Prince Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini (15 May 1942 – 28 September 2018) was a Swazi politician who served as Prime Minister of Eswatini, from 1996 to 2003 and again from October 2008 to September 2018.
Career
Dlamini was a member of parliament from 1978 before becoming Minister of Finance from 1984 to 1993.[1] He was also an executive director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).[2] From 1996 to 2003, he was prime minister, and in 2003 he became a member of King Mswati III's advisory council.[3][4]
Following the September 2008 parliamentary election, Dlamini was reappointed as prime minister by Mswati III on 16 October 2008. Jan Sithole, the Secretary-General of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, was critical of the appointment, saying that Dlamini worked to "suppress political organisations and advance the strong rule of the monarchy" during his earlier period as prime minister; he also accused Dlamini of "strong-hand tactics and lack of respect for the rule of law". Opposition leader Mario Masuku, the President of the People's United Democratic Movement, said that Dlamini "was not appointed on merit but on his level of allegiance to the king".[3] Dlamini was sworn in by Chief Justice Richard Banda on 23 October 2008. He took the oath of office both in English and in SiSwati.[8]
In 2013, he was appointed for the third time in the ninth parliament.[9]
Personal life
Dlamini was married three times. His first wife was Jane Gezephi Matsebula, whom he married on 26 June 1970,[10] and who died on 14 December 2012 from kidney failure.[11] On 15 March 2014, he married Pastor Joy Nonjabulo Gladness Maziya; however, Dlamini filed for divorce just over two years later, on 1 April 2016.[12] In November 2017 he married Gugu Primrose Simelane, a teacher by profession. At the time Simelane was deputy head teacher at Siweni Nazarene Primary School. A few months after marrying Dlamini she was promoted to head teacher at Ngwenya Primary School.
