SWAZI MINISTER’S BLURRED VISION

There is none so blind as he who will not see.

I laughed out loud when I read Swaziland senator Bhutana Dlamini saying that World Vision, the Christian NGO was not involved in politics.

Dlamini, who was recently in the news following a brawl in a bar, was greasing World Vision during a HIV / AIDS testing motivating campaign hosted by World Vision in conjunction with PSI Swaziland and Ngculwini Nazarene Clinic.

Dlamini tried to make out that other NGOs in Swaziland are involved in politics which was ‘nothing to do with them’. But good old World Viison was above all that and always stuck to its original mandate

We shouldn’t be surprised that Dlamini’s comments were reported in the Swazi Observer, the newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch. It’s in the king’s interest for people to believe that politics in Swaziland is irrelevant.

Poor old Dlamini, he should spend less time in the bar and more time doing his homework. This is how World Vision describes its mandate.

'Justice is denied when power is used to exploit and oppress. Through advocacy, World Vision seeks to strengthen people’s voices in response to injustices that either cause or contribute to their poverty.

'World Vision engages in advocacy with the belief that unless we tackle the root causes of problems --which are often connected to unjust systems and structures –- change will not last or be truly transformational.

'Our advocacy is done through research, lobbying, public campaigning and other actions to influence decision-makers, raise public awareness, mobilize social action and change unjust policies and laws. Across Africa, World Vision is engaged with policymakers and publics to build awareness around poverty and to address the unjust systems that help perpetuate it. We also seek to influence positive changes in social behaviours and attitudes, with special emphasis given to child rights, poverty, conflict resolution, HIV and AIDS.'