In an official statement, the government of Eswatini (Formerly known as Swaziland) declared that 52 year-old Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini has died in a South African hospital 4 weeks after testing positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus. Though no cause of death was mentioned, Mr. Dlamini originally announced that he tested positive for the virus on November 16th, but that he was asymptomatic and was "feeling well". However, on December 1st, the Eswatini government said that he had been moved to a South African hospital for treatment. Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku will be serving as the acting Prime Minister for up to three months effective immediately.

Mr. Dlamini was appointed Prime Minister in November 2018, has formerly served as the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Eswatini, a telecommunications company, and worked in the financial industry for nearly two decades. When he was transported to South Africa for treatment, some people accused the government of providing special treatment for Mr. Dlamini by moving him to a nation with a stronger healthcare system.

Eswatini is among the world's last remaining absolute monarchies. It is also among Africa's poorest nations, with a 2016-2017 World Bank estimate that over 39% of the total population lived below the poverty line. With a total population of about 1,200,000, the nation has reported 6,768 confirmed cases of the Covid-19 coronavirus alongside 127 Covid-19-related deaths.

Note: The first two images used in this article were retrieved from the public domain, and do not require attribution or citation for commercial purposes. The last image is my own personal photo.