Speculation is rife about what Swaziland’s new Prime Minister will do now that he is taking up office.
Barnabas Dlamini was PM in Swaziland from 1996 to 2003 and his tenure in office was one of terror, the abuse of the human rights of Swazis, and a disregard for the rule of law.
Thulani Thwala, the editor of the Swazi News, has been remembering what life was like in Swaziland the last time Dlamini was PM.
Writing in the Swazi News yesterday (18 October 2008), Thwala said that last time Dlamini ‘let loose his cops then, to beat the hell out of marchers in Manzini and later claimed they banged their heads against the walls.
‘This is the very same man who defied court orders reinstating back two evicted chiefs from KaMkhweli and Macetjeni and later declared himself a lightning arrester. Listen to that nonsense where a bully elevates himself to some imaginary levels. I will not behave like some idiots who have come out to declare that [Dlamini] is the right person for the job. Most of the praise singers are suspect.’
Thwala speculates on what we might expect from Dlamini this time in office.
‘[Dlamini] would do anything to please the king and it gets worse when he gets such an open ended mandate to ‘DEAL’ with people. The last time he was PM he ‘DEALT’ with people without such a public mandate and it can only get ugly this time.
‘From where I am sitting the country is back to where it belongs- the dustbin of history. The king appealed to us to support [Dlamini] but I did not hear him appealing for same from the bully. I know in life we have to give people the benefit of doubt but with [Dlamini] I refuse. Some habits die hard!
Thwala said, ‘From where I am sitting it would be imperative for workers, unions and progressives to forget about meetings because they will be crushed by [Dlamini] who has the mandate to do things as he pleases.
‘Throttling people is [Dlamini’s] favourite game and defying court orders is his life and blood. The country is back to old times and it’s not funny. I am yet to hear what our foreign envoys would say about this because they were amongst the worried lot when he ran the show in his last term as PM.’
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