Swaziland
Newsletter No. 738 – 5 August 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.
A
battle royal for eSwatini's future
Protests
are increasing pressure on King Mswati III, Africa’s last absolute monarch, to
relinquish power, says Koffi Sawyer, Chatham
House, 3 August 2022
Domestic and
international calls for a national dialogue in eSwatini are growing as the
leadership in Africa’s only absolute monarchy, under King Mswati III, grapples
with the sociopolitical crisis that continues to fester following last year’s
intense pro-democracy protests.
The death of a law student – who many allege was killed by the police – sparked
widespread protests last summer and led three members of parliament to petition
for a democratically elected prime minister. The message was clear: the
demonstrators wanted democratic reforms and an end to the absolute
monarchy.
With no comprehensive strategy to address these longstanding demands for
democracy, the government continues to deflect and fall back on a hardline
approach of intimidation: stifling voices of dissent, arresting protest leaders
and deploying security forces to crack down on demonstrators and perceived
troublemakers.
The protests and the security-centred response have led to violence,
death, destruction of property – and even cross-border tensions, with attempts
to blockade the South African border due to sympathetic support from some in
the neighbouring country.
All of which makes critical the introduction of democratic reforms
in eSwatini (known as Swaziland until 2018). These reforms will, in the
short-term, defuse the current sociopolitical tensions and
over time build more resilient and accountable institutions.
Other popular monarchies that have moved to democracies with accountable
governance show it is possible. From the mid 20th century in Bhutan,
a succession of kings played a proactive role in introducing democratic
reforms that led to a constitutional monarchy: executive power
was invested in a cabinet of elected officials and the monarch acted as
the head of state.
By relinquishing some power, then, King Mswati would enlarge the institutional
circle of power, responsibility and accountability. In this way,
proactively leading democratic reforms will not only probably preserve the
monarchy but will protect its long-term viability and popularity among
the population.
Last year’s tensions were initially defused by a ministerial delegation from
the Southern African Development Community (SADC), urgently dispatched to
Mbabane in early July 2021. The political and diplomatic role SADC has taken
shows just how important sociopolitical cohesion and stability are for the
region.
Following the visit to eSwatini by SADC delegates, South African President
Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in November 2021, and King Mswati agreed to an
inclusive national dialogue to address the political upheaval.
A key lingering issue, however, has been the form that the dialogue should take,
as pro-democracy groups have rejected the Sibaya – a traditional platform
through which citizens’ views are brought before a national gathering at the
King’s kraal. This scepticism stems from concerns that the Sibaya has been
compromised over the years – exposing it to potential manipulation by the
establishment to further entrench the monarchy’s power and authority – and is
no longer a legitimate instrument for open dialogue.
SADC’s continued mediation faces several challenges. There is little evidence
of political will on the part of eSwatini’s leadership. No regional precedent
or blueprint for a process involving an executive monarchy or other
constitutional neotraditional structures exists. Complicating
matters further are allegations of foreign meddling and a regime
change agenda behind what is now being referred to as eSwatini’s ‘winter
revolution’.
Towards a national dialogue
A golden rule for constructive national dialogue is that it is
nationally led and owned. However, in eSwatini a few key challenges
constrain the process. The country’s political leadership lacks the trust of
the people. Independent political institutions are at best weak, at worst not
designed to perform their democratic accountability and oversight roles.
The power balance between the king and the pro-democracy groups is
asymmetrical. The king lacks strong incentives to loosen his grip on power and
authority. And, importantly, a strong, organic grassroots movement for reforms
doesn’t appear to extend beyond the country’s main capital cities.
Although pro-democracy groups represented by civil society and political
groups are leading the call for governance reforms, it is important to expand
the pool of consultations to involve other key national stakeholders, including
traditionalists, women and young people.
Cultural, historical and financial links with the South African economic and
governing elite are practical aspects that should be considered. Given the deep
ties between the countries, South Africa and its governing ANC should invest in
long-term peace and stability in eSwatini.
The international community can be an important guarantor of a genuine process,
support more effective local participation, and bolster national ownership. The
approach must be coordinated, integrated, and sensitive enough to mitigate the
risks of the process being manipulated for other purposes.
It is only within a constitutional order that the institution of the monarchy
can be safeguarded and sustainably protected. As father of the nation, it is
incumbent upon King Mswati to show honest and proactive leadership – and be
ready to shed some of his absolute power in the long-term interest of his
people and future monarchs.
Sawyer is a consultant and researcher on politics and governance
in Africa
By-election victory for Eswatini pro-democracy
activists
AFP, 1 August 2022
The wife of a self-exiled pro-democracy lawmaker in
Eswatini won Sunday her husband’s seat in a by-election that activists said
showed continued support for reforms a year after deadly protests. Nomalungelo
Simelane-Zwide was elected as the new member of the lower house for Siphofaneni
on Saturday, winning 53 percent of the vote in the small town about 80
kilometres south-east of the capital Mbabane.
Speaking after the results were announced early on
Sunday, Simelane-Zwide thanked all Swazi people for “entrusting me with the
responsibility to represent them in parliament”. Simelane-Zwide is married to
Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane, a pro-democracy activist who fled to South Africa
after police issued a warrant for his arrest following a wave of protests last
year.
Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is the last absolute
monarchy in Africa. Rights groups say 46 people were killed last year as police
violently quashed demonstrations calling for democratic reforms. Police put the
death toll at 37. Simelane is among a group of lawmakers who have advocated for
changes to the country’s complex system of non-party elections that critics
says ensures King Mswati III faces no meaningful dissent.
Sive
Siyinqaba: LaZwide's victory is a big lesson to tinkhundla regime
By
Eugene Dube, Swati Newsweek 3 August, 2022
MBABANE - Sive Siyinqaba Sibahle Sinje National
Movement, MP LaZwide’s election victory is a confirmation of a political
conscious generation of Eswatini who embraces democracy.
This was revealed in a statement by Sibahle Sinje’s
acting chairman Ngomyayona Matoni Gamedze.
“May I, on behalf of Sive Siyinqaba National Movement,
take this opportunity to congratulate the Swaziland Liberation Movement for
winning the constituency seat in Siphofaneni and choosing to keep it home. The
victory by Swalimo’s Comrade Nomalungelo Simelane popularly known as LaZwide is
a confirmation that people heeded the calls for change and it is evident that
democracy has successfully permeated the notorious system.
“The winds of change blowing across the country are
unstoppable,” he added.
Gamedze said the claim that her win is about the
credibility of Tinkhundla is self-fooling and an attempt of trying to convert a
political defeat to a positive now that all efforts of undermining her candidacy
failed dismally.
“From the day she was nominated, her nomination was a
nightmare for the regime. Fortunately, there was very little the regime could
do to her because the world was watching, hence supporting a rival candidate
became an option.”
He said this scenario will be replicated in the next
general elections. By no small measure this is a victory for political parties’
democracy against the outdated and undesirable Tinkhundla system.
Gameze explained that Swaziland needs to claim its
rightful place in the nations of the world, not just as a quantity element but
as an effective participant in the global affairs. The country needs to achieve
its full potential and stop being a “skunk” of the international community that
fails to honour its obligations and opting to shy away from regional summits.
In happier times the relationship between the Sive
Siyinqaba and the monarchial systems was cosy before the fall out, under the
tenure of late Prime Minister, Barnabas Dlamini.
Eswatini royal riches – the business
of being king
By Inhlase Centre for
Investigative Journalism, The Namibian, 3 August 2022
Never
in the history of Eswatini has a king been directly involved in business.
King Mswati III, the absolute monarch of Eswatini, has changed that.
His vast business interests first raised eyebrows and set tongues wagging in 2004 when he acquired 10% shares at mobile telecommunications service provider MTN Swaziland.
The availability of the MTN shares in the market had not been advertised.
The Swaziland Post and Telecommunications Corporation, a public enterprise, had
handed over its shares at MTN to the king on a silver platter. By giving the
king 10%, the SPTC share was reduced to 41%.
By acquiring the shares, it was argued, the king had boldly and loudly
announced his first move into business.
In 2009, Forbes Magazine listed King Mswati III as one of the 15 richest
royals, worth about US$200 million.
In November 2018, he bought a fleet of about 12 Rolls Royces for himself and
the royal family.
The purchase of these luxury vehicles was heavily criticised by among others
the United States (US) embassy in Eswatini.
This purchase has intensified the criticism of King Mswati's lavish lifestyle,
while 63% of his people live in abject poverty.
Since the open acquisition of shares at MTN, the king and the royal family have
not looked back and have continued to expand their business interests.
In some businesses, it has been alleged, he is a sleeping shareholder.
Royal conglomerate
King Mswati's acquisition of businesses has been an addition to the royal 1968
conglomerate, Tibiyo Taka Ngwane, created by his father, King Sobhuza II, by a
royal charter.
Tibiyo was established at independence by King Sobhuza, who stated the company
was being set up to empower emaSwati, and to assist the government to develop
the country.
However, as Tibiyo grew to become a significant player in business, its initial
mandate changed significantly.
This change became more visible during the reign of King Mswati.
Tibiyo has turned into a behemoth that only serves the interests of the royal
family.
Political formations in Eswatini are reported to have raised the matter of the
royal family's wealth during the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
troika's visit to the country on a fact-finding mission in July last year,
following violent pro-democracy protests.
This was in the aftermath of the June 29 politically motivated unrest.
Boycotts and sabotage
In Eswatini, there are increasing public calls by pro-democracy campaigners to
boycott business entities linked to King Mswati and the royal family, who are
estimated to own about 50% of the country's economy.
Some of the businesses connected to the king, the royal family as well as
others linked to the tinkhundla system of governance have also been sabotaged.
In March this year, for example, heavy machinery belonging to Inyatsi
Construction, a company rumoured to be linked to the king, was burnt by unknown
arsonists at Sicunusa where it was preparing to start construction of a road.
Inyatsi has been winning high-profile civil construction projects such as the
construction of an international airport at Sikhuphe and the International
Convention Centre and Five Star Hotel.
The royal family's control of the economy is done through Tibiyo Taka Ngwane,
which holds significant shares in different companies, mainly in the
agricultural sector, particularly the sugar and forestry industry.
Coming out
There are other business entities believed to be cash cows of the royal family.
Others have come out in public to declare their shareholding as not connected
to royalty to avoid being targeted by a disgruntled population tired of the
royal family's greed, such as Southern Star, a haulage company.
Lincoln Motsa, a co-director of Linac Investments running the OK chain of
stores in the country, did the same.
The other director, he said, is his wife.
For Motsa, it was too late, because three of his shops had already been
torched.
As of the end of its financial year, 30 April, 2018, Tibiyo had assets worth
E2,13 billion, according to its annual report.
Tibiyo Taka Ngwane holds 100% shares or less in some of the sugar companies in
the country and holds large tracts of land which are home to its commercial
forests.
In the sugar industry, Tibiyo is a 50% shareholder at the Royal Eswatini Sugar
(RES).
The RES is the largest sugar production company in the country.
Writing in The Bridge, an online publication, Mandla Hlatshwayo, who is
chairman of Letfusonkhe living in exile in South Africa, said Tibiyo received
E130 million in dividends from RES in 2021.
At the establishment of RES scores of emaSwati had to move to give way to the
sugarcane-growing project.
At Ubombo Sugar, the country's second largest sugar production company, Tibiyo
is a 40% shareholder.
Tibiyo has a 50% shareholding at Inyoni Yami Swaziland Irrigation Scheme, which
is involved in sugar cane farming and livestock.
Shares everywhere
Early in the year, Inhlase reported that another royal company, Silulu Royal
Holdings, has been freely acquiring tracts of land and some were set aside for
commercial forests for the benefit of the royal family.
Other farms, many of them under Silulu Royal Holdings, are owned by the king
and the royal household.
Tibiyo has over the years also invested largely in property, finance services
and others.
Tibiyo is a 40% shareholder at Bhunu Mall in Manzini, and owns the Eswatini
Observer newspaper.
It holds 30% shares at Eswatini Development Finance Corporation, 25% shares at
Simuye Plaza and 100% shares at Tibiyo Properties.
It owns 41,25% at Tibiyo Insurance Brokers.
In mining, the royal company has 25% shares at Maloma Colliery, an anthracite
coal mine. The rest of the shares were previously held by Chancellor House, the
ANC's investment wing.
The 75% shares initially held by Chancellor House have since changed hands and
a local investor has taken over.
In the manufacturing sector, Tibiyo is a 40% shareholder at Swazi Beverages, a
company that was burnt during last year's political unrest, and holds 26%
shares at Parmalat Swaziland.
The investment company is a 100% shareholder at Tibiyo Leisure and Resorts, a
five-star resort at eZulwini.
It also held 39,69 shares at Swazi Spa Holdings, now under liquidation.
It used to own 76% shareholding at the Royal Swazi National Shipping
Corporation, which has been dormant for years.
Additional to these are numerous farms held by Tibiyo, and some are held by the
king in a trust for the Swazi nation, but they essentially benefit the king and
the royal family.
This article is produced by Inhlase Centre for Investigative Journalism from
Eswatini. The story is part of 'The Palpable Stirrings of Change in Eswatini'
series, with the support of the Canon Collins Educational & Legal
Assistance Trust under the Sylvester Stein Fellowship.
Union
takes Zheng Yong garments to court over dismissal of 20 workers in Eswatini
Industriall,
4 August, 2022
Garment manufacturer Zheng Yong Swaziland
has dismissed 20 workers for going on a strike for minimum living wages, and the
Amalgamated Trade Unions of Swaziland (ATUSWA) is challenging the dismissals.
The five-week strike took place from April
5 to May 9 with the main demand being wage increases of at least E15 per hour
or E2983 (US$179) per month. However, the employers awarded a paltry 7.25 per
cent increase or E12 per hour.
The union says instead of engaging on the
workers demand, the employers teamed up with the government and used strike
breaking tactics and violence against the workers including teargassing them in
their homes and threats of violence. According to the ITUC Global Rights Index
for 2022, Eswatini is amongst the “10 worst countries for working people.”
Further, it’s been over three months since
the garment manufacturer gave the dues that it is collecting from 1247 workers
to the union. By not surrendering the dues as per the labour laws, Zheng Yong,
which employs about 4000 workers, is flouting national labour laws, says ATUSWA
which is affiliated to IndustriALL Global Union. The union says withholding the
dues is a form of union busting as it violates Section 43 of the Industrial
Relations Act which states that an employer “shall promptly remit” union dues
after collection. ATUSWA argues that the employer’s actions can be construed as
punishing workers for going on strike which is against the law.
To resist the push back, ATUSWA is taking
Zheng Yong to the Industrial Court to challenge the dismissals and for
violating workers freedom of association. Additionally, the union says the
employer must respect trade union rights.
Wander Mkhonza, ATUSWA secretary general
says: “Zheng Yong and other employers must improve working conditions in the
garment and textile sector and not always resort to threats and legal action.
Employers must engage with the union when there is a dispute instead of taking
drastic action such as dismissing workers for striking for living wages.”
“Adopting an anti-union stance is
detrimental to promoting industrial harmony between ATUSWA and Zheng Yong. The
employer must pay living wages especially after recent increases in the cost of
living. We recommend approaches that promote social dialogue and mediation and
arbitration to resolve the dispute,” says Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL
regional secretary for Sub Saharan Africa.
eSwatini
unrest: Solidarity forces invade Zakhele police camp, fire hail of bullets.
By
Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 3 August 2022
MANZINI: Members of the pro-democracy Swaziland
International Solidarity Forces (SISF) invaded Zakhele Police Camp on Wednesday
evening and fired a hail of bullets.
The escalating political tension in eSwatini comes
after Mswati refused to engage in a political dialogue and subsequently
unleashed his security forces to kill dozens of civilians.
Reached for comments, the Spokesperson of the
Solidarity Forces only confirmed that the forces were already inside eSwatini
in preparation for operations.
“We will release a full report later, but the forces
are already inside the country for operations,” said the Spokesperson of the
Solidarity Forces.
Superintendent Phindile Vilakati had not responded at
the time of compiling this report.
Eswatini is in the midst of a political unrest after
King Mswati unleashed soldiers and the police to shoot and kill dozens of protesting
civilians merely for demanding democratic reforms.
Dirco
to call in eSwatini High Commission over spokesperson saying South Africa is
infected with crime
By
Nicole McCain, News 24 (South Africa), 3 August 2022
The [South African] Department of
International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) will be calling in
representatives from the Eswatini High Commission to explain statements made by
a government spokesperson, stating that South Africa has a “cancer of
criminality from head to toe”.
Eswatini government spokesperson Alpheous
Nxumalo was interviewed on SAfm on Tuesday, amid allegations that the foreign
government is linked to the murder of Hillary Gardee, the daughter of former
EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee.
Gardee had claimed in a series of tweets
that the Eswatini king was involved in the murder because the EFF had closed
border posts in Eswatini in April for six hours during a protest.
Gardee did not provide any evidence for
his claims.
In the interview with SAfm presenter
Sakina Kamwendo, Nxumalo said it was “unjournalistic and unethical” to insult
Eswatini's head of state.
Nxumalo previously told News24 that
Gardee’s claims were “wild and empty allegations”.
During the radio interview, Nxumalo said
his government did not want to dignify the allegations with a response:
“Our [government] does not have a history
of running after people [and] taking people down because they toyi-toyi at the
border... I don't know why Gardee is valuing himself so highly.”
Nxumalo described the murder as an
“unfortunate development” and said South Africa is “infected with the cancer of
criminality from head to toe”.
He added Gardee should be working on
bringing legislation to reduce the crime in South Africa, instead of trying to
expose conspiracies.
Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela told
News24 that the department would file a démarche with the kingdom’s high
commissioner on Wednesday to seek an explanation.
“We certainly take a dim view of the
comments made by Nxumalo. It was an unfortunate statement to make. We will seek
to ascertain if this is the view of their government, or of an individual. We
want to know what they are going to do about it. It was a wrong
characterisation of South Africa. There is no country that is without crime,”
he said.
On Friday, News24 reported that the
Gauteng High Court in Pretoria had ordered the Hillary Gardee murder
investigation to be handed over to the Hawks and for case to be treated with
urgency.
This after the Gardee family said the
police were not prioritising the case due to a lack of interest and media
attention.
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