From My Notebook

Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a global movement dedicated to increasing awareness about one of the most common cancers affecting women. Beyond the ribbons and public events, October serves as a reminder of the importance of screening, early diagnosis, and access to quality treatment in saving lives. Breast cancer, when detected early, is often treatable, and survival rates improve significantly. Regular screening through mammograms, clinical breast exams, and self-examinations can make the difference between detecting cancer at an early, more manageable stage versus at an advanced stage when treatment becomes more complex. Early diagnosis not only increases the chances of survival but also reduces the physical, emotional, and financial burden on patients and their families. For this reason, women are encouraged to prioritize routine screening and seek medical attention immediately if they notice unusual changes such as lumps, pain, or discharge. Equally important as early detection is...

If there is one year that most people would like to quickly forget is the year 2021. The year has definitely left a lot of scars on most people, both in Eswatini and internationally. For us at Eswatini the year brought serious tragedies, economically, politically, and socially. When we started the year we had hoped on recovering from last year's effects of the COVID 19, but it was not to be. Just when the year began, we lost some of our political leaders, including Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini and Ministers of Public Service and Labour Christian Ntshangase and Makhosi Vilakati, respectively. We also lost some other influential people in the business sector on top of other community and family leaders. This alone qualifies the year to be one of the bad years and worth recording in our history books. As we were still focussing on the COVID 19 tragedy, another catastrophic tragedy hit the country, resulting in the deaths of some of emaSwati and destruction to property. For ...

Dear Sikuta Happy day my friend. It’s been a long while since we spoke. I hope you are doing fine and you survived the shooting and the burning that ravaged your beautiful happy hills village. Today I decided to pen this letter to check your understanding of the ongoing division in our village. I heard that mkhulu Sigavuza is being pushed out by some young directionless individuals who claim to have heard from ancestors that he was no longer fit to lead this village. I am happy my friend that what is happening in the village is what we have always warmed mkhulu Sigavuza about. It is clear that some of the “wise men” around him have become birdbrained. Their lack of intelligence has opened doors to these opportunists who now believe they can offer something better to the village. My friend, it has not come as a shock to me to hear some of mkhulu Sigavuza’s family members claiming to support those standing against him. Phela you will remember that when we grew up our grannie Dz...

I am frustrated. I guess the way I feel is not unique to myself, but to every parent who cares about the future of his/her child. For two years now, our children have remained home, without any education. Some of them have their future ruined forever because they got pregnant during this long stay at home. Others have also started indulging in substance abuse; such as alcohol, drugs, and marijuana. A sad situation indeed. When the COVID 19 pandemic hit our country last year everyone thought it was just for a few months and the situation will get back to normal, especially as far as schools were concerned. This was never be. Some schools started some makeshift arrangements that  will see children continuing with their education. But this only worked for a few children. Virtual learning has never been explored in the country before. We all preferred face-to-face training. Rural schools suffered the most. The events of the past five months in the country have made the situation worse ...

For the past five months, the Kingdom of Eswatini has experienced a serious political crisis that the country has never experienced since its independence in 1968. People's lives have been lost. State, Community, and Private property have been destroyed.  All this is happening in the name of politics and the cry for democracy. As a LiSwati this situation is devastating and making it difficult for one to even enjoy the joy of being referred to as such. Looking at the way things are happening it is clear that this country, which was once considered peaceful and loved by the international community because of its peace and stability, has reached a state of a jungle. We are now afraid of each other because we have suddenly become enemies. Before you talk you look around to see who is next to you because your dissenting views might lead to you being beaten or your home or property being burnt to ashes. Is this really what we want?  Is this the life we would want to live as a countr...

  Muzie Yende My name is Muzie Yende, a seasoned Swazi journalist and communicator. I have worked in the communications field for more than 28 years. I have worked for both leading daily and weekend newspapers in the Kingdom of Eswatini for 12 years, before moving into the public relations field where I have now worked for more than 16 years. My passion has always been in writing. Of late health communication and media consulting has found a place in my heart.  This blog is not going to be used to pin down or ridicule others but to share my sincere opinions on current issues. Your opinions and comments will be valued as we discuss issues. Let us kick off.