MBABANE – Phrases such as, “I thought today was a holiday,” and, “My boss says we’re working, what’s going on?” were common across Facebook and WhatsApp community groups, at least in the last few hours.
As confusion continued to grip parts of the nation over the uncertainty of whether July 22 remained a public holiday in honour of the late King Sobhuza II or not, the Ministry of Home Affairs remained resolute on that it was a normal working day, following the shift in the holiday calendar announced earlier this year by His Majesty King Mswati III.
The announcement was signed by Ministerial Communications Officer Mlandvo A. Dlamini, who also urged the public to refer to the official government gazette when in doubt regarding public holidays.
The Ministry acknowledged the public’s confusion but called for understanding, stating that the adjustment was made to consolidate national celebrations, honouring both King Sobhuza II’s legacy and the cultural contributions of the Lutsango regiment.
As it stands, July 22, 2025 is not a public holiday, and all businesses, government departments, and institutions are operating as normal.
On February 22, 2025, during the annual Buganu ceremony at Buhleni Royal Residence, the King declared March 10 as a new public holiday in honour of the Lutsango regiment. In his statement, His Majesty also announced that the traditional King Sobhuza II Day, previously observed on July 22, would be merged with the new Lutsango Day.
According to the King’s directive, the newly established holiday would fall on the Monday following the second leg of the Buganu ceremony at Hlane Royal Residence. This shift meant that the holiday commemorating both Lutsango and King Sobhuza II was effectively moved to March, not July.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said the holiday was gazetted on 10 March 2025, and that July 22 was no longer a public holiday in the gazette. Therefore, the ministry emphasized, today is to be treated as a normal working day across the country.
“July 22 is not a designated holiday,” the ministry statement clarified.
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