, went unanswered at the time of compiling this report. The silence from the DPM and other Board members has further fueled public anger and calls for justice.
Sibongile Mazibuko, President of the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC), expressed disappointment at how the matter was handled, particularly after the Central Bank Governor had previously assured the public that they would recover their investments. “The Governor lied and gave emaSwati false hope,” Mazibuko said. She emphasized that under the current system, where the Queen Mother enjoys immunity from prosecution, ordinary Swazis have no recourse.
“That’s why as NNLC, we demand democracy where all who defraud the nation will face the wrath of the law. For now, emaSwati have nowhere to go since the organization belongs to the Queen Mother,” Mazibuko added.
The collapse of SWEET underscores the broader issues of corruption and lack of accountability in Eswatini’s governance. For many of the women who invested in SWEET, the scheme was not just an opportunity to grow their businesses but also a means of survival in an economy that offers few opportunities for rural entrepreneurs. The betrayal of their trust has left them financially and emotionally devastated.
The case has sparked renewed calls for systemic reforms, with activists and political leaders demanding greater transparency and accountability in public and private institutions. The impunity enjoyed by those connected to the monarchy has long been a source of frustration for ordinary citizens, who feel powerless in the face of systemic corruption.
As the scandal continues to unfold, the affected women are left to grapple with the loss of their investments and the reality that justice may remain out of reach. The SWEET debacle serves as yet another reminder of the urgent need for democratic reforms in Eswatini to ensure that those who exploit and defraud the public are held accountable, regardless of their status or connections.
The outcry over SWEET is not just about recovering lost investments—it is about addressing the systemic failures that allow such exploitation to occur in the first place. For the women who trusted SWEET, their struggle for justice is emblematic of the broader fight for transparency, accountability, and equality in Eswatini. The question remains: will their voices be heard, or will this scandal, like so many others, fade into obscurity without consequence?
