SWAZI KING’S RIGHT-HAND MAN DIES

TV Mtetwa, the right-hand man to King Mswati III the absolute monarch of Swaziland, and a fierce opponent of progression in the kingdom has died aged 93.

Mtetwa who was known as the ‘traditional prime minister’ had more power than the actual PM. He advocated for girls as young as fifteen to be forced into marriages, thereby supporting paedophilia (sex with children).

He threatened opponents of King Mswati that they would burn, if they did not do as they were told. He relentlessly worked to limit free speech and criticism of the King.

TV Mtetwa – real name Timothy Velabo – was Acting Governor of the Ludzidzini Royal Residence. This meant when he spoke he was considered to be speaking for the King. The power in Swaziland rests with King Mswati and his mother. Political parties are banned from taking part in elections and the King choses the Prime Minister, top ministers and judges. Critics of the King are labelled terrorists by the Suppression of Terrorism Act.

Although a constitution was passed in 2005 giving the appearance that Swaziland had many traits of a modern state, in reality tradition and culture takes precedence over laws. Mtetwa was the ultimate authority on traditional law and custom in the kingdom. 

Mtetwa was quick to pint this out in 2012 when he said it was acceptable for girls aged 15 to take part in traditional marriage known as kwendzisa if their parents agreed and the child wanted to. 

Mtetwa said this knowing that in 2012 the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act had been passed in Swaziland which made it illegal to engage in sexual relationships with girls under the age of 18.

The Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) said at the time most of these so-called marriages were forced on the girl and sometimes it happened after she had been raped or fallen pregnant.  SWAGAA, in a media statement, said, ‘What is most disturbing is the fact that most of these “marriages” are forced, with the young girls having little or no say in being married to much older men. 

‘The situation is often forced because the family wants to receive payment and if sexual relations have occurred (usually forced upon the girl), the family wants to save face. We have seen tragic stories in the newspaper recently involving these types of marriages, from girls being forced to marry after being raped, to getting pregnant and dropping out of school, to attempting suicide.’

It added, ‘What these young girls are enduring in the name of “traditional marriage” is a human rights violation. Swaziland has signed the Human Rights Declaration and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Children’s Protection and Welfare Act of 2012 received assent from King Mswati III to protect the lives and dignity of all children in Swaziland.

‘Protecting young Swazi girls from traditional marriages that they don’t want is a matter of principle. It is not a complicated legal issue; it is simply a matter of upholding human rights and Swazi law.’

One of Mtetwa’s duties was to travel the length and breadth of Swaziland threatening dire consequences to people who dared to defy the King’s wishes. For example, in 2014 he told the King’s subjects in kaLuhleko they ‘will burn’ if they continued to criticise the King’s appointment of a local chief.

In April 2014, the Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati, reported Mtetwa and a delegation from the King visited kaLuhleko where it said ‘Bhekwako Dlamini had been mobilising the people to snub meetings called by the newly appointed Chief Zulwelihle Maseko, ‘who was blessed by Their Majesties last June’.

The newspaper reported, ‘His Majesty roared through Ludzidzini Governor Timothy Velabo Mtetwa commonly known as TV.

‘“It has gotten to the attention of His Majesty the King and the Queen Mother that there is something irregular happening here and that is why we are here today,” he said to deafening silence.

‘“There is a bad habit that has come to the attention of the authorities that there are some people who still choose to defy the chief and do not recognise a man who has been appointed by the King. Where have you ever heard of that? This is the person who has been chosen to take over from Mfanwenkhosi Maseko and I have been sent by His Majesty to order that there be complete silence in this place,” said the tough talking Mtetwa.’

The Observer reported Mthethwa warned that people who did not adhere to the directive issued by the King ‘will burn’.

Mtetwa was against free speech. Many times he pronounced that King Mswati’s word was final – on every topic. For example, in 2015, King Mswati introduced a football tournament that failed to attract enough supporters and made a huge financial loss. 

Controversy surrounded the E9 million (about US$900,000) sponsorship of the Ingwenyama Cup tournament by the government parastatal Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (SMVAF). SMVAF exists to compensate victims of road accidents.

A range of critics said the amount of sponsorship was too much to spend in a kingdom that was battling with poverty and a drought. Seven in ten of the King’s 1.3 million subjects live in abject poverty with incomes of less than US$2 a day.

Mtetwa announced that ‘members of parliament, [cabinet] ministers and whoever’ must be silent on the matter.

The Observer on Saturday (21 November 2015) reported Mtetwa said people must stop discussing the topic, ‘because the lion has already roared on the matter’. The newspaper reported Mtetwa, ‘emphasised that it was wrong for people to publicly talk about what the King has already pronounced and set in motion’.

The newspaper added, ‘Mtetwa said since time immemorial it had been a traditional norm that no one speaks after the King had spoken.’

The newspaper said, ‘He warned all critics to guard against being seen to be going against pronouncements made by the King.’

Mtetwa died on Monday (16 October 2017) in a hospital in South Africa after a long illness.

See also

KING’S MAN SUPPORTS CHILD BRIDES

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/01/kings-man-publicly-supports-child-sex.html

 

KING’S WORDS BLOCK FREE SPEECH

http://swazilandcommentary.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/kings-words-block-free-speech.html

‘THE SWAZILAND KING’S WORD IS LAW’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-swaziland-kings-word-is-law.html

 

‘COUP D’ÉTAT TAKEN PLACE’ - KING’S MAN

http://swazilandcommentary.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/coup-detat-taken-place-kings-man.html

KING’S WORDS BLOCK FREE SPEECH

People in Swaziland have been ordered not to comment on the controversial sponsorship of a new soccer tournament because King Mswati III has pronounced on the subject.

In a stark example of the lack of freedom of speech in the tiny kingdom where King Mswati rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, the most senior monarchy loyalist TV Mtetwa has pronounced that ‘members of parliament, [cabinet] ministers and whoever’ must be silent on the matter.

The controversy surrounds the E9 million (about US$900,000) sponsorship of the Ingwenyama Cup tournament by the government parastatal Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (SMVAF). 

SMVAF exists to compensate victims of road accidents.

King Mswati himself launched the tournament at an event at Lozitha, one of the 13 palaces he has in Swaziland.

A range of critics said the amount of sponsorship was too much to spend in a kingdom that was presently battling with poverty and a drought. Seven in ten of the King’s 1.3 million subjects live in abject poverty with incomes of less than US$2 a day.

But, the Observer on Saturday, a newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati, reported on Saturday (21 November 2015) that Mtetwa, who is generally regarded as the ‘traditional prime minister’, said people must stop discussing the topic, ‘because the lion has already roared on the matter’.

The newspaper is part of the Swazi Observer group, which was called a  ‘pure propaganda machine for the royal family’ by the Media Institute of Southern Africa in a report on press freedom in Swaziland.

The Observer on Saturday reported Mtetwa, ‘emphasised that it was wrong for people to publicly talk about what the King has already pronounced and set in motion’.

The newspaper added, ‘Mtetwa said since time immemorial it had been a traditional norm that no one speaks after the King had spoken.’

The newspaper said, ‘He warned all critics to guard against being seen to be going against pronouncements made by the King.’

The newspaper added, ‘Also sought for comment, was traditionalist and National Court President Ndumiso Dlamini who put it clear that he expected no one to taint what the king had blessed.

‘He said it was a known traditional or and cultural practice that once His Majesty had spoken, no one is expected to say a word against his.’

Earlier, some members of parliament told Minister for Finance Martin Gobizandla Dlamini that they were against the allocation of E9 million to the soccer tournament. The money will be paid over three years.

KING'S DEFIANT SUBJECTS 'WILL BURN'

King Mswati III’s right-hand man has told a community they ‘will burn’ if they continue to defy instructions from the King.

And, the Swaziland King ordered a ‘complete silence’ from his subjects in the kaLuhleko chiefdom about his decision to appoint their chief.

The warning was delivered by Ludzidzini Royal Residence Governor Timothy Velabo Mtetwa, who is commonly known in Swaziland as the ‘traditional prime minister’. This means he is the voice of the King and more powerful than Barnabas Dlamini, the man the King appointed as Swaziland’s figurehead PM.

Mtetwa and a delegation from the King visited kaLuhleko on Monday (14 April 2014) to issue a dire warning. The Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by the King, who is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch,  reported ‘Bhekwako Dlamini of kaLuhleko has been mobilising the people to snub meetings called by the newly appointed Chief Zulwelihle Maseko, who was blessed by Their Majesties last June.’ 

The newspaper reported, ‘His Majesty roared through Ludzidzini Governor Timothy Velabo Mtetwa commonly known as TV.

‘“It has gotten to the attention of His Majesty the King and the Queen Mother that there is something irregular happening here and that is why we are here today,” he said to deafening silence.

‘“There is a bad habit that has come to the attention of the authorities that there are some people who still choose to defy the chief and do not recognise a man who has been appointed by the King. Where have you ever heard of that? This is the person who has been chosen to take over from Mfanwenkhosi Maseko and I have been sent by His Majesty to order that there be complete silence in this place,” said the tough talking Mtetwa.’

The Observer reported Mthethwa warned that people who did not adhere to the directive issued by the King ‘will burn’.

Swazi chiefs have enormous power. It is through chieftaincies that King Mswati maintains control of his people and chiefs do his bidding at a local level. People know not to get on the wrong side of the chief because their livelihood depends on his goodwill. In some parts of Swaziland the chiefs are given the power to decide who gets food that has been donated by international agencies. The chiefs quite literally have power of life and death in such cases with about a third of the population of Swaziland receiving food aid each year. 

Chiefs can and do take revenge on their subjects who disobey them. There is a catalogue of cases in Swaziland. For example, Chief Dambuza Lukhele of Ngobelweni in the Shiselweni region banned his subjects from ploughing their fields because some of them defied his order to build a hut for one of his wives.

Nhlonipho Nkamane Mkhatswa, chief of Lwandle in Manzini, the main commercial city in Swaziland, reportedly stripped a woman of her clothing in the middle of a street in full view of the public because she was wearing trousers.

In November 2013, the newly-appointed Chief Ndlovula of Motshane threatened to evict nearly 1,000 of his subjects from grazing land if they did not pay him a E5,000 (US$500) fine, the equivalent of more than six months income for many.

He said his subjects had illegally built homes on land put aside for grazing.

See also

CHIEF FORCES SUBJECTS TO GREET KING

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/02/chief-forces-subjects-to-greet-king.html

CHILD BRIDES: ABUSE GROUP SPEAKS OUT

The Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) has criticized traditionalists in the kingdom who insist that underage girls can be made to marry.

The group says most of these so-called marriages are forced on the girl and sometimes it happens after she has been raped or fallen pregnant.

SWAGAA was reacting after media reported King Mswati III’s right-hand man Timothy Velabo (TV) Mtetwa said it was acceptable for girls aged 15 to take part in traditional marriage known as kwendzisa if their parents agreed and the child wanted to. 

Mtetwa said this knowing that in 2012 the Children’s Protection and Welfare Act was passed in Swaziland which made it illegal to engage in sexual relationships with girls under the age of 18.

In September 2012, he was reported saying traditionalists would apply for a review of the Act if it was felt to collide with Swazi customs and traditions. 

Mtetwa, who is Ludzidzini Governor and popularly known as the ‘traditional prime minister’ of Swaziland, is considered in the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, to be the ultimate authority on traditional law and custom in the kingdom.

SWAGAA, in a media statement, said, ‘What is most disturbing is the fact that most of these “marriages” are forced, with the young girls having little or no say in being married to much older men.

‘The situation is often forced because the family wants to receive payment and if sexual relations have occurred (usually forced upon the girl), the family wants to save face. We have seen tragic stories in the newspaper recently involving these types of marriages, from girls being forced to marry after being raped, to getting pregnant and dropping out of school, to attempting suicide.’

It added, ‘What these young girls are enduring in the name of “traditional marriage” is a human rights violation. Swaziland has signed the Human Rights Declaration and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Children’s Protection and Welfare Act of 2012 received assent from King Mswati III to protect the lives and dignity of all children in Swaziland.

‘Protecting young Swazi girls from traditional marriages that they don’t want is a matter of principle. It is not a complicated legal issue; it is simply a matter of upholding human rights and Swazi law.’

SWAGAA added that international conventions stated, ‘Where one of the parties getting married is under 18, consent cannot always be assumed to be “free and full”’.

SWAGAA said there were a number of ‘negative’ reasons why girls were forced into traditional marriages, ‘such as the importance attributed to preserving family “honour” usually where the girl child has fallen pregnant before marriage or whilst at school.

‘There is a belief that marriage safeguards against “immoral” or “inappropriate behavior” which results in parents pushing their daughters into marriage well before they are ready. A lot of it, though, is due to the failure to enforce laws. Sometimes families are not even aware they are breaking the law.’

See also

KING’S MAN SUPPORTS CHILD BRIDES

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/01/kings-man-publicly-supports-child-sex.html

KING’S MAN SUPPORTS CHILD BRIDES

King Mswati III’s right-hand man Timothy Velabo (TV) Mtetwa said it is all right for under-aged girls to be taken into traditional marriages.

This is despite a newly-enacted Children’s Protection and Welfare Act, 2012, that aims to make the practice known as kwendzisa illegal.

Mtetwa, who is Ludzidzini Governor and popularly known as the ‘traditional prime minister’ of Swaziland, said girls aged 15 can marry if their parents agree and the child wants to.

Mtetwa is considered in Swaziland to be the ultimate authority on traditional law and custom in the kingdom. He was responding to a question from the Swazi Observer, the newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati.

He admitted that the law existed which made it illegal to engage in sexual relationships with girls under the age of 18. But, he said in the past kwendzisa was allowed and he was not aware of any order that stated that it was now banned.

‘What I know is that if the parents and the girl have agreed, the authorities never penalised anyone,’ he told the newspaper. 

The Children’s Protection and Welfare Act was endorsed by King Mswati in September 2012. The law states that all practices that are likely to affect the child’s life, health, welfare, dignity or physical, emotional, psychological, mental and intellectual development are illegal.

Offenders can be fined up to E10,000 (US$1,000).

Although the Act has been passed, it is not clear when it will come into force.

In September, the Times of Swaziland, the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom reported that Swaziland ranked 45 out of 60 countries, according to the international ratings of children’s friendliness and rights protection report.

At the time of enactment of the Act, Mtetwa was quoted by the Times saying traditionalists would apply for a review of the Act if it was felt to collide with Swazi customs and traditions.

There have been a number of controversial cases in Swaziland recently where girls have been forced into having sex. Swaziland’s Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku criticised men who had sex with girls under the age of 18 after media reports that a soccer star claimed he was in a relationship with a 14-year-old girl after being arrested for allegedly raping her.

In the recent past, the Deputy Prime Minister’s office has rescued a number of underage girls, who had to drop out of school because they had been ‘forced’ into marriage by their parents, the Observer reported.

‘COUP D’ÉTAT TAKEN PLACE’ - KING’S MAN

The temperature in the dispute between traditional authorities in Swaziland and the official government has been raised by the Chairman of the King’s Advisory body Liqoqo who said a ‘coup d’état’ had taken place against the monarch.

Prince Logcogco said that state-controlled radio and television in Swaziland had refused to broadcast a press conference hosted by the ‘traditional’ Prime Minister Timothy Velabo Mtetwa.

During the conference Mtetwa lambasted the government for not obeying King Mswati III’s instructions on ending a five-week-long teachers strike in the kingdom. The king ordered all teachers to return to work and told the government to enter into discussions to settle the dispute. The teachers went back to work, but the government refused to reinstate teachers who had been sacked for striking, thereby seeming to defy the king.

In Swaziland, where King Mswati is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, the king’s word is law and nobody is allowed to disagree with him. Mtetwa said as much in his press conference.

Now, Prince Logcogco has told the Swazi News, one of the few media outlets in the kingdom not under government control, that SBIS radio and STVA television were ordered not to broadcast Mtetwa’s criticism of the government.

Mtetwa has the official title of Ludzidzini Acting Governor, but he is commonly known as the ‘traditional Prime Minister’. He is said to speak for the king and is considered to be more powerful than the nominal Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini.

Prince Logcogco told the Swazi News a ‘government official’ who he chose not to name ordered the radio and TV not to broadcast Mtetwa’s comments. He is reported saying, ‘They were merely ordered by a known person under some threat of harm. To me it is the culprit who must face trial for a case of treason. These institutions belong to the state. What was done is a coup. He must be punished. It will set a wrong example to let such an act go unpunished.’

He said that Mtetwa was conveying a message from the monarch at the press conference. ‘Consider further that SBIS and STVA are state institutions. If the blocking of the broadcasts is not a criminal act punishable as treason, then Swaziland has had a successful coup,’ the newspaper reported him saying.

Later, Chief Executive of the Swaziland Television Authority (STVA) Bongani ‘S’gcokosiyancinca’ Dlamini said all enquiries regarding the gagging of Mtetwa should be directed to the Ministry of Information Communication and Technology, which controls broadcasting in the kingdom.

See also

WE MUST OBEY THE KING – SWAZI PM

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/08/we-must-obey-king-swazi-pm.html

‘THE SWAZILAND KING’S WORD IS LAW’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-swaziland-kings-word-is-law.html