Pholile Dlamini Shakantu is a Liswati lawyer, politician, and media producer. She served as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs from 2018 to 2023, and has been the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation from 2023.
Life and education Shakantu is an admitted attorney, conveyancer, and notary public. She holds a BA in Law and LLB from the University of Eswatini and an MSc in Leadership and Change Management from Leeds Beckett University. She has also received training in telecoms law and regulation, corporate governance, military justice, and business administration.
Before entering politics, she had a legal career spanning over two decades in both corporate and private spheres, with 12 years of experience in the telecommunications sector in executive roles covering legal, regulatory, and corporate affairs. She also served as a member of the Judicial Service Commission and as Deputy Chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission.
Political career In 2018, King Mswati III appointed Shakantu as a Member of Parliament and subsequently as Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. During her tenure she spearheaded the digitisation of the justice sector, resulting in the introduction of the Electronic Case Management System. She also championed access to justice for vulnerable groups through the launch of Small Claims Courts and Legal Aid services.
She was appointed as a senator by the King on 5 November 2023 after the appointment of Russell Dlamini 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 and International Cooperation.
Diplomatic career In 2024, Shakantu visited the Republic of China (Taiwan) and was received by President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te as an ally. Eswatini is the only remaining country in Africa that recognises the Republic of China (Taiwan). Tsai thanked Shakantu for her country's support including speaking up at the United Nations. Shakantu and Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu 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 in 2021.Government launches new English video platform Taiwan Plus, 2021 Shakantu was shown TaiwanPlus by Deputy Digital Minister Yeh Ning, and they discussed how it could help co-operation and counter disinformation.
In May 2024, Shakantu visited Ankara where she met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. During the visit, Eswatini and Türkiye signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Protocol.
On 14 October 2025, Shakantu was among the officials who witnessed the signing of a Host Country Agreement between the Government of Eswatini and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at the organisation's headquarters in Rome, Italy, signed by Prime Minister Russell Dlamini on behalf of the King, to establish a permanent FAO representation in Mbabane.
In April 2026, Shakantu convened the Consultative Programme for Ambassadors at Royal Villas in Ezulwini, under the theme "Aligning Eswatini's Diplomatic Missions with Government Development Priorities while strengthening governance, compliance, and institutional effectiveness." She called on Eswatini's ambassadors to move beyond ceremonial roles and actively drive national development through purposeful diplomacy, with missions expected to support national development, facilitate investment and trade, strengthen bilateral and multilateral partnerships, and safeguard the interests of the Kingdom. She also highlighted the newly opened Ezulwini Palazzo International Convention Centre, inaugurated by King Mswati III, as a symbol of Eswatini's ambition to become a premier destination for high-level international engagements.
In May 2026, Shakantu publicly called for a woman to be appointed as the next United Nations Secretary-General, speaking before ambassadors and European Union representatives at the third Eswatini-EU Partnership Dialogue held at the Hilton Hotel in Mbabane. The dialogue marked 50 years of partnership between Eswatini and the EU. Noting that across eight decades the position had been held exclusively by men, she argued that the UN should set an example for the gender equality it promotes. She cited her participation in a meeting hosted by Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly and co-chaired with Jamaica's Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, at which women foreign ministers collectively resolved to advocate for a female Secretary-General. On broader multilateral issues, Shakantu reaffirmed that Eswatini remains guided by the Ezulwini Consensus on UN Security Council reform, calling Africa's under-representation in global governance structures a matter requiring urgent attention. She described Eswatini's enduring foreign policy as being "a friend to all and an enemy to none", expressed in siSwati as anginasitha.
Also in May 2026, Eswatini hosted the first-ever OACPS-EU Africa-EU Parliamentary Assembly at the Ezulwini Palazzo International Convention Centre, which ran from 7 to 14 May 2026. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation singled out King Mswati III for hosting the delegates and creating an environment of unity between OACPS and European Union member states. Shakantu praised the Kingdom's representation at the Assembly, commending HRH Prince Lindani for his dignified representation of Eswatini, and acknowledged the joint hosting role of Senate President Senator Pastor Lindiwe Dlamini and Speaker of the House of Assembly Hon. Jabulani Mabuza. On the sidelines of the Assembly, Shakantu met with local creatives who had been scheduled to participate in a business forum on unlocking the potential of culture and creative industries in Africa-EU relations, and announced that a dedicated local session would be arranged to explore how the creative sector can be further developed in Eswatini. Shakantu described the OACPS-EU partnership as "one of the most significant multilateral alliances in global diplomacy", noting that while Europe and Africa view the world through different lenses, both share a common interest in developing their economies and improving living standards for their people.
On 17 August 2026, Shakantu attended the 46th Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government in Durban, South Africa, as part of King Mswati III's delegation, and called for a new approach to industrialisation in Southern Africa that places citizens at the centre of economic transformation and ensures the region benefits more from its natural resources. The summit was held under the theme "Resilient, sustainable and inclusive industrialisation through Infrastructure Development, Agricultural and Critical Minerals Transformation in Pursuit of a Just World" and also marked the anniversary of SADC's establishment, the organisation having been transformed by treaty from the Southern African Development Coordination Conference in Windhoek, Namibia, on 17 August 1992.
Shakantu argued that industrialisation in Southern Africa should be redefined beyond the construction of factories to include local value addition, technological innovation, skills development, stronger regional trade and broader economic participation. She said the region's estimated 400 million citizens should be treated not merely as workers but as active participants and potential owners and innovators in the industrialisation process, and called for greater support for local entrepreneurship and domestic enterprises alongside foreign direct investment.
On agriculture, she said the region should move beyond exporting unprocessed crops and focus on agro-processing, storage, packaging, food manufacturing and distribution, supported by better irrigation, access to finance and technology for farmers, expanded agricultural extension services and strategies to reduce post-harvest losses. She also raised concern over the continued export of unprocessed critical minerals, arguing that this limited the economic benefits received by the region, and proposed a coordinated regional minerals strategy covering exploration, responsible extraction, processing, refining and manufacturing, with the aim of developing integrated value chains for refined metals, batteries, renewable energy equipment and electric vehicles.
On 8 September 2026, Shakantu opened a government-wide induction programme in Mbabane to prepare Eswatini's ministries, departments and institutions for the Kingdom's responsibilities as Chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation. She met with a delegation from the SADC Secretariat led by Professor Ishmael Kula Theletsane, Director of the Organ, accompanied by Barbara Lopi, Head of the Public Relations Unit, and Terry Rose, Senior Officer responsible for Politics and Diplomacy. The three-day programme, running from 8 to 10 September, brought together government institutions covering foreign affairs, defence, state security, policing, immigration, corrections, anti-corruption, refugees, parks and wildlife, counter-terrorism, and the Women, Peace and Security agenda. Shakantu described the chairship as "a coordinated national undertaking", stating that it "requires vigilance, sound diplomacy, institutional coordination and the ability to respond promptly to developments affecting peace, constitutional order and security within our region." During its tenure, Eswatini will chair and host meetings across the Organ's political, diplomatic and security structures, including the Organ Troika, the Ministerial Committee of the Organ, the Inter-State Politics and Diplomacy Committee, and the Inter-State Defence and Security Committee. Among its specific operational responsibilities, Eswatini is expected to lead the SADC Electoral Observation Mission to Angola during that country's 2027 general elections, and to head a SADC Liaison Office to be established in Antananarivo, Madagascar, to facilitate coordination between Madagascan authorities, the SADC Secretariat and the Organ Chair.
On 18 September 2026, Shakantu received a courtesy call from Dr. Maria de Fátima Manso, State Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Communities Abroad of the Republic of Mozambique. The two officials reviewed the cordial and longstanding relations between the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Republic of Mozambique, with both sides stressing the importance of maintaining high-level engagement and ensuring the effective implementation of existing bilateral agreements. Discussions covered opportunities to strengthen cooperation across several areas, including security, defence, trade, transport, consular affairs and regional cooperation. Shakantu welcomed the Government of Mozambique's initiative to bring consular and documentation services closer to Mozambican nationals residing in the Kingdom, and appreciation was expressed for the continued cooperation between the two countries in addressing matters affecting their respective communities.