Pholile Dlamini Shakantu is a Liswati politician. She has been the Minister of Justice from 2018 and the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2023.

Life

Shakantu studied law at the

University of Eswatini The University of Eswatini (or UNESWA; formerly known as the University of Swaziland, or UNISWA) is the national university of Eswatini. It was established by act of parliament in 1982. The university is developed from the University of Botsw ...

and she has a law degree. She also has a master's degree from

Leeds Beckett University Leeds Beckett University (LBU), formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) and before that as Leeds Polytechnic, is a public university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has campuses in the Leeds city centre, city centre and Hea ...

in Leadership and Change Management. She was appointed to be the Minister of Justice by King

Mswati III Mswati III (born Makhosetive Dlamini; 19 April 1968) is the ''Ngwenyama'' (King) of Eswatini and head of the Swazi royal family. He heads an absolute monarchy, as he has veto power over all branches of government and is constitutionally immune fr ...

in 2018. She was appointed as a senator by the King on 5 November 2023 after the appointment of

Russell Dlamini Russell Mmiso Dlamini (born 23 October 1973) is a Liswati politician. He has been serving as Prime Minister of Eswatini since 7 November 2023. Early life and education Russell Mmiso Dlamini was born in Manzini, Eswatini (then known as Swaz ...

as the 12th Prime Minister to advise the king about new ministers. There are meant to be about thirty senators in Eswatini and she was one of twenty appointed by the King. Later on 13 November she was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 2024, Shakantu visited the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

(Taiwan) and Shakantu was received by President

Tsai Ing-wen Tsai Ing-wen (; pinyin: ''Cài Yīngwén''; born 31 August 1956) is a Taiwanese politician and legal scholar who served as the seventh president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2016 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Progressive Party ...

and Vice President

Lai Ching-te Lai Ching-te (; pinyin: ''Lài Qīngdé''; born 6 October 1959), also known as William Lai, is a Taiwanese politician and former physician who is currently serving as the eighth president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) since May 2024. He is ...

as an ally. Eswatini is the only remaining country in Africa that recognises the Republic of China. Tsai thanked Shakuntu for her country's support including speaking up at the United Nations. Shakuntu and Taiwan's Foreign Minister

Joseph Wu Wu Jaushieh (; born October 31, 1954), also known by his English name Joseph Wu, is a Taiwanese political scientist and diplomat currently serving as secretary-general of the National Security Council since 2024. He was formerly the foreign mi ...

signed an agreement reaffirming the two countries' close relationship. Over 25 years Taiwan's assistance to Eswatini is estimated to be worth more than two billion dollars. The Taiwan government started its own digital platform

TaiwanPlus TaiwanPlus is a public media company based in Taipei. Launched on 30 August 2021, it offers live streaming and an international television channel, delivering a variety of content, including news, lifestyle features, technology, travel shows, ent ...

in 2021.Government launches new English video platform Taiwan Plus, 2021
/ref> Shakuntu was shown TaiwanPlus by Deputy Digital Minister Yeh Ning, and they discussed how it could help co-operation and counter disinformation. Shakuntu is the founder and patron of the Eswatini Network of Women.

Criticism

Criticism published in South Africa alleges that the King, Shakuntu and her husband are involved with corruption.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shakantu, Pholile Living people Swazi lawyers Foreign ministers of Eswatini Justice ministers of Eswatini Women government ministers of Eswatini Year of birth missing (living people)