Eswatini opposition youth leader claims he was banned from US embassies after a protest

Posted on September 20, 2025
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Eswatini opposition youth leader claims he was banned from US embassies after a protest

Mapaballo Borotho

Eswatini government
Image: iStock Images
  • Eswatini opposition youth leader Sakhile Nxumalo says he has been banned from entering US embassies after a protest in Pretoria.
  • Nxumalo, COSATU and the SACP marched to the American Embassy, demanding an end to deportations of convicted criminals to Eswatini.
  • The groups gave the US 30 days to respond to their demands, warning the deportations fuel crime across Southern Africa.

The president of Eswatini’s largest opposition party youth wing, Sakhile Nxumalo, says he has been barred from entering any US embassy following a protest in Pretoria.

Nxumalo, joined by COSATU and the SACP, marched to the American Embassy on Friday, demanding that the US stop deporting convicted criminals to Eswatini. 

While embassy officials refused to receive their memorandum at the gates, a few leaders were allowed inside.

Tensions escalated when Nxumalo insisted on getting the memorandum signed. He claims he was kicked out after officials declined, telling him he would no longer be allowed inside any US embassy.

The organisations have given the US 30 days to respond to their demand to repatriate five convicted criminals recently deported to Eswatini, a move critics warn is putting the entire Southern African region at greater risk amid rising crime rates.

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