BY PHESHEYA IAN KUNENE
NOKWANE – Ten members of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) have been decorated with medals for their proud role in the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on 8 May 2023.
The medals were presented this morning at the UEDF Headquarters in Nokwane by the British High Commissioner to Eswatini, Colin Wells, in a ceremony that honoured the soldiers’ service and strengthened historic ties between Eswatini and the United Kingdom.
The recipients were Maj Xolane Magagula, Maj Bonga Ngcamphalala, Lt Thoko Tfwala, WO I Caleb Dlamini, WO II Sfiso Tsabedze, WO II Erick Vilakati, S/Sgt Albert Matsebula, S/Sgt Musa Magagula, Sgt Lombukiso Dlamini and Cpl Goodness Gamedze.
High Commissioner Wells expressed the UK’s “deep gratitude” to His Majesty King Mswati III and the UEDF Commander for allowing what he called “ten fine soldiers” to take part in a historic celebration that was “not only a British occasion, but deliberately a Commonwealth event.”
He also revealed that during a February audience with King Charles III, the monarch had spoken warmly of his visits to Eswatini and praised his gracious host, King Mswati III.
“His Majesty expressed his hope that the long-standing and close ties between our two nations will continue to flourish,” Wells said.
The UEDF contingent’s participation in the Coronation parade was widely seen as a demonstration of Eswatini’s military excellence and a reaffirmation of its place within the global Commonwealth community.
(Courtesy Pics, from Eswatini Daily Digest)
