SAIIA podcast 16: Swaziland, Southern Africa’s Forgotten Crisis

In this podcast, SAIIA looks at the upcoming national elections in the Kingdom of Swaziland. The first round of elections began against the backdrop of continuing economic difficulties in Swaziland. The final round of parliamentary elections will take place on 20 September 2013 and King Mswati III, Africa’s last absolute monarch, will subsequently appoint a new government.

We speak with Alex Vines, Head of the Africa Programme at Chatham House. He and his colleagues have just released a report on the political and economic landscape in Swaziland, based on their recent field work there.

Click on the video above to watch the interview, or click here to download the audio podcast version on Podhoster.

We ask him:

  • Your report is entitled: “Swaziland: Southern Africa’s Forgotten Crisis.” Why a crisis?
  • You say the situation is unsustainable. I presume you mean in part economically. Can you elaborate?
  • King Mswati III’s recently talked about his country being a “monarchical democracy”? What did he mean?
  • Parliamentary elections are due to take place on the 20th of September. What can we expect from the ballot?
  • What can South Africa and the international community at large do to improve the governance situation in Swaziland?
  • In the report you say that Swaziland might have much to learn from Bhutan and Nepal. Can you tell us why?

This is number 16 in a series of video interviews by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).

Related materials

Video © Yarik Turianskyi, Riona Judge McCormack/SAIIA
The views expressed in this multimedia are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).

8 Sep 2013

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