In the midst of mounting frustration in the kingdom, Eswatini has been on high alert amid weeks of rolling mass action calling for an end to the regime under King Mswati III.
The shutdown came as images of the protests circulated on social and traditional media, including pictures of two people who said they had been injured by gunshots fired by security forces.
School students have been boycotting classes and staging low-key protests across the landlocked southern African kingdom, prompting the deployment of soldiers and police.
The King of Eswatini, Africa's last absolute monarchy, has accused pro-democracy demonstrators of depriving children of education after they joined protests this month.