Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      World Bank set to back South Africa’s big energy grid roll-out

      20 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Sita hits back at critics, promises faster, automated procurement

      20 June 2025

      The transatlantic race to create the first television

      20 June 2025

      Listed: All the MVNOs in South Africa – 2025 edition

      19 June 2025
    • World

      Watch | Starship rocket explodes in setback to Musk’s Mars mission

      19 June 2025

      Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

      17 June 2025

      Samsung plots health data hub to link users and doctors in real time

      17 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis

      18 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025
    • Opinion

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » Eswatini signs up to Trump’s anti-China ‘Clean Network’

    Eswatini signs up to Trump’s anti-China ‘Clean Network’

    By Duncan McLeod19 January 2021
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp
    US undersecretary of state Keith Krach

    Eswatini – formerly Swaziland – has become the first, and possibly last, country in Africa to sign a pledge to join the outgoing Trump administration’s anti-China “Clean Network” programme.

    The “Clean Network” agreement means Eswatini has agreed not to procure 5G network infrastructure from Chinese vendors, including Huawei Technologies, that the US alleges have links to the Chinese Communist Party and to the Chinese military establishment. In response, Huawei said that not only has it been operating in Africa for more than two decades but that it has a “good record in security” and is trusted by businesses and governments across the continent.

    The US/Eswatini agreement was signed last Friday between US undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment Keith Krach and Eswatini’s acting minister of communications, Manqoba Khumalo.

    The great news is Eswatini has led the way. We appreciate Eswatini’s leadership and being a role model for the African continent

    During an online call with journalists to announce the agreement, Krach told TechCentral that Eswatini is the first country in Africa to sign up to the “Clean Network” initiative but insisted that it won’t be the last to join. He said the US in talks with 40 more countries, many of which are in Africa, about joining the programme.

    The signing of the agreement comes just days before Republican US President Donald Trump vacates the White House, making way for his Democratic rival Joe Biden. It’s not known yet whether the Biden administration will take a softer approach to China than Trump, who moved aggressively to stop the rise of Chinese technology companies, particularly those involved in building advanced 5G technologies, during his four-year term in office.

    Taiwan relations

    Eswatini has historical relations with Taiwan, a country claimed by China as its own. Krach praised the landlocked Southern African kingdom for its approach to Taiwan and reiterated the US’s support of Taiwan against Chinese threats. Eswatini is the only country in Africa that has formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

    Minister Khumalo said Eswatini signed the agreement because the “Clean Network” initiative “provides a strong foundation for companies and countries to secure their most sensitive data … from malign actors”.

    He said that the agreement is a “game changer” for Eswatini. “As we grow, we want to make sure we are leveraging the clean network. We are very sensitive to the demands of our potential investors.”

    However, the minister told TechCentral in response to a question that Eswatini does not plan to coerce network operators to abandon Chinese vendors. South Africa’s MTN Group is a key investor in the country. He said the government wants to “make sure they (commercial network operators) understand the benefits of joining the Clean Network” initiative.

    Krach said Eswatini is the 60th country to join the programme. Asked for his view on South Africa’s decision to allow Huawei and other Chinese companies to be involved in the deployment of advanced telecoms infrastructure, including 5G networks, Krach said the US is “in discussions with South Africa”.

    Though the US “respects every nation’s right to make its own decision”, he said embracing the “Clean Network” initiative will have investment benefits for South Africa. “When you look at these ‘clean companies’ that have joined the ‘Clean Network’ — like Oracle, HP, Cisco, Fujitsu/Siemens — they want to go into a place where they can trust the 5G systems.”

    Huawei has been operating in Africa for more than 20 years and has maintained a good record in security

    He alleged that Chinese vendors have assisted the Chinese Communist Party in committing human rights abuses. “South Africa has a history of being able to understand that. The great news is Eswatini has led the way. We appreciate Eswatini’s leadership and being a role model for the African continent.”

    In July 2019, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa rallied to the defence of Huawei, saying the company’s technology would be crucial in the roll-out of 5G mobile infrastructure in the country.

    Ramaphosa said the “standoff” between China and the US had led to Huawei — China’s most successful technology company — “being used as a victim because of its successes”.

    ‘Protectionism’

    The president described the US decision to blacklist Huawei from buying technology components from some American companies as “protectionism that will affect our own telecommunications sector, particularly the efforts to roll out the 5G network”.

    “We support a company that is going to take our country and indeed the world to better technologies, and that is 5G. We cannot afford to have our economy to be held back because of this fight,” Ramaphosa said.

    Contacted by TechCentral for its views on Eswatini’s decision to sign the agreement with the US, Huawei said it has “not received any notice from the relevant ministries or communications regulatory agencies in Eswatini” about the decision.

    Cyril Ramaphosa. Image: GCIS

    “We are currently contacting authorities for further information,” a spokeswoman for the company said. “Huawei has been operating in Africa for more than 20 years and has maintained a good record in security. Over the years, Huawei has become a trusted ICT partner to African businesses, governments and societies, contributing to connectivity and digitisation for economic and social development.

    “We believe that network security is an essential technical consideration and should be based on facts and technical standards. Generalisation and the politicisation of technical issues are not conducive to the healthy development of ICT, which plays a pivotal role in sustainable development.”  — © 2021 NewsCentral Media



    Donald Trump Huawei Joe Biden Keith Krach Manqoba Khumalo top
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleMTN loses appeal in R11.4-million damages fight with dealer
    Next Article Fibre for everyone, and more…

    Related Posts

    Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

    17 June 2025

    Coal to cash: South Africa gets major boost for energy shift

    13 June 2025

    China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

    13 June 2025
    Company News

    Making IT happen: how Trade Link gears up to enable SA retail strategies

    20 June 2025

    Why parents choose CambriLearn for online education

    19 June 2025

    Disrupt first, ask questions later – the uncomfortable truth about incident response

    18 June 2025
    Opinion

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    AI and the future of ICT distribution

    16 June 2025

    Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

    13 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.