Eswatini’s King Mswati III used his Easter message to the Southern African nation to condemn and exclude LGBTQ+ people, declaring that they will never be welcome in the country as long as he remains on the throne.
According to local media, the inflammatory and deeply un-Christian remarks were made in the town of Lobamba on Saturday during a Good Friday prayer service.
Reports quoted the king as stating that homosexuality is “an evil act” in the “spirit of Sodom and Gomorrah”. He further asserted that gay and lesbian people would never be allowed in Eswatini while he remains king.
Social Media Reaction to the King’s Remarks
The publication Swaziland News reported that its post about the king’s comments attracted more than a million views across social media platforms within the first 24 hours.
The outlet claimed that many readers in Eswatini, South Africa, and other Southern African Development Community countries praised the king for his stance against gays and lesbians.
LGBTQ Organisation Condemns “Irresponsible” Statements
The advocacy group Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities (ESGM), which has spent years in a legal battle fighting for official government registration, strongly condemned the king’s remarks, describing them as irresponsible and deeply harmful.
“At a time when the country should be advancing dignity, inclusion, and equality for all, it is both alarming and deeply disappointing to witness national leadership publicly target an already vulnerable minority group,” said ESGM.
“These remarks do not exist in isolation. They come within a wider and increasingly dangerous environment in which anti-LGBTIQ+ rhetoric from leadership is producing real and harmful consequences in the lives of Emaswati.”
Minister’s Earlier Comments Spark Concern
ESGM also noted that the king’s comments followed remarks made in January by Owen Nxumalo, the country’s Minister of Education and Training.
Nxumalo claimed that school learners in the southern African nation were being “coerced” into homosexuality.
He also told scholars and staff that same-sex relationships had no place in schools because they conflicted with religious beliefs and cultural traditions.
“The impact of such reckless and discriminatory messaging has already been felt, including in the reported expulsion of six girl children from school,” said ESGM.
“This is a grave violation of children’s rights and a dangerous example of how harmful public statements from leadership can directly translate into exclusion, stigma, and abuse.”
LGBTQ Community Warns of Rising Hostility
The organisation warned that the words of the king carry even greater weight and have the potential to intensify hostility, discrimination and violence against sexual and gender minorities across the country.
It argued that invoking biblical references such as Gomorrah and sodomy only serves to fuel “fear, moral panic, and public hostility, while ignoring the real issues being raised by sexual and gender minorities in the country.”
ESGM called on the country’s leadership to reject fear and misinformation and instead choose knowledge, dialogue and constitutional accountability.
Eswatini’s Record on LGBTQ Rights
Eswatini remains one of the world’s last absolute monarchies and has a poor record on human rights.
Although authorities rarely enforce the law, men “suspected” of sodomy can still be arrested without a warrant under the Criminal Procedure Act of 1938.
