Mbabane – Her Royal Highness Princess Lindiwe believed that unity and putting the interests of Eswatini first were central to effective leadership, a message she shared with His Majesty King Mswati III during a courtesy call in 2023.
The late Minister of Home Affairs made the remarks at Mandvulo Grand Hall, Lozitha, when she briefed His Majesty on the ministry’s efforts to take government services closer to the people, following His Majesty’s message at the 2023 Sibaya (People’s Parliament).
Princess Lindiwe recalled His Majesty’s message that government services should be brought closer to the people. She told the King that the Ministry of Home Affairs had responded by taking services directly to communities through “mopping-up” exercises, where emaSwati were registered in different chiefdoms and their needs for government services identified.
She said the work of taking services to the people should continue until it reached excellence.
“What I pray and wish for Eswatini is unity from ordinary citizens, members of Parliament up until Cabinet Ministers, that when they are working and work collaboratively. The interest of the country must come first,” she said.
The statement, made three years before her death, has taken on renewed significance following her passing on September 17, 2026, after a short illness while receiving medical treatment. Her death was announced by the Government, which described her as a dedicated public servant who had served as Minister of Home Affairs since 2018.
Her message was not limited to a call for unity among political and government leaders. Princess Lindiwe placed ordinary emaSwati at the beginning of that call, saying unity should stretch from citizens to Members of Parliament and Cabinet Ministers.
She also emphasised collaboration, saying leaders should work together rather than separately, with the interests of the country taking precedence.
Taking services to the people
The issue of bringing government services closer to emaSwati was a significant part of the Princess’s message to the King.
She explained that the ministry had embarked on mopping-up exercises in different communities to identify and register people who did not have the necessary civil documents.
The exercise was part of a wider effort during her tenure to expand access to civil registration and other Home Affairs services.
Government records show that the ministry’s work includes immigration, citizenship, birth, marriage and death registration, refugee protection and national identity services. The ministry has also expanded registration and other services to Tinkhundla centres.
The 2023 Civil Registration Act was also part of the ministry’s modernisation of the civil registration system. The broader reforms were aimed at strengthening the registration of births, marriages and deaths and improving access to legal identity.
The national “mopping-up” campaign subsequently took registration services into communities, with the Government reporting that more than 30 000 vulnerable emaSwati had received birth certificates for the first time.
The initiative reflected the principle Princess Lindiwe had explained to the King — that services should reach citizens rather than citizens continually having to travel to access Government.
Border gates
During the same 2023 engagement, Princess Lindiwe also raised the concerns of emaSwati regarding the operating hours of border gates.
She referred to issues raised during Sibaya, including concerns over the early closure of the Lavumisa Border Gate and the impact this had on business people.
She said the introduction of 24-hour operations at Ngwenya Border Gate demonstrated what could be achieved when services responded to the needs of the public.
She indicated that the approach should extend to other border gates, saying this would make it easier for emaSwati involved in trade to conduct their businesses and contribute to the growth of the economy.
Government’s account of the development of Home Affairs services records Ngwenya as having become a 24-hour border post in 2021, while other border posts have also had their operating hours extended over time.
A minister who spoke about unity
Princess Lindiwe’s emphasis on unity was also evident in her public work outside the 2023 meeting with the King.
In July 2023, while unveiling the 55/55 Double Celebration logo, she urged emaSwati to heed His Majesty’s call to work collectively to build the country in unity and respect. The celebration was themed around fostering unity, peace and prosperity.
Her message to the King therefore fitted into a broader public emphasis on cooperation and national unity during her tenure.
But in her 2023 remarks at Lozitha, she placed the responsibility across the whole country from ordinary citizens to MPs and Cabinet Ministers.
Eight years at Home Affairs
Princess Lindiwe was appointed into Parliament and as Minister of Home Affairs in 2018, positions she retained in 2023. She was the daughter of His Majesty King Sobhuza II and was also a pastor and leader of the Ladies Ministry at Jesus Calls Worship Centre alongside her husband, Apostle Robert Kasaro.
During her tenure, Home Affairs remained responsible for some of the country’s most sensitive public functions, including citizenship, immigration, civil registration, identity documents and border administration.
Her tenure also saw increased attention on the integrity of national identity documents and allegations of maladministration within the ministry.
In 2024, Princess Lindiwe told Parliament’s Portfolio Committee that her administration would address corruption and malpractice within the ministry. Recent reporting on her death noted that investigations into alleged unlawful issuance of national identity documents were among the issues the ministry had been addressing.
Remembered for service
Following her death, the Ministry of Home Affairs described Princess Lindiwe as a leader whose dedication, humility and service to His Majesty, the Kingdom and its people had left an enduring legacy.
The ministry extended condolences to Their Majesties, the Kasaro Family, the Royal Family, colleagues, fellow Christians and friends.
Her church community, the Free Evangelical Assemblies, also paid tribute to her, remembering her contribution to the Church and the nation.
The family has announced that condolences for the late Princess may be conveyed at the Kasaro Family Home in Sidvokodvo from Monday, September 21, 2026.
Her death has come as the country continues to mourn the loss of other senior public figures, including Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala, who was laid to rest this weekend .
Three years after Princess Lindiwe told the King what she wished for Eswatini, her words about unity, collaboration and putting the country first now form part of the public record of a minister who spent eight years at the centre of government’s efforts to provide citizens with identity, immigration and other essential services.
Her 2023 message was simple: “The interest of the country must come first.”
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