Doubt Over Validity of Swaziland Election

The validity of the House of Assembly election in Swaziland / Eswatini has been called into question with a newspaper report that nominations for candidates went ahead without a final voters’ roll.

Without the list of who had registered to vote it was impossible to check that voters were genuine and names had not been invented or people ‘rented’ to a constituency to support a candidate.

Ackel Zwane, a veteran journalist in Swaziland, wrote in the Swazi Observer on Friday (27 July 2018) this was the first time in the history of Swaziland’s elections that nominations took place without a published voters’ roll. Nominations took place at the weekend (28 and 29 July 2018). 

Swaziland is ruled by King Mswati III as one of the world’s last absolute monarchs. In the Tinkhundla system political parties are not allowed to stand in the election and the King appoints the Prime Minister and government. The King also in effect owns the Observer newspaper.

Zwane wrote, ‘We had also expected the list of nomination centres at dates to have been distributed together with the final voters roll in order to allow for voters to scrutinise and detect rented and non-qualifying candidates from being nominated in the said centres.’

He also criticised the fact that the days for nomination were not made public holidays. He said, ‘Since the Tinkhundla system of governance allows for individual status at elections, not group or party representation, all citizens should have been allowed at both the nominations, primary and secondary elections the same level ground, by declaring these days public holidays in order for all citizens to enjoy that same status of being equal just this once.’

The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) has been under intense scrutiny for the way it is running the election. Earlier in July amid claims of corruption and vote rigging it reported more than 90 percent of those it said were eligible had registered to vote. Registration had been extended by 12 days at the end of June 2018.

EBC said 544,310 from 600,000 eligible registered. The figures compare to 414,704 who registered at the last election in 2013. Of those, 251,278 people voted.

Zwane disputed the EBC registration figures. Writing in the Swazi Observer, (6 July 2018) he said there had been ‘blatant breaking of the electoral law’ and the EBC had deliberately ignored this.

He wrote, ‘The law succinctly prescribes that there must be proof of residence at registration, but the EBC has been inflating figures of registered voters in the country’s malls and population centres without requiring proof of residence.’

He added, ‘The figures have now been inflated with non-qualifying elements registering to vote, all because there is no efficient system to prune out the frauds.’

Zwane wrote,  ‘It is at these stages that an election loses its credibility.’

He said election law required people registering to vote in urban areas to produce evidence of their Swazi citizenship or permanent residence. ‘Nothing of this requirement was met at the registration points around the malls and shopping complexes throughout the country.’

He added, ‘Now this has opened floodgates to the elections mafia who are able to manipulate these loopholes by registering as many foreigners as possible, especially impoverished Mozambicans who freely roam Eswatini [Swaziland] without requiring any papers to remain in the country.

Zwane said it would be impossible to verify the electoral roll ahead of voting. ‘The individual citizens do not possess the ability and resources to undertake the cumbersome task of identifying each individual voter in a particular area whether authentic or fraudulent. Even the EBC does not have the resources, skill and time to do this, otherwise they would have prevented the crises at registration.’

During the registration period there were many media reports of incompetence, corruption and nepotism. When registration began equipment was not in place at all centres and trained election personnel were not always available and there were many reports of computer failures. A toll-free line available for people to report grievances and challenges they met at registration centres failed to work on MTN mobile phone numbers. Many people did not receive voter cards after registering, leaving them in doubt that they would be able to cast their vote.

Reports of attempted bribery were rife across the kingdom. At Maphungwane in the Matsanjeni North Constituency football teams rejected a E10,000 (US$790) sponsorship from an aspiring member of parliament. The Swazi Observer reported (18 May 2018) that the sponsorship was in the form of prize money that would be paid at the end of the football season and after the election had been held.

The newspaper reported the clubs’ representatives questioned the timing of the sponsorship and rejected the offer. One club boss told the Observer that aspiring MPs had also tried to manipulate them in the past.

There was a report that police in Swaziland were investigating possible election corruption concerning a former government minister accused of bribing people with promises of food parcels for their votes. 

Poverty-stricken textile workers said they sold their votes for cash and chicken pieces. The Swazi Observer reported sitting members of parliament had sent their agents into factories to buy up votes in the industrial town of Matsapha. People said they were persuaded to register as residents of the surrounding areas as opposed to their chiefdoms of origin. 

Other textile workers in Nhlangano said groups of 50 or 60 of them had been given free lunches by sponsors of people keen to win seats in parliament. They also said transport costs to and from work had been paid. The Swazi Observer reported on Friday (15 June 2018) that some outgoing MPs were involved.

Residents at Mbangweni complained of nepotism when four people selected to assist in the election were from the same family. The Swazi Observer reported Inkhosatana Gelane, the acting KoNtshingila chief, saying they were ‘loyal and respectful residents’. 

Many residents in areas including Engwenyameni, Madadeni, and Lavumisa, said they would boycott the election because they were dissatisfied with how constituency boundaries had been drawn. 

Days before registration closed EBC Chair Chief Gija Dlamini told media that all persons nominated for election would be vetted by police.

See also

New Study Shows Why Swaziland Elections Are Not Democratic

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/07/new-study-shows-why-swaziland-elections.html

‘VOTE RIGGING’ AS REGISTRATION TOPS 90%

Swaziland’s Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) says that more than 90 percent of those eligible have registered to vote, amid claims of corruption and vote rigging.

Registration was extended by 12 days at the end of June 2018 and 18,237 people registered during that time.

A total of 544,310 from 600,000 (90.7 percent) eligible registered, according to official figures. The figures compare to 414,704 who registered at the last election in 2013. Of these, 251,278 people voted.

Swaziland is ruled by King Mswati III one of the world’s last absolute monarch. Political parties are barred from taking part in elections.

Elections in Swaziland are widely recognised outside of the kingdom as undemocratic. Parliament has no powers as these are vested in the King. After the election, the King will chose the Prime Minister, government ministers and the top civil servants and judges. At past elections people only got to select 55 of 65 members of the House of Assembly. The King chose the other 10. At the forthcoming election there will be an additional four seats for people to vote for. It has not been announced how many members the King will choose but the Swaziland Constitution allows him to pick up to ten.

No members of the 30-member Senate are elected by the people.

The EBC registration figures have been disputed by veteran Swaziland journalist Ackel Zwane. Writing in the Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by the King, on Friday (6 July 2018) he said there had been ‘blatant breaking of the electoral law’ and the EBC had deliberately ignored this.

He wrote, ‘The law succinctly prescribes that there must be proof of residence at registration, but the EBC has been inflating figures of registered voters in the country’s malls and population centres without requiring proof of residence.’

He added, ‘The figures have now been inflated with non-qualifying elements registering to vote, all because there is no efficient system to prune out the frauds.’

Zwane wrote,  ‘It is at these stages that an election loses its credibility.’

He said election law required people registering to vote in urban areas to produce evidence of their Swazi citizenship or permanent residence. ‘Nothing of this requirement was met at the registration points around the malls and shopping complexes throughout the country.’

He added, ‘Now this has opened floodgates to the elections mafia who are able to manipulate these loopholes by registering as many foreigners as possible, especially impoverished Mozambicans who freely roam Eswatini [Swaziland] without requiring any papers to remain in the country.

‘Similarly, the Asian community has joined the bandwagon to push up the figures, not to mention the South Africans from porous borders in the north, south and west, who come in and out as they wished to cast a vote in exchange for a beer or two.’

Zwane said it would be impossible to verify the electoral roll ahead of voting. ‘The individual citizens do not possess the ability and resources to undertake the cumbersome task of identifying each individual voter in a particular area whether authentic or fraudulent. Even the EBC does not have the resources, skill and time to do this, otherwise they would have prevented the crises at registration.’

During the registration period there were many media reports of incompetence, corruption and nepotism. When registration began equipment was not in place at all centres and trained election personnel were not always available and there were many reports of computer failures. A toll-free line available for people to report grievances and challenges they met at registration centres failed to work on MTN mobile phone numbers. Many people did not receive voter cards after registering, leaving them in doubt that they would be able to cast their vote.

Reports of attempted bribery were rife across the kingdom. At Maphungwane in the Matsanjeni North Constituency football teams rejected a E10,000 (US$790) sponsorship from an aspiring member of parliament. The Swazi Observer reported (18 May 2018) that the sponsorship was in the form of prize money that would be paid at the end of the football season and after the election had been held.

The newspaper reported the clubs’ representatives questioned the timing of the sponsorship and rejected the offer. One club boss told the Observer that aspiring MPs had also tried to manipulate them in the past.

There was a report that police in Swaziland were investigating possible election corruption concerning a former government minister accused of bribing people with promises of food parcels for their votes. 

Poverty-stricken textile workers said they sold their votes for cash and chicken pieces. The Swazi Observer reported sitting members of parliament had sent their agents into factories to buy up votes in the industrial town of Matsapha. People said they were persuaded to register as residents of the surrounding areas as opposed to their chiefdoms of origin. 

Other textile workers in Nhlangano said groups of 50 or 60 of them had been given free lunches by sponsors of people keen to win seats in parliament. They also said transport costs to and from work had been paid. The Swazi Observer reported on Friday (15 June 2018) that some outgoing MPs were involved.

Residents at Mbangweni complained of nepotism when four people selected to assist in the election were from the same family. The Swazi Observer reported Inkhosatana Gelane, the acting KoNtshingila chief, saying they were ‘loyal and respectful residents’. 

Many residents in areas including Engwenyameni, Madadeni, and Lavumisa, said they would boycott the election because they were dissatisfied with how constituency boundaries had been drawn.

Days before registration closed EBC Chair Chief Gija Dlamini told media that all persons nominated for election would be vetted by police.

See also

DOUBTS ELECTION BOARD IS COMPETENT

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/06/doubts-election-board-is-competent.html

 

PEOPLE NOT ELECTING THEIR GOVERNMENT

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/06/people-not-electing-their-government.html

 

CHORUS AGAINST UNDEMOCRATIC ELECTION GROWS

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/06/chorus-against-swazi-election-grows.html

LOCAL ELECTION CORRUPTION CLAIM

A veteran journalist in Swaziland has slammed the organisation of the upcoming municipal elections in the kingdom, suggesting voting will be rigged.
 

Ackel Zwane, writing his weekly column for the Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III the absolute monarch in Swaziland, pointed to ‘rampant corruption’.

Zwane wrote on Friday (13 October 2017), the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) which runs the election had disregarded the Swazi Constitution that requires it to set up appropriate rules and monitor elections in Swaziland. 

‘Since their commissioning the EBC has done nothing but  recite certain clauses about the voting process instead of creating institutions that will protect citizens from all forms of rigging and make elections truly meaningful and not just a scramble for unearned positions of power.’

Zwane said there was persistent infighting at the EBC and ‘the consequences are devastating’.

The elections are due to take place on 28 October 2017.

On 4 October 2017, the Swazi parliament was told there was confusion about whether the EBC or the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development was running the election.

Zwane said voter registration had been corrupted. ‘The first and most abhorring loophole is the control and monitoring of the voters’ roll. In this case prospective candidates drive scores of nonurban persons to the registration centres and the system cannot detect whether those people indeed come from the various wards. 

‘For instance in Ward 5 in Manzini voters would be coming from Sicewlini, Makholweni, Nkhundleni, Ticantfwini, Mphembekati, Mntfwanenkhosi, Mpholi, Magwaza, Mkhulamini, Mbekelweni and Ludzeludze yet the ward is only to produce a candidate from Murray Camps and Sikhunyana constituencies. 

‘Show me any system to verify in the voters’ roll if all those registered indeed come from the designated wards.’

He added, ‘This tradition also translates into the national election whereby people are taken from wherever to register and vote for particular candidates that offer them goodies at the end, if not outright vote purchasing. 

‘These registered votes are often rewarded with endless rounds of cold beers, roast chicken (chicken dust) and tripe in exchange for the candidate to earn sitting allowances, attend breakfast meetings and officiating in such auspicious events as distribution of new litter collection bins for the duration of the political term.’

On 20 September 2017, the Swazi Observer reported the inspection of the voters’ roll had been extended because of doubts that they were accurate. It was claimed some people had been wrongly registered as voters in some towns and cities.

In October there were complaints that in most cases photographs of voters did not appear on rolls alongside names as expected.

Zwane said voter education was poor and candidates and voters alike did not understand what they were expected to do and corruption was rife. He said many councillors did not live in the areas they represented.

‘We are aware of rampant corruption resulting from lack of policing municipality management systems,’ he added.

‘This culture has resulted in both rent and rates payers being marginalised and their interests neglected as those voted into office have no interest of the urban dweller or of urban life whatsoever. If any watchdog organisation could invest its energies in finding out how much property councillors have on Swazi Nation Land as opposed to urban property the results would be shocking. 

‘Most of the councillors have their homes in Lwandle, Ticantfwini, kashali, kaKhoza, Mpolonjeni, Mvutjini, Mantjolo, Esitibeni, Nkoyoyo  with only titimela for rent in Ngwane Park, Skom or Msunduza, the urban area.’

See also

MEDIA FOR DEMOCRACY

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2007/11/media-for-democracy.html

HUNGRY SWAZIS WILLINGLY EAT DOG FOOD

Some people in Swaziland are so hungry they willingly eat dog food, a newspaper in the kingdom reported.

It came after residents looted a van full of dog food that overturned on the Manzini – Mbabane highway.

It was not an isolated incident, Ackel Zwane, an opinion columnist in the Swazi Observer wrote on Friday (15 September 2017). He wrote, ‘The reasons are simple because people are so poor and desperate they will consume anything that would not kill them.’

Zwane gave an insight into how hungry people in the kingdom ruled by King Mswati III as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch are. Seven in ten of his 1.1 million subjects live in abject poverty with incomes of less than US$2 per day.

He wrote that people pretend ‘to be collecting bones or food remains for their dogs back home when in fact that is a lie, they were collecting the leftovers to feed their loved ones’.

Zwane who writes for a newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati wrote, ‘This practice is even common in cocktails, garden parties or state banquets where top government officials fill the boot and vans of their vehicles with leftover food all in the guise that they are taking them to their dogs.’

Many people attend cultural events in Swaziland because free food is on offer, he wrote.

‘Just watch the stampede each time the governor of Ludzidzini Royal Residence announces that the King invites the nation for a meal especially during national events, it is as if people were having their only meal to last a lifetime.’

Hunger is widespread in Swaziland. In a report in May 2017, the World Food Program estimated 350,000 people in Swaziland were in need of food assistance. WFP helped 65,473 of them. It said it was regularly feeding 52,000 orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) aged under eight years at neighbourhood care points. About 45 percent of all children in Swaziland are thought to be OVCs.

It reported chronic malnutrition affected 26 percent of all children in Swaziland aged under five. 

Meanwhile, the King lives a lavish lifestyle. At his 49^th birthday party in April 2017, media in Swaziland reported that it took three months to prepare his cake.

The Times of Swaziland the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom where reporting about the King is severely restricted, said at the time, ‘All eyes were on the cake that was beautifully displayed in the front during the garden party at His Majesty’s birthday celebration. Most people were asking themselves how much time it took the bakers to prepare the cake. The company has always made it a point that it prepares a beautiful cake every year for His Majesty’s birthday celebrations.’

The Swazi Observer said, ‘The purple and cream white cake was set on a gold stand that connected the 49 pieces to make it one and the artistic look was finished off with a gold lion shaped piece.’

King Mswati lives a lavish lifestyle with at least 13 palaces, a fleet of top-of-the-range Mercedes and BMW cars. He is soon to take delivery of a second private jet. 

The people of Swaziland have been left hungry for many years and the problem seems to be getting worse.

In October 2014, the Office of the Swaziland Deputy Prime Minister Paul Dlamini reported that 223,249 people were estimated to require interventions aimed at maintaining their livelihood and at least 67,592 of the Swazi population required immediate food assistance. This was contained in a report from the kingdom’s Vulnerability Assessment Committee.

Earlier in 2014, the Global Hunger Index report published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) revealed the proportion of people who were undernourished more than doubled in Swaziland since 2004-2006 and in 2011-2013 was 35.8 percent of the kingdom’s population or about 455,000 people.

IFPRI reported that since 1990, life expectancy in Swaziland fell by ten years, amounting to only 49 years in 2012.

IFPRI defines undernourishment as an inadequate intake of food - in terms of either quantity or quality.

The reports underscore numerous previous surveys demonstrating the state of hunger in the kingdom.

In 2012, three separate reports from the World Economic Forum, United Nations and the Institute for Security Studies all concluded the Swazi Government was largely to blame for the economic recession and subsequent increasing number of Swazis who had to skip meals.

The reports listed low growth levels, government wastefulness and corruption, and lack of democracy and accountability as some of the main reasons for the economic downturn that led to an increasing number of hungry Swazis.

Poverty is so grinding in Swaziland that some people, close to starvation, are forced to eat cow dung in order to fill their stomachs before they can take ARV drugs to treat their HIV status.  In 2011, newspapers in Swaziland reported the case of a woman who was forced to take this drastic action. Once the news went global, supporters of King Mswati denounced the report as lies. 

In July 2012, Nkululeko Mbhamali, Member of Parliament for Matsanjeni North, said people in the Swaziland lowveld area had died of hunger at Tikhuba.

See also

SCHOOL CHILDREN ‘FACE STARVATION’

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/school-children-face-starvation.html

 

SWAZI KING GETS NEW JET AS PEOPLE STARVE

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/08/king-gets-new-jet-as-people-starve.html  

DROUGHT: ‘PEOPLE DIED OF HUNGER’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2016/07/drought-people-died-of-hunger.html

HUNGER INCREASES IN SWAZILAND

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/10/hunger-increases-in-swaziland.html

GOVT ‘DELIBERATELY STARVING PEOPLE’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/05/govt-deliberately-starving-people.html

CORRUPTION ‘LEADS TO STARVATION’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/09/corruption-leads-to-starvation.html
 

FEAR OF MASS HUNGER IN SWAZILAND

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/12/fear-of-mass-hunger-in-swaziland.html

‘STINKING’ LIMKOKWING DEAL

The decision by the Swazi Government to allow the private Limkokwing University to set up in Swaziland illegally has been called ‘stinking’.

And there is a suggestion that the university is being promoted by people with ‘personal interests’ and that the government is helping people to reap profits from government scholarships.

Ackel Zwane, writing in his weekly column in the Swazi Observer today (20 May 2011), says that while Swaziland strives to provide more institutions of higher learning, ‘there seems a lot to be desired in the manner politicians and former politicians are forcing matters to have new universities set up shop here without appropriate legislation’.

As I wrote yesterday, it was revealed this week that you need an act of parliament to set up a university in Swaziland, but this has not been done for Limkokwing.

Wilson Ntshangase, Minister of Education and Training, confirmed the law had been bypassed but said it didn’t matter.

Zwane writes, ‘The University of Swaziland [the kingdom’s only other university] is established by an Act of Parliament, which solely governs that institution and therefore, the same Act cannot be applied in the regulation of the new Limkokwing and others. There is something stinking under the carpet.

‘All those appearing to be promoting higher education in Swaziland have personal interests that cannot be disputed.’

The Swazi Government is committed to paying E16 million (US$2.1 million) a year for scholarships to Limkokwing.

Zwane says entry requirements for Limkokwing are easier than for the University of Swaziland (UNISWA), ‘in order to attract more students into that institution so that government will roll out scholarships for the institution to break even early and start churning out the profits for the players to reap.

‘Because it is now easy to gain admission at Limkokwing and government is willing to provide the much needed scholarships to such unvetted institutions, it makes sense for students to shy away from the stricter UNISWA and go to where it is easy to get degrees and join the job market faster, easily.’

To read the full article, click here.

See also

LIMKOKWING UNIVERSITY IS ILLEGAL

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/05/limkokwing-university-is-illegal.html

SWAZI JOURNALIST ATTACKED

A Swazi journalist was attacked and cut with a knife by a man who was angry about something that had been written about him in a newspaper.

Ackel Zwane, a news editor at the Swazi Observer, was attacked while he was out shopping.

According to the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Zwane was verbally abused, punched three times in the face and cut with a knife.

Zwane said as the man charged at him he shouted obscenities about the news editor for writing negatively about his father.

Zwane escaped with a cut above the ear. The journalist was pelted with stones as onlookers helped him into a car.

MISA Swaziland chapter issued a statement condemning the attack on the journalist and has been giving support to Zwane.