Mbabane– Government has committed E500 000 towards the funeral of late Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala, who will be accorded a State funeral after passing away on September 10, 2026.
Minister of Tinkhundla Administration and Development Sikhumbuzo Dlamini announced the decision on September16,2026 at Maphalala’s home in KaLiba, where mourners gathered to pay their respects to the former head of the Judiciary.
He said Government had added E400 000 to the E100 000 it had already pledged, bringing the total Government contribution towards the funeral arrangements to E500 000. He also conveyed Government’s condolences to the bereaved family.
The State funeral decision comes six days after Maphalala died on September 10, 2026, while receiving medical treatment at a hospital in South Africa following an illness.
Maphalala served as Chief Justice from November 2015 until his death, bringing nearly 11 years at the head of the country’s Judiciary to a close.
His appointment in 2015 marked a significant point in the country’s judicial history, as he became the first liSwati to permanently serve as Chief Justice.
Before taking the country’s highest judicial office, Maphalala was appointed to the High Court in 2009 and elevated to the Supreme Court in 2011. He subsequently served as chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission.
His legal career stretched beyond the courtroom. Before joining the Bench, he practised as an attorney through Maphalala and Company in Manzini from 1992 to 2009.
He also contributed to constitutional processes, serving on the Constitution Drafting Committee in 2002 and the Constitutional Review Commission in 1996. At regional level, he served as chairperson of the Southern and Eastern Africa Chief Justices’ Forum, a platform for judicial cooperation in the region.
Outside his judicial career, Maphalala also served as a traditional headman at KaGwegwe under the KoNtshingila chiefdom.
The announcement came as tributes continued at the KaLiba homestead, with representatives from several institutions within the justice system visiting the bereaved family.
Members of the Judiciary, Human Rights Commission, Magistracy and Attorney General’s Office were among those who paid their respects.
Also present were Dlamini, Minister for Housing and Urban Development Apollo Maphalala and Civil Service Commission Chairman Simanga Mamba.
Hon. Apollo Maphalala spoke of the personal relationship he shared with the late Chief Justice, saying that whenever they met, Maphalala treated him as one of his sons.
The tributes have come as the legal fraternity mourns the death of a Chief Justice who spent almost 11 years leading the Judiciary after rising through the country’s judicial ranks.
CJ becomes the latest prominent national figure to be accorded a State funeral, following former Prime Minister Prince Mabandla and former Deputy Prime Minister Constance Simelane, who were both honoured with State funerals in 2025.
Mabandla, who served as Eswatini’s third Prime Minister from 1979 to 1983, died in July 2025. He was accorded a State Memorial Service at New Zakhele Free Evangelical Assemblies on July 12, 2025, before being laid to rest at Ntfonjeni according to royal customs.
Simelane, Eswatini’s first female Deputy Prime Minister, also died in July 2025 and was accorded an official State Funeral Service at St Paul’s Methodist Church in Manzini.
The granting of a State funeral to Maphalala places the late Chief Justice among the country’s recent senior public figures to receive the honour.
Details of the funeral programme are expected to be communicated by Government and the bereaved family.
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