The Swaziland Rural Women’s Assembly (SRWA) has raised alarm over a disturbing increase in ritual killings targeting women and children across the country. The assembly says these brutal murders threaten the safety of vulnerable groups and violate basic human rights.
The statement, released on 29 May 2025 from the assembly’s office in Manzini, calls for urgent government intervention to address the crisis. SRWA demands the government declare ritual killings a national emergency and set up a specialized task force to investigate and prosecute those responsible.
The assembly also urges law enforcement to boost patrols in rural areas where women and children are most at risk. It calls for dismantling networks involved in the killings, including those who order and profit from them, insisting that no one should be above the law.
Public education campaigns are also part of the demands, aimed at dispelling harmful myths that fuel ritual murders and promoting respect for the lives of women and children. The assembly wants the government to support families affected by providing psychosocial and financial assistance.
SRWA appeals to all sectors of society—including youth, churches, civil organisations, and the international community—to unite in condemning these crimes and demanding justice. The assembly stresses that silence enables the violence to continue and declares: “Not one more life!”
The growing fear among communities is palpable as bodies of victims are found mutilated and discarded, sparking calls for immediate and decisive measures to protect the nation’s most vulnerable.
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