Swaziland Newsletter No. 801 – 3
November 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.
Speakers name,
shame at Sibaya
By Phephile
Motau, Sifiso Nhlabatsi and Siboniso Nkambule, eSwatini Observer, 31
October 2023
It was literally a bad day in the office for chiefs at yesterday’s
Sibaya as they came under fire from disgruntled members of the public who
called upon the king to intervene in resolving disputes in their areas.
On a day when the rains came down at Sibaya, members of the public came
down hard on chiefs, accusing them of failing the authorities in dealing with
matters brought before them.
It was literally free rein on chiefs as well as those working closest
with the authorities who were battered by several speakers in yesterday’s
session.
Chief Mashampu, Chief Senzangakhona, Prince Matatezela, Themba Masuku
and Chief Malambule were among a few who were in the firing line for the
handling of several matters under their jurisdiction.
Having controlled the sessions since day one with authority and calm,
the acting Ludzidzini Governor Mashampu Khumalo had his day in the rain when
one speaker accused him of mishandling his case.
Khumalo is also Ezulwini Royal Kraal Chief and was an admirable picture
of calm as his subject utilised his three minutes to make his grievance,
telling Sibaya that he was now like a Palestinian living in the Gaza strip –
claiming that he had been rendered homeless.
“In 2012 things changed and I was told that I did not belong to
Mvutjini, yet the ID which I possess is registered under the same acting
Ludzidzini Governor Mashampu,” Johannes Sikhosana stated, much to the surprise
of Sibaya.
Despite that indvuna was standing a few metres away from him and in
charge of the session, Sikhosana did not let off.
“Who am I to a person of a status of an attorney general, I have
tried approaching His Majesty through Khandlela, however, I am always told to
come back the following day,” Sikhosana narrated, to which the audience
chuckled.
He said it was clear that the people next to His Majesty were letting
him down. “Ngunaba bantfu labaseceleni kwakho labanemajobo lanemakhikhi,”
Sikhosana stated in vernacular.
Another speaker, Ncamiso Dlamini from Vusweni under Chief Mandanda, told
Sibaya of a dispute of two stamps in the area that was causing them no peace in
his area.
Dlamini said they were failing to access funding from such organisations
as the Inhlanyelo Fund due to the dispute.
He told Sibaya that they had tried to involve His Majesty, but they get
sent away every time they try to see him.
Another speaker raised concerns about chiefs encroaching on their land
at Vusweni.
Wilson Tsabedze said Vusweni has been without a chief for a longtime and
in 2019 a chiefs’ council led by acting Ludzidzini Governor Themba Ginindza
came to their chiefdom, alleging that they were sent by His Majesty King Mswati
III.
Tsabedze said they were told that they were assessing the area to see if
it was well taken care of. He explained that the Vusweni council led them and
they were requested to draft every detail of the assessment down and produce a
report.
He explained that the report was submitted to relevant authorities
at Ludzidzini. According to Tsabedze, during COVID-19 pandemic, another team of
princes came to Vusweni claiming that they were sent by His Majesty to
introduce Prince Senzangakhona as the new chief of the area.
“We were requested to go to Ludzidzini and thank Their Majesties for the
chief installation.
We came to Ludzidzini and we detailed the matter to the council and we
were told that they don’t know anything. Even the king’s advisors, Liqoqo told
us that they did not know anything,” Tsabedze said.
He went on to state that they were unable to do anything in their area
which had even lead to nearby chiefdoms encroaching in their area.
“These chiefdoms for example, Sigombeni and Dlangeni under Chief
Nsukumbili, they are taking our land. The land is finished,” he said.
To read more of this report, click here
http://new.observer.org.sz/details.php?id=21411
We were not
given enough time [at Sibaya] – women
By Nonduduzo Kunene, Times of eSwatini print edition, 1 November 2023
MBABANE: Some of the women who
have been attending Sibaya say they were not given enough opportunity to make
submissions compared to males.
This resulted in some of them
leaving Sibaya dejected after they were removed from the people who wanted to
make submissions last Thursday. There was an outcry from the women’s section of
Sibaya as they felt that the men were given more chances to speak. The first
session is also known as ‘emanyeva’.
Throughout the submissions,
the women would shout ‘sibuke phela natsi babe’ as the Sibaya Moderator Sifiso
Mashampu Khumalo was selecting the people who wanted to make submissions. Some
of the women, except for the panellists, even resorted to sneaking their way
through the queue by sitting among the people who wanted to make submissions.
It was also noted that the
number of women who were given the platform to speak was less than the number
of men.
Some ended up making
submissions when they were supposed to pose questions to the panellists.
One incident that left the
women detected was the last session of emanyeva, where over 10 women stood up
and joined the queue of the people who wanted to speak without being pointed by
Khumalo. Just after they had joined the queue, Khumalo noted that there were a
lot of people he hadn’t called to the front.
Elected
PM debate - the constitution does not say the PM should not be a Dlamini -
Percy
By Eugene Dube, Swati Newsweek 31
October, 2023
LOBAMBA: The
battle for an elected prime minister is likely to continue for a long time in
Swaziland.
Speaking to
this Swati Newsweek Online today King’s Office spokesperson Percy Simelane said
the King is free to appoint a prime minister of his choice.
Responding via
a watsap text message Simelane said, "Our experience is that the King
personally announces the end of Sibaya and, by extension, the end of
submissions there of. Until that moment, normally submissions continue."
He concluded,
"Sibaya, for decades, has been ending with the appointment of the next
Prime Minister. (sic) We will conical to believe that this one is no different.
Constitutionally thenext Prime Minister should be appointment. We would not be
sure of the surname of the next Prime Minister because the Constitution allows
the King to give the nation a premier of his choice. There is an argument now
that the Constitution doesn't say the Premier should be a Dlamini, but then it
slso doesn't say he/ she should not be a Dlamini. So the prerogative
constitutionally rests with the King after consultations with his
advisors."
Many believe
King Mswati III will appoint the prime minister today.
See
also
Sibaya
postponed to Friday due to heavy rains
http://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=5453
Disappointment as Sibaya postponed,
no new PM
http://www.times.co.sz/news/142464-disappointment-as-sibaya-postponed-no-new-pm.html
Former
Economic Planning Minister Dr Thambo Gina: Let’s use a dialogue and a gun to
deal with those promoting political instability in the country
http://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=5448
Killing
of four (4) women by sheriff: We applaud the Times, SWAGAA for pushing
the SODV Act
By Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News,
31 October, 2023
The role
played by the Times of eSwatini and the Eswatini Action Group Against
Abuse (SWAGAA) in exposing domestic violence and subsequently influencing the
enactment of the Sexual Offenses and Domestic Violence(SODV) Act must be
applauded.
Times Managing Editor Martin Dlamini, the then
News Editor Nathie Gule and Editor Cassandra Shaw played a significant role in
ensuring that, domestic violence is exposed and taken seriously in this
country.
As an
Editor myself, I know what it takes to try and shape the perspective of the
society on a particular issue of public interest.
Without
the consistent efforts and the collaboration between the media and the civil
society, we wouldn’t have known that, we are facing a serious crisis in this
country.
This
week, Vusi Mncina, a Deputy Sheriff allegedly killed four (4) women at Goje
TownShip-eZulwini, this incident suggests that, the media, law enforcement
agencies and the civil society must vigorously work together to force
government to declare Gender Based Violence (GBV) a national crisis.
Furthermore,
we must demand answers from the relevant law enforcement agencies as to why
women are abused and killed in this country despite the existence of the law
that should be acting as a deterrence measure.
Well, at
first it was hard for me to understand why the Times was consistently
publishing domestic violence articles, but then I was still young in the media,
the editors knew what they were doing and the SODV Act was the product of their
efforts.
As the editor of this publication, I am also pledging this platform to women rights organizations, our society must be educated about GBV, we need to create awareness instead of reacting after such brutal incidents.
By
Bongiwe Dlamini, Swaziland News, 1 November 2023
MBABANE: Phesheya Dube, the Principal
Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology
(ICT) says, eSwatini has lost R177million through Cybercrime.
Speaking during the launch of the
Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the PS said, the aim of the campaign was to
raise awareness on the responsibility of cybersecurity in Eswatini, build
capabilities to prevent cyberthreats, promote the reporting of cyber incidents
and further promote the adoption of secure online behaviour among emaSwati.
“We urge the youth, senior citizens,
businesses, and the public to adopt secure online behaviours that will protect
their digital lives and safeguard our national interest. Cybercrime is rising
exponentially within our borders. The estimated cost of cybercrime in the
Kingdom, from January 2022 to June 2023 is a staggering E177M, with online
fraud accounting for a significant 95% of that cost. A deeply concerning trend
is the increase in child trafficking cases, with 60% of these cases originating
from social media platforms. We would like to reiterate our commitment to
eradicating such heinous acts, that threaten the moral fibre of our society,”
said the PS said quoted by Government online platforms on Wednesday.
On another note, Mvilawemphi Dlamini, the
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Eswatini Communications Commission
(ESCCOM) said, the task of ensuring online safety lies on everyone’s shoulders.
“This enormous task of ensuring online
safety in Eswatini lies on our shoulders because we cannot have a robust
economy without the necessary safeguards for citizens. Cyber threats can lead
to financial losses, reputation damage, and even legal implications”, he said.
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