Friday, 3 June 2022

Swaziland Newsletter No. 729 – 3 June 2022

 

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

SOURCE

 

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

SOURCE

 

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

SOURCE

 

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

SOURCE

 

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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