| Pholile Shakantu | |
| Known For: | Ministerial career |
| Education: | University of Eswatini Leeds Beckett University |
| Occupation: | lawyer and politician |
| Nationality: | Emaswati |
Pholile Dlamini Shakantu is a Liswati politician. She has been the Minister of Justice from 2018 and the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2023.
Shakantu studied law at the University of Eswatini and she has a law degree. She also has a master's degree from Leeds Beckett University in Leadership and Change Management.
She was appointed to be the Minister of Justice by King Mswati III in 2018.[1]
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.[2] There are meant to be about thirty senators in Eswatini and she was one of twenty appointed by the King.[3] Later on 13 November she was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In 2024, Shakantu visited the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Shakantu 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. Tsai thanked Shakuntu for her country's support including speaking up at the United Nations.[4] [5] [6] Shakuntu and Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu signed an agreement reaffirming the two countries' close relationship.[7] Over 25 years Taiwan's assistance to Eswatini is estimated to be worth more than two billion dollars.[8]
The Taiwan government started its own digital platform TaiwanPlus in 2021.[9] Shakuntu was shown TaiwanPlus by Deputy Digital Minister Yeh Ning, and they discussed how it could help co-operation and counter disinformation.[7]
Shakuntu is the founder and patron of the Eswatini Network of Women.[10]
Criticism published in South Africa alleges that the King, Shakuntu and her husband are involved with corruption.[11]