Covid-positive eSwatini Prime Minister taken to South Africa for treatment

Eswatini Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini has been transferred to neighbouring South Africa for medical treatment after contracting Covid-19, according to government officials.

"To guide and fast track the recovery, a decision has been taken that he be transferred to a South African hospital this afternoon," said Deputy Prime Minister Masuku in a statement on Wednesday.

The 52-year-old prime minister actually tested positive for the virus more than two weeks ago, but was reportedly doing well and asymptomatic.

Formerly known as Swaziland, Africa's last absolute monarchy has had 122 deaths out of the 6,400 cases in the kingdom of 1.2 million people.

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But not everyone was pleased that Dlamini was sent to South Africa.

South Africa-based Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN), a civil society organization, said the prime minister was getting special treatment by being moved to a country with better healthcare.

"He too should go to a hospital in Swaziland (eSwatini) so that he can fully understand what Swazis go through every time they go to hospital," the SSN said in a statement.

Eswatini has a national poverty rate of 63 percent and unemployment rate of 41 percent, according to the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs, and ranked 138 out of 187 countries in the 2019 UN Human Development Index.