Swaziland
Newsletter No. 729 – 3 June 2022
News from and about Swaziland, compiled by Global
Aktion, Denmark (www.globalaktion.dk)
in collaboration with Swazi Media Commentary (www.swazimedia.blogspot.com),
and sent to all with an interest in Swaziland - free of charge.
Postpone
2023 elections - MSF
By
Sibusiso Zwane, eSwatini News, print edition 28 May 2022
MANZINI - MSF wants government to postpone
the 2023 national elections because the country’s political climate is not
stable.
Thulani Maseko, the Co-Chairperson of the
Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF) issued a statement on Thursday and said as an
organisation, they were calling for the postponement of the 2023 Tinkhundla
System of Governance Elections.
Instead of having the elections, he said
government should focus on creating an environment for free, fair, genuine and
credible elections, which would be in line with regional and international
standards.
He said it was unthinkable that government
was seeking to hold national elections under a political climate that was not
stable.
He said it was strange to call upon the
nation to prepare for elections at a time when some members of parliament (MPs)
were in jail for having raised legitimate issues of the need to amend and
review the Constitution from within Parliament.
In their view, he said the incarceration,
and judicial persecution of Hosea MP Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Ngwempisi MP
Mthandeni Dube was a sign that parliament under the Tinkhundla System of
governance was a weak institution.
Equally, he said former Siphofaneni MP
Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane was in exile, like many other activists, for
calling for change inside Parliament.
“If the King and government are honest
about a genuine national dialogue, we urge that the 2023 elections should be
postponed to allow the dialogue process to start and conclude, so that an
elected government is a product of the new covenant,” Maseko said in the
statement.
He said this was because no credible,
legitimate elections could be held under conditions of instability.
The co-chairperson added that no real
elections could be conducted when some of the leaders of the people were languishing
in jail.
He said their view was that the people of
Hosea and Ngwempisi have the right to decide whether they would want to
re-elect Mabuza and Dube in future democratic elections.
Maseko said their call was that the King
and government should be true to the undertaking they made with the Southern
African Development Community (SADC) leadership that the Kingdom of Eswatini
would embark on a process that would work towards the establishment of a
national dialogue forum.
On top of that, he said it was their view
that the nature and form of the elections should be a product of the national
dialogue.
He said the electoral system that would
govern future elections was an issue that the dialoguing parties would deal
with at the negotiations.
Maseko said they were opposed to elections
that would be conducted under the Tinkhundla System of governance, by its
structures to perpetuate its rule.
He said an independent elections
management body that commands the support of all the political players,
including political parties that have a stake in the electoral process should
conduct proper and genuine elections, under a multiparty dispensation.
“We call for the holding of elections that
will be in line with regional and international standards such as the SADC Guidelines
and Principles Governing Democratic Elections (2015), Article 4 of which
provides in part: “Promote necessary conditions to foster transparency, freedom
of the media; access to information by all citizens; and equal opportunities
for all candidates and political parties to use the State media.”
Again, he said the African Union Charter
on Democracy, Elections and Governance (2007) also provides in part that;
“Strengthening political pluralism and recognising the role, rights and
responsibilities of legally constituted political parties, including opposition
political parties, which should be given a status under national law.”
Moreover, he emphasised that there could
be no doubt that free political activity and the right of the people to
exercise their freely chosen political parties have been institutionalised in
the SADC sub-region and in the African continent.
SADC
TO Mswati: Establish a Multi-Stakeholder National Dialogue Committee, political
parties must participate.
By
Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 2 June 2022
MBABANE: King Mswati and his Government
have been urged to establish a Multi-Stakeholder National Dialogue Committee
that would work with SADC in facilitating the process of a national dialogue in
the country without excluding proscribed political parties.
This is contained in a draft framework
for an inclusive multi-stakeholder national dialogue recommended by the
Southern African Development Community(SADC)as part of restoring peace and
stability in the Kingdom of eSwatini.
Even though the report was prepared and
allegedly presented to Government on or around February 2022, Mswati has been
reluctant to start the process of the dialogue but continues to unleash
soldiers and the police to shoot protesting civilians.
“In order to initiate the process of the
multi-stakeholder national dialogue, a National Pre-Dialogue Committee is
proposed, whose main function will be as follows:Develop the criteria for the
participation of key stakeholders relevant to the national dialogue, including
the representatives on the Multi-stakeholder National Dialogue Committee, with
the facilitation of the Panel of Elders, and the Mediation Reference Group
supported by the SADC Secretariat. Identify and agree on the broad terms of
reference for the inclusive multi- stakeholder national dialogue, with the
assistance of the SADC Secretariat. Formulate and agree on the rules of
procedure for the conduct of the national dialogue, ”reads the report in part
that was allegedly kept under wraps by Mswati’s Government.
Reached for comments, Eswatini
Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo said the Prime Minister would in due
course, brief the Nation on any new developments with regards to the
anticipated national dialogue and other related matters.
“Government, through His Excellency the
Prime Minister, Cleopas Dlamini, will in due course, brief the nation on any
new developments in regard to the anticipated national dialogue and related
matters in and around the dialogue,” said the Government Spokesperson.
SADC further recommended that the
National Dialogue Committee shall formulate and agree on the proposed code of
conduct of the Multi- stakeholder National Dialogue and further attached a
draft proposed code of conduct.
On another note, SADC said, “It is in
the interests of inclusive dialogue, consideration be given to the
participation of proscribed organizations. As recommended by most stakeholders,
SADC may facilitate this inclusive national dialogue”.
Reached for comments, human rights
lawyer Thulani Maseko said he was aware of the report adding that it dismisses
accusations suggesting that the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
was not doing anything to resolve the political situation in eSwatini.
“It appears SADC has done a lot on their
part, the problem is the King and Government, they are the ones who seem
unwilling to start the process. They are pushing the narrative of the dialogue
at eSibayeni which this document does not seem to suggest, this document does
not agree with the Sibaya contempt. It appears that the King is now pushing the
narrative of the elections so that they shift the focus of the people from the
dialogue to the elections. It would be unfortunate if Government conducts the
elections before the issues facing the country are addressed. Our view is that
we need to implement the points provided by SADC and see how far we can go,”
said the human rights lawyer.
Army recruitment: what does it mean?
My View, By Nontobeko Dvuba, Swati Newsweek, 02June 2022
The Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) is recruiting,
so does this mean more freedom fighters are going to die?
The King is trying to recruit more people who will
fight for him since more Swazis are demanding democracy.
There are so many graduates out there who are
unemployed who have the knowledge and skills to uplift the economy of the
country, who can be better and literate leaders, unfortunately they are
struggling with their degrees because job opportunities are available on the
Army and their level of education does not allow them to work for the Army.
The king is trying to show Swazis that no matter
how much they fight for democracy but they are still desperate for employment.
What will the country benefit from the recruitment?
the government is struggling to pay students their allowances but they are able
to recruit for the Umbutfo Defense Force. How will the economy of the country
develop when they are still recruiting soldiers democratic protestors instead
of creating business ideas and job opportunities for graduates.
Swaziland is still in need of leaders who can
understand what democracy is, who can give people equal opportunities, who can
understand that leadership is guiding people and teaching them good morals.
They used to say soldiers and police officers are
meant to protect the nation but surprisingly, they are the ones who kill the
people. So by recruiting what is the king trying to tell the people.
Nevertheless, Swazis have not given up on fighting
for democracy, they are still going to fight for their freedom.
Aspiring soldiers to be vetted – UEDF
By Setsabile Nkambule, Times of eSwatini
print edition, 2 June 2022
MBABANE – The
UEDF says there will be a vetting process during the recruitment of soldiers.
This was said
by the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) Public Affairs Officer, 2nd
Lieutenant Tengetile Khumalo. There was a social media post where some people
said they intended to join the army in order to push their own political
agendas from the inside.
When questioned
if people affiliated with any political party were welcome to try their luck,
Khumalo stated that the UEDF was guided by its recruitment policies.
“The Umbutfo
Eswatini Defence Force is a professional establishment, hence guided by
recruitment policies in place, including vetting among others. It is imperative
to note that vetting during recruitment in the UEDF has been a legal operation
for decades. We are guided by the establishment’s recruitment policies,” she
said.
When questioned
about the vetting process, Khumalo stated that UEDF would not be revealing it.
Meanwhile,
Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) President Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane,
stated that he did not want to have the same strategy used in the recruitment
of Members of Parliament (MPs), implemented in the recruitment of soldiers as
he had fears that their members would be tortured during training.
Worth noting is
that Simelane had suggested that members of his party needed to be elected as
MPs in order to fight the Tinkhundla System from within.
“Even though I
would not want to stop people from doing what they feel is right, I have fears.
I feel that they would instead be tortured by the soldiers during the training
process. We have seen this happen and in some instances some have even died,”
he alleged.
Simelane
mentioned that he did not believe that the recruitment was legit as this was a
strategy government was allegedly using to deflect attention from the ongoing
political issues. He alleged that government would use this to pit emaSwati
against each other.
“Remember that
the country is still under an employment freeze, hence we have graduated
nurses, teachers and doctors who are loitering around jobless. Classes are
crowded with few teachers and clinics and hospitals without nurses and doctors.
They will tell you that this is because government froze employment. One questions
how come they are calling people for vacancies in these forces as soldiers.
Where is the war or are we preparing to go to Ukraine or Russia?” the SWALIMO
president asked.
The recruitment
process of the UEDF attracted a number of comments on social media, with people
expressing their disappointment at government on the decision to hire more
soldiers. According to the social media users, this was a strategy used to
shift attention from the real issues faced by Eswatini.
eSwatini
prioritising army over education system – SNAT
By
Thulile Gama, Times of eSwatini, 2 June 2022
MBABANE – The Swaziland National Association of
Teachers (SNAT) has evaluated the employment structure of security forces over
teachers’ employment structure.
The association said the fact that teachers were
employed on contracts, yet soldiers were employed on a permanent basis, was a
clear indication that there was an issue of prioritising one sector over the
other. The association said this move was viewed as a matter of prioritising on
the army than the education system. The teachers’ association is of the
view that employing enough teachers in schools would reduce the number of
learners per teacher. This would have an impact on the quality of the education
and the life of the teacher in general. In an interview with the SNAT
Secretary General (SG), Sikelela Dlamini, he said employing more teachers would
improve results in schools.
“Ultimately, education is a critical stakeholder of
the economy and shall surely claim its rightful place,” he said. Dlamini
added that the security issues in schools were now worrying teachers. “Since
June last year, teachers have been attacked,” he said. The SG said
this made teachers uncomfortable even when doing their work. Dlamini also
touched on the issue of soldiers’ recruitment and said it left them with
unanswered questions. “Where will the money to pay them come from now when
there is no money for the education sector?” he asked.
He also said that free primary education (FPE) and orphaned and vulnerable
children (OVC) funds needed to be increased to adequately meet the cost of
education.
Sex, bribery for govt scholarship
By Mhlonishwa Motsa, Times Sunday
(Swaziland) print edition, 29 May 2022
MBABANE – Scandalous!
An official in the Ministry
of Labour and Social Security has been cited in a sex and bribery scandal where
students were made to pay in cash or through sex, in exchange of being included
on the final list of scholarship recipients.
One of the students
narrated how she was made to fork out E15 000 in two instalments to pay the
official who holds a top position within the ministry. The official and the
source will not be named until a formal charge has been laid against him.
The source revealed that
she made a down payment of E10 000 and paid the balance of E5 000 after her
name was officially included on the list.
“I know you want to ask me
why I am only coming out now and whether I am aware that I was part of fraud
and corruption. I am aware of the consequences of my participation in the act,
but I had to come out because I am now expected to also give sex to this
individual as a result of the help he gave me,” the source confided in the
Times SUNDAY.
She added “I trust that you
will protect my identity on this one. I believe I have lost a lot as I also
paid E15 000 cash to the official. I am in tertiary as we speak because he
moved my name up the list even though the Scholarship Board would not have
approved my application since I had lower cut off points.”
The source, who is also a
student in one of the institutions in Mbabane, further mentioned that according
to her knowledge, she was not the only one who was made to pay for their name
to be included on the final list. She stated that there were two officials from
the ministry, a man and a female, who made the offer to her. The names of the
officials are also known to this publication.
Consultation
One of the students whose
name was mentioned by the source requested to make a consultation before
responding to our questions, and when contacted later she refused to comment on
the issue.
In an attempt to verify the
allegations, The Times SUNDAY contacted the Minister of Labour and Social
Security Phila Buthelezi for comment and he confirmed that there was an
internal investigation into the allegations of bribery that was going on.
Though the minister did not mention whether the exchange of sex for scholarship
was also part of the investigation, he stated that his ministry was taking the
allegations very seriously.
“In regard to the
department officials involved in bribery activities, the ministry feels it
would be premature to release the findings of the internal investigation as it
is also still ongoing. We wish to assure the public that upon completion, we
shall publish the findings,” said the minister.
He further mentioned that
numerous allegations of corruption and manipulation within the scholarship
department were made, forcing him to report the matter to the Anti-Corruption
Commission ACC) for a forensic investigation. “The ministry is cooperating with
the Anti-Corruption Commission in terms of the ongoing investigation. We have
given the investigators access to all our records. The ministry requests for
patience as we take such allegations very serious and damaging.
Accessible
“Government scholarships
remain accessible to all qualifying emaSwati and no corruption shall be
tolerated on the awarding of the loans,” the minister said.
Buthelezi said the ministry
was working hand-in-hand with the ACC and the outcome of the results from the
internal investigations on the allegations would be made public.
The minister made a
declaration in Parliament that he had engaged the ACC in an attempt to uproot
the corruption in the sponsorship department.
Contacted for comment,
Chairperson of the Scholarship Board Stanley Dlamini confirmed that they have
been experiencing serious issues regarding the signing off of the final
recipients’ list. He said the difficulties had been going on for the past four
years.
He stated that though he
was not in a position to confirm the allegations of sex and bribery for
scholarship, he was, however, aware that as the Board, they had reported issues
bordering on corruption and manipulation by certain officials in the ministry.
“Before the death of the
then Minister Makhosi 9ilakati, we had a meeting with him where we highlighted
fraudulent elements from officials in the ministry.
Denied by officials
“We also communicated to
the current minister after numerous qualifying students were awarded by the
Board only to be denied by the officials. We have evidence of these things and
we made sure that we report them to the minister since they have been going on
for the past four years,” he said.
The primary mandate of the
Scholarship Department is to provide access to relevant quality Tertiary
education at Diploma, Degree and Post Graduate level Honours in Clinical
Psychology & PGCE) to all learners in the country; taking into account all
issues of efficacy, equity and special needs.
The scholarships are
present in a form of pre-service tertiary education study loans in government
approved institutions and areas of priority. The study loan covers tuition,
registration, accommodation, stationery, and meals, personal and travelling
allowances.
To cover personal
allowances and air fares for students offered scholarships through Bilateral
Agreements.
‘It’s
insulting, arrogant!’ — A response to calls for eSwatini & Lesotho to be
part of South Africa
TimesLive
(South Africa), 2 June 2022
The newly formed Pan-African Kingdoms Council has hit
back at ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba’s suggestion that Lesotho and
Eswatini be incorporated into SA, saying such calls are an insult.
The two landlocked countries have strong economic and
social ties with SA, and Mashaba this week questioned “how, in particular,
Lesotho and Swaziland, are not part of SA?”
“It is practically and economically impossible for
these countries to survive on their own. The elephant in the room: Will the
leaders of these two countries accept a proposal to incorporate?” he said.
In response, the council's Dingizwe Mkhatshwa
told TimesLIVE such comments were “ignorant and arrogant”.
“It is insulting to say the least in fathoming
ignorant and arrogant insinuations from so-called politicians who claim justice
and truth are the cornerstone of their political existence.”
“Eswatini is an absolute monarchy governing in
accordance to Emaswati's traditions, culture and norms, a clear principle that
the UN charter is built on — self-determination.”
He questioned SA's sovereign state and said most of
the resources “SA is gloating on are on Emaswati and Lesotho's historic
territories, crippling those countries GDP and wealth in the process [through
occupation].
“These politicians have no moral right to show their
disrespectful and arrogant attitude in insinuating incorporation.”
He claimed that SA continues to occupy Emaswati,
Lesotho and Botswana territories, “violating the UN charter without punitive
action”.
“To the contrary, it is de jure the SA administration
that has to disintegrate to enable de facto historic indigenous sovereign
states to be restored.”
The council emanates from the Indigenous People's
Movement of Azania, with the aim of "giving a broader representation of
indigenous kingdoms in the restoration of their indigenous sovereignty under
the auspices of United Nations charter's provision in self-determination".
Former EFF MP and actor Fana Mokoena also slammed the
suggestion, calling instead for greater economic participation and sharing of
resources.
“Lesotho fought and won its battles against
colonialists differently from how we did it. Instead of arrogantly proposing
they be incorporated, because we think we are better, why don’t we rather
propose greater economic participation and sharing of resources between us?”
He said the issue is historical, rather than economic.
“All our demarcations as colonised Africa are
historical. Lesotho and Swaziland were not colonised but became protectorates.
Hence their trajectory was different from ours.”
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