Recognition of same-sex unions in Eswatini

Although the Minister of Justice has repeatedly stated that their policy is not to prosecute consenting adults,[1] discrimination and abuse "severely impact the lives of LGBT people in [Eswatini]".

[2] In 2009, activists from the Eswatini AIDS Support Organisation reported that many LGBT people were forced into opposite-sex "marriages of convenience".

"These people cheat on their spouses because they are not allowed to marry partners of the same sex", said Vusi Matsebula, a spokesperson for the organisation, who argued that "same-sex couples should be legally recognised and become involved in combating the disease.

"[3] In 2009, a lesbian couple, Pitseng Vilakati and Thuli Rudd, were publicly engaged in a ceremony held in Manzini.

[8] Nhlabatsi has called on activists to challenge the laws, "Therefore, the LGBTI community should push for the ammendment of the Constitution so that they are accommodated.

In May 2022, a spokesperson for the Communist Party of Swaziland, banned by King Mswati III in 2011 and headquartered in Mpumalanga, South Africa, criticised the government's opposition to LGBT rights.

The laws still discriminate against all groups outside heterosexual relations, marriages of LGBTI people remain banned", the spokesperson said.

[14] In May 2024, Archbishop Makgoba released a document recommending prayers for same-sex couples,[15] which the synod rejected in September.

The Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference will guide further on how such a blessing may be requested and granted to avoid the confusion the document warns against.