PM Eswatini State Dies Of COVID-19 In South Africa

JAKARTA - Prime Minister (PM) Eswatini, Amborse Dlamini who was positive for COVID-19 last November, died today in South Africa. The news mourned the last monarchy in Africa.

"Your Excellency has ordered that I notify the country of the sadness and death of His Excellency PM Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini," Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku was quoted as saying by CNA, Monday, December 14.

"The PM died this afternoon while undergoing medical treatment at a hospital in South Africa," Masuku said, adding that Dlamini was a person infected with the new coronavirus and a person without symptoms.

However two weeks after testing positive, his health deteriorated. At that time Dlamini was just beginning to be given serious medical care at a hospital in South Africa. Unfortunately, his life could not be helped.

As is well known, Dlamini is a businessman who was appointed as PM in October 2018. Dlamini also became a government official from a country that was formerly Swaziland.

In the monarchy, more than 39 percent of the population in Eswatini was below the poverty line in 2016-2017 according to the World Bank. Poverty is the reason why the handling of COVID-19 has not been optimal.

So far the country has recorded 6,714 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Among them, there were 127 cases who died.