Swazi dissident Mfomfo Nkhambule is in further trouble for writing newspaper articles that criticise King Mswati III and Swaziland’s ruling elite.
Jim Gama, the ‘traditional’ prime minister of Swaziland told Nkhambule to stop poking his nose into affairs that don’t concern him.
In Swaziland many people believe the ‘traditional’ prime minister has more power than the ‘real’ PM, because he is the custodian of all things traditional in the kingdom. In Swaziland whenever there is a dispute between custom and the law, custom generally wins.
Because of this Gama has to be listened to.
Nkhambule was hauled in by police and threatened with 20 years jail time if he continued to criticise the king in his comment articles that appear each Monday in the Times of Swaziland.
It has been said that Nkhambule faced torture if he didn’t do as the police said.
Gama told the Times it was clear to all and sundry that Nkhambule, ‘absolutely had no respect for the king’.
‘I would only advise him to demonstrate utmost respect for the king in his writings,’ Gama said. ‘The king is the father of the nation hence he deserves to be accorded respect by every citizen at all times.’
The Times reported, ‘Gama warned the nation not to dare cheer on Nkhambule when demonstrating huge disrespect towards His Majesty.’
Gama’s statement comes at a time when Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini warned journalists they would be charged with sedition if they criticised the speech King Mswati made last week at the opening of parliament.
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