Sema Fonkem 13 March 2026

A group of 88 foreign nationals confirmed by Ministry of Home Affairs to be living in Eswatini illegally have been detained for engaging in fraudulent online gambling.

During a raid at Castle Hotel in Mbabane, the suspects were captured and taken into custody by Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS). Numerous electronic devices, including laptops and desktop computers were found in different rooms where the operations were being carried out.

The suspects targeted victims who were not from Eswatini. According to Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni, Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer, who confirmed the arrests, investigations are ongoing to determine the scope and precise nature of the gang’s criminal activities.

According to immigration services, eight of the suspects are citizens of Brazil, but majority are originally from Asia.

Some Brazilians entered the country lawfully, but at the time of their arrests, they were not in possession of a valid visa. Some of them carried passports that immigration officers at the port of entry had not stamped.

“The suspects are Asian nationals who were found in a hotel around Mbabane. Investigations are ongoing to establish what their mission in the country was and whether their activ­ities were legal,” Mnguni said.

No lawful port of entry was used by any of the Asians and none of them had proper visas. Investigators suggest that they may have been smuggled into the the country.

The arrests have raised serious concerns about violations of Eswatini’s immigration regulations and the presence of undetected organised crime in the country.