TANELE MASEKO

Campaigning Award | Nominee | Freedom of Expression Awards

Tanele Maseko is a human rights defender and widow of the assassinated Swazi human rights lawyer, Thulani Maseko who was killed outside their home on the evening of 21 January 2023. Since then, Tanele has been advocating for justice for him and other Swazi activists who have been killed or persecuted. Prior to this assassination, Thulani has previously been targeted, after he was imprisoned in 2014 for criticising the judiciary and later released in 2015.

She has established the Thulani Maseko Foundation, which focuses on the preservation and maintenance of Thulani’s legacy for the protection of human rights, the rule of law, and accountable governance in Eswatini and various other parts of the globe. Tanele has also established Survivors Sanctuary, where she provides support to other widows, partners and family members who have lost their loved ones as a result of their human rights work. Through this community, she has managed to form a strong network of support with other women from Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Russia, and South Africa.

As a result of her campaigning, Tanele has been targeted by authorities, through increased surveillance and harassment, with her work being described as “treasonous”. On 27 March 2024, Tanele was arrested in front of her children and sister after she returned to Eswatini. Her passport was flagged by immigration officials as “belonging to a most wanted person”. She was held for over five hours where her mobile phone and passport were confiscated.

“No amount of prison, certainly no amount of killing will silence us and until freedom is gained in Swaziland, I will be on the road to justice. We shall never surrender.”