Ezulwini: An estimated 6 000 Muslims have migrated from Eswatini since the event of the political unrest in 2021. This was disclosed by Saed Matsebula one of the record keepers at the main mosque at Ezulwini. Matsebula says registered members of the Muslim faith were recorded at 25 000 in 2019 but that number has since dwindled to about 19 000.
According to Matsebula, “in the past Eswatini has had a very peaceful and stable business climate. This allowed many Asians to open up various businesses in the kingdom. A majority of the Asian business people are practicing Muslims. Unfortunately due to the recent political unrest that began in June, many Asian businesses were closed down after they were burnt and heavily looted by members of the various communities around the kingdom.”
Matsebula contends that “the epicenter for most of the economic disruption was Matsapha and Manzini. After the destruction of their businesses, many Muslims decided to move elsewhere like the Republic of South Africa (RSA), Mozambique, and Asia. The Mbabane Mosque used to have more than 300 members and now that number has dwindled to about 180 members. This is bad as the closing of businesses weakens the economy. Many Asians are selling their businesses in Matsapha and Manzini” he said.
Matsebula went on to say “it is also important to mention that COVID-19 is also a major factor in the exodus because when the epidemic started in early 2020 a lot of Muslims saw a lack of proper healthcare in the kingdom. This included the lack of COVID-19 medication and oxygen at the various hospitals. This caused panic and many Muslims decided to move back to their home countries for safety reasons with their families. However, in recent months such healthcare issues have been addressed as the government is trying to control and contain the spread of the virus with some successes.”
Eswatini has nine Mosques they are situated in Manzini, Mbabane, Pigg’s Peak, Matsapha, Big Bend, Ezulwini, Nhlangano, Siteki, and Matsamo but these establishments are not operating to full capacity. The Islamic Youth League spokesperson, Eric Sule Matra said that all Mosques have reported a drop in attendance since the recent political unrest in the kingdom.
