Swaziland
Newsletter No. 774 – 28 April 2023
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.
Senseless Double Celebration
Dr Jabulane Matsebula, Swati Newsweek 23 April 2023
On 12 April 2023, King Mswati
III announced that he will hold a double national celebration to mark his 55th
birthday and 55 years of independence. He made the announcement on the same day
when pro-democracy supporters marked 50 years of royal family oppression.
Mswati had hoped to divert attention from the remembrance day, but his efforts
failed spectacularly. On the contrary, the announcement has galvanised public
outcry over Mswati's lavish spending when the majority of the population lives
in poverty.
Spending large sums of public
money on meaningless celebrations is insensitive, unethical and fiscally
irresponsible. It is my firm belief that the cost of the double celebration
will run into hundreds of millions if not billions. There is no moral or
economic justification for this spending whatsoever. Swaziland's budget has
been in deficit for many years, but the government has done very little to
repair it. Currently, the country has a big fiscal deficit which, according to
the IMF, “is projected to widen to 5.4 percentage of GDP by end-FY22-23.”
National debt is exploding
because of reckless public spending. On 10 March 2023, IMF warned that “Swaziland’s
risk of sovereign debt distress is high. Public debt remains elevated at 45.5
percent of GDP.” This is a huge public debt by any standards and principles of
good fiscal management. You don't need an economist to tell you that the
planned spending on celebrations will significantly increase the size of the
current debt. The economy is struggling and the labour market remains weak with
elevated levels of unemployment. Recent labour force statistics show that the
national unemployment rate is 33 percent. Youth unemployment is at staggering
58.2 percent. According to a UNICEF country report (2022), the situation is
much worse in rural areas with very high unemployment rates (63.3 percent).
Instead of splashing on
celebrations, the country should be investing this money in creating jobs to
make sure that young people and rural residents are not left further behind.
Creating more jobs means putting money into people’s pockets to support
economic growth. It means more people are paying income taxes to improve the
government budget bottom line. Most importantly, it means many families can be
lifted out of poverty.
There is no economic and
social returns from investing in Mswati’s birthday. For 55 years of his
existence, Mswati has done nothing for Swaziland. Instead, he has looted the
economy and led the country to the edge of a cliff. At 55 years, Mswati has
outlived most men in the country who are expected to die at 53 years old. If
Mswati was an ordinary Swazi man with restricted access to food, money and
medical care, it is possible that he would have died two years ago. According
to United Nations statistics, Swaziland is among the 10 countries in the world
with the shortest life expectancies. Mswati and his family can defy the odds of
dying younger because they have the best medical care the world can offer.
Similarly, it makes no sense,
economically, socially and politically, to spend public money to celebrate an
independence that died in 1973. The 1968 independence from British colonisation
does not exist anymore. It was cut short by the late King Sobhuza II’s
Proclamation on 12 April 1973, which re-established Swaziland as a royal family
colony.
A reasonable person would agree
that the royal family lavish spending has been on steroid for a long time. It
is time to stop it before the country is tipped over the edge of a cliff.
Mswati and his family have stretched the country's resources and our patience
to a breaking point. Let this year be the year of disruption against royal
oppression and economic plunder. Let us mobilise mass campaigns against the
double celebration and the senseless attacks against pro-democracy activists.
Swaziland will know no peace and economic progress unless the Mswati government
is removed from office. Tinkhundla elections are not an answer but a problem.
The people of Swaziland must be united in rejecting these sham elections
because they have no purpose or political significance.
Dr Jabulane Matsebula
is PUDEMO Representative, Australia and the Asia-Pacific.
Outcry over Mswati III’s invitation to Zimbabwe
By Ndabeni Mlotshwa,
CAJ News, 26 April 2023
BULAWAYO:
THE Zimbabwean government has come under criticism for inviting King Mswati III
of Eswatini to officially open the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).
He is to open the premier business show
scheduled for the second capital, Bulawayo, until Saturday.
The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC)
disapproved the move by the government of President Emmerson Mnangagawa.
“King Mswati III is a soiled leader with
the blood of innocent citizens killed for legitimately demanding elections
based on one person one vote, and not selections in that Ngwane Kingdom,”
stated Obert Msaraure, CiZC spokesperson.
He was referring to the political problems
in Eswatini where government is accused of brutalizing pro-democracy activists.
Eswatini is accused of deploying the
military to shoot at civilians, jailing hundreds, injuring thousands and
killing many, including lawyer Thulani Maseko.
“As progressive Zimbabweans, we do not
welcome such a despot and his presence in the country is an affront to the
values of democracy and human rights,” Masaraure said.
CiZC believes by welcoming the absolute
monarch, Mnangagwa is being complicit in the continued violence and oppression
in Eswatini.
“As leaders of the Southern African
region, they have a responsibility to uphold democratic values and human rights
for all citizens,” Msaraure said.
“It is sad to note that Zimbabwe and
Eswatini have been identified as countries of specific concern due to serious
human rights abuses.”
The government is also accused of human
rights violations, worst the killing of thousands of minorities in a campaign
to root out dissidents after independence.
“What saddens us most is welcoming a
ruthless and unaccountable leader to Bulawayo, itself a hub of unresolved
injustices where an estimated 20,000 civilians were killed by a similarly
unaccountable and unapologetic government in the 1980s,” Masaraure said.
Yearly, Zimbabwe invites a foreign head of
state to open ZITF.
Man claims; ‘community cops’ whipped, tortured, forced
him into pond
By Joseph Zulu, eSwatini News, 22 April
2023
BUHLENI: A
group of men is allegedly using unconventional methods in a bid to wipe out
crime in the community of Fontotje.
Fontotje is a
community under Buhleni and neighbouring Herefords. It is also one of the areas
known for high rates of crimes, especially muggings.
A group of
men, who claim to be community police members, have now mobilised to wipe out
crime in the area in what they call ‘Operation Lungisa’. However, some of
the residents are not happy about this, as the group, which also calls itself,
‘Mfelandza-wonye’, which is alleged to torture people accused of crimes.
Live Nkambule,
who is a resident of Fontotje is still nursing wounds of an alleged beating and
torture he said he was subjected to by the group of men. He said the alleged
assault happened just over a week ago when he was interviewed on
Thursday. Live said he was still taking medication for the intense pain
and ointment for the scars on his back, which were still visible. Speaking
about the ordeal, he said trouble started when he was accused of hiring people
to assault a certain resident. He said it all started when a certain
person was stabbed while at a place known as Embutfweni, which is a popular
watering hole.
He said a
fight between two people he personally knew broke out, while they were near the
watering hole. Live said he was worried someone could get injured because one
of the men had a knife. Live mentined that in an attempt to assist in the
fight, he allegedly tried to hold one of the men. However, as he did so, the
other one allegedly stabbed the person he had held. He said he was then accused
of being part of the fight. Live said he was then charged with the offence
by the police and that the matter ended up in court. Despite being
charged, Live said he was surprised that the Mfelandzawonye group, that claims
to be local community police members for Fontotje were looking for him.
He said about
a week ago, while he was returning from an entertainment spot with friends
around Buhleni, he was stopped by a group of men. He then realised that it was
the members of Mfelandzawonye. Live said four of the men introduced
themselves and began questioning him on why he had hired someone to assault one
of the residents. “I had no response honestly as I was shocked, I just
remember telling them I had nothing to do with the fight,” said Live. He
said the men then began to assault him all over the body with fists and kicks,
the time he remembered was around 11pm.
“I was beaten
up so badly and forced to admit to a crime I had not committed,” he added.
He said the
men then took turns and used sticks to whip him on the back, as well as on his
hands. Live said despite his screams of pain as he was being whipped, the men
continued to attack him. “They then forced me to dive into a nearby pond,”
he alleged. He said the alleged torture lasted about three hours, since he was
only allowed to go home at around 2am. A relative to Live said though the
men were claiming to be community police members, they were installed by
another faction of the inner council. “We do not recognise them,” said a
relative who asked not to be mentioned out of fear. He said while it was true
that there was an increase in crime within the area, it was wrong for community
police members to assault those suspected of having committed crimes.“Why don’t
they arrest them instead and take them to the nearest police station ?” he
asked.
eSwatini
Sexual Gender Minorities runs to the Supreme Court, challenges judgement
preventing registration of association
By
Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 26 April, 2023
MBABANE: Eswatini Sexual and Gender
Minorities ran to the Supreme Court to challenge a High Court judgement
preventing it’s registration.
Eswatini,a tiny Kingdom situated in
Southern Africa is one of the few countries that undermines the rights of Gays
and Lebians, some citizens are harassed because of their sexual orientation.
Speaking to this Swaziland News on
Wednesday, Sisanda Mavimbela, the Executive Director of the Eswatini Sexual and
Gender Minorities said, they were at the Supreme Court to challenge the High
Court judgement that deprived them their right to register their association as
per the provisions of the Constitution.
The matter was postponed to the 5th May
2023.
“For now we are fighting to register our
organization and enjoy the right to freedom of association. We are yet to fight
for the right to human dignity as sexual gender minorities, “said the Executive
Director of the Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities.
Gays and Lesbians are facing
discrimination in eSwatini, the government is not demonstrating a political
will to protect their rights like all human beings as enshrined in the
Constitution.
God save UNESWA
By Mbongeni Mbingo, eSwatini
Observer, 23 April 2023
It seems that only divine
intervention is all that is left to save this country’s biggest tertiary
institution, the University of Eswatini.
It has been the country’s best
kept secret that UNESWA has been a shadow of its glory years for a good time
now, this evidenced in the institution’s failure to hold its graduation
ceremony last year, despite having to postpone the event several times to get
the right moment and day for it.
It is understandable of course,
why the graduation ceremony was forced to be postponed, twice, at the time and
why it eventually made sense to throw in the towel. The atmosphere just wasn’t
right, and the country was going through political tensions from which there
were elements hell-bent on taking advantage, spreading fear and intimidation in
the midst of the endless protest action during that period.
So, the graduation fell off,
with thousands of young people who had gone through the most tumultuous period
to complete their studies denied the opportunity to celebrate their milestone
achievement. Many of those graduates had already made preparations for the
event, spending money they really did not have only for the university to call
off the event. Perhaps it was a sign of the times, perhaps a sign of things to
come.
The fact that the university could not find a way to do this graduation speaks
volumes about the leadership of the institution and its ability to think
outside the box.
I know this may sound harsh,
but that also reflects in the manner in which the university has failed in the
recent turbulent years to manage the tensions from students, if not managing
its wage bill and the high expenditure.
I fail to understand how such a
great institution still heavily relies on one source of income with its rich
and long history and having produced many of the country’s finest products.
Where is its alumni – for instance, and how is it roped in to assist the university
improve and evolve?
This speaks to the leadership
and vision of the institution, alongside of course of the country – which,
truth be told, just can’t bring itself to maximise on the achievement of its
glorious past.
Without sounding insensitive,
one must reference the former Prime Minister, Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, who for
some time had become fascinated with the story of Singapore and how that small
country turned its fortunes around to become one of the richest countries by
recognising and following an ambitious path laid out by its first Prime
Minister, Lee Kuan Yew.
Mandvulo, may his soul rest in
peace, had a vision of this being a Singapore of the southern part of Africa to
become a regional powerhouse and started to desire this transformative dream so
badly that when he was appointed prime minister, he believed he could have such
a similar impact in his time at hospital hill. Those at MTN will tell you how
he often spoke about the rise of Singapore during his public engagements, using
this to inspire a paradigm shift at Cabinet.
I suppose death robbed us for
we will never get to know if he could have achieved this, but the fact he could
identify that our country needed to change its course in order to attain its
economic freedom was itself a big deal.
In many ways, the University of
Eswatini is crying out for such transformation and transformative leadership.
It has such a huge potential to become one of the top universities in this
region, if not the Sub-Sahara. It is undeniable that the university has
regressed over the past decades to alarming levels.
How badly the university has
declined can be seen by just taking a look at the state of the three campuses,
which are near a state of ruin. The university is stuck in its glorious years
when it was under the leadership of the imperious Lydia Makhubu.
The reality for our university
is that it has been left behind by many other institutions that have evolved
over the years. Nowadays the university is such a sorry sight, needing
refurbishment and innovation as well as the vibrancy of the years when it was
still a combination of Botswana and Lesotho.
These days it is crying out for
not just a strategic leader, but a transformation of the proportions of
Singapore’s fortunes!
To illustrate how bad things have
become, the university can’t seem to find a compromise, let alone an offer
worth its salt to its academic staff in its ongoing dispute that is now nearing
two months!
That to me does not inspire any
confidence on anyone, and with all its resources, it is shocking there isn’t a
positive outcome out of this for so long.
Surely, the university can’t
fail this badly to have a meaningful conversation with its own staff,
especially in protecting the credibility of the programmes it offers and the
academic calendar that is now obviously thrown into disarray! How difficult can
it be to find common ground here – unless of course, the issues are far deeper
than they actually are, which obviously bring into sharp focus the role of the
vice chancellor in dealing with his staff.
This should be understood in
the context of the vice chancellor’s ability to lead and to appeal to those
that he leads. It also comes down to being able to negotiate for the greater
good of the institution, in this case, finding the solution that can make
sense, especially as it is clear to all and sundry what finances the university
has.
In this case it is easy to draw
conclusions as to what this means about the management’s ability to resolve
this situation – which is a grave concern.
The truth is that despite the
financial predicament being known, the academic staff have no proper belief in
their leadership and therefore will not compromise for the benefit of the
institution. They are now putting their interests firmly ahead of everything else,
perhaps out of frustration over relations being broken down over a long period
of time, or breakdown in trust.
The university has been closed
since March, having not even got to start its first semester classes when it
reopened. It is locked in an industrial dispute with its lecturers since March
8 and it doesn’t look like there is any hope of a resolution any time soon.
What beggars belief is how this
is not a national crisis – when it is clear that the university is crumbling –
right in front of our eyes!
It is so painful to even think
about what this means to the students who are watching helplessly the situation
unfold without any hope of a resolution forthcoming. Instead, everyone is
carrying on as though everything is normal.
The biggest problem of course is that the university leadership looks out of
its depth and incapable of resolving this impasse.
The longer this has gone on, it
doesn’t seem like it is capable of proposing an acceptable counter-offer, or
the inspiring leadership that could find a compromise in such a situation.
What it comes down to is that
the academic staff believe in their course and will not budge until they get
what they want while the university management has played its only hand.
Meanwhile, the country is the biggest loser, for if this is what the university
has been reduced to, what about its programmes? What about the quality of its
education?
This question had already been
asked many times during the endless student protests that seemed to disrupt not
just the lessons but the quality and credibility of the university.
The student protests last year
were too frequent and long which definitely compromised the quality of the
product. the last thing the university needed was another punishing strike. For
this reason alone, the university would have been expected to resolve this
dispute with its academic staff within a short time frame.
There is a sense that the
university has needed to get back to normalcy, to get its rhythm back and
perhaps to be able to breathe once more.
This stalemate is a clear
indictment on the university management and that it is devoid of ideas and has
failed the institution. Other than keeping the gates open, management is
incapable of transforming the institution to its deserved status. They cannot
be counted on to find a solution to the many problems the institution is faced
with, and rely on the government for not just the wage bill, but the mere
existence.
They need government to pay
salaries; they fail to remit the taxes and have an almost E100m tax bill; they
can’t do anything to generate their own revenue and need us to give them ideas
of how to resolve industrial disputes; the campuses are dilapidated; the
curriculum is stuck in the past and there are now fewer students attracted to it.
It is not rocket science that
this management needs to be relieved of their terrible distress for there is
nothing that they will help us with.
They can’t step up to the plate
and the university needs a new approach to emerge from the doldrums. As it
stands, the university management has thrown its hands in the air and left
everything to God to help them find a solution to the almost two-month strike
because they have no clue what to do.
So God help us all and our
university.
SWAZI
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