MBABANE – Women continue to bear the brunt of discrimination, inheritance disputes and exclusion from property rights in Eswatini.
This is according to figures presented by the Commission on Human Rights and Public Administration, with new figures showing that females accounted for the majority of complaints received by the Commission during the first quarter of 2026.
The Commission’s latest complaints handling report, covering January to March 2026, revealed that most complainants across the country were women, highlighting growing concern over gender-based inequalities affecting widows, young women and vulnerable families.
In Hhohho, 24 women lodged complaints compared to 14 men, while Manzini recorded 19 female complainants against 15 males. Lubombo registered nine women and six men, with only Shiselweni recording more male complainants.
Many of the complaints related to land disputes, inheritance conflicts, traditional administrative matters and access to justice, issues that often place women at a disadvantage, particularly after the death of a husband or parent.
The report paints a picture of women increasingly turning to the Commission for protection against discriminatory practices that continue to surface within some community and family structures.
One of the cases highlighted involved a widow who faced demands from her local umphakatsi to provide a cow as settlement in a kukhonta dispute, despite her late husband having already fulfilled the obligations during his lifetime.
The widow reportedly struggled to convince traditional authorities that her husband had complied with the requirements before his death, leaving her vulnerable to further financial and social pressure.
After she approached the Commission, the institution intervened by engaging the chief’s council, which acted as the appellate structure in the matter.
The Commission based its intervention on constitutional protections guaranteeing equality, dignity and freedom from discrimination, while also invoking international human rights frameworks such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
The appellate body eventually ruled in favour of the widow, protecting her family from further demands and affirming her rights.
The case underscored the difficulties widows often face in asserting their rights within traditional dispute-resolution systems, particularly in matters linked to land, family security and customary obligations.
In another case exposing the gendered nature of inheritance disputes, the Commission intervened on behalf of two sisters who had allegedly been left homeless after their elder brother sold their late parents’ home without their consent.
The sisters, who had spent years living with relatives in South Africa, returned to Eswatini only to discover that the family property in Mbikwakhe had been sold after the death of their parents.
Despite reporting the matter to their local umphakatsi, they allegedly failed to receive assistance.
The Commission later engaged local authorities and stressed the importance of protecting women’s inheritance and housing rights.
Following the intervention, Zombodze umphakatsi ordered the removal of the buyer from the property, restoring the sisters’ access to their family home.
The cases reflect broader concerns around gender inequality and the vulnerability of women in disputes involving property ownership, inheritance and customary practices.
They also demonstrate the increasing role of the Commission in ensuring that women are not excluded from justice and that traditional governance systems operate in line with constitutional and international human rights protections.
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