Swaziland
Newsletter No. 767 – 3 March 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.
Govt
sets aside E1.17bn to fight terrorism, crime, GBV
By
Sifiso Dlamini, eSwatini Observer, 25 February 2023
SOURCE
In light of the on-going terror attacks
and violence in the country, government has set aside E1.17 billion from the
E26.4 billion national budget in the 2023/24 financial year to fight
against terrorism, crime and gender based-violence (GBV).
Since the political unrest that took place
in June 2021, the country has been thrown into disarray marred with violence
and terror attacks, which had resulted to the loss of countless lives,
including security officers, a chief and most recently the assassination of
human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko.
The country has also recorded an increase
in violent crimes and in gender-based violence (GBV) cases.
In an attempt to fight against terrorism,
crime and gender-based violence, government has increased the budget for the
Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) by close to E100 million from over E1
billion to E1.17 billion.
This was revealed by Minister of Finance
Neal Rijkenberg when delivering the national budget speech for the year 2023/24
in the House of Assembly yesterday.
The minister thanked His Majesty King
Mswati III for the clear mandate and direction that he gave the nation and
government in his speech from the Throne at the opening of fifth session of the
11th Parliament.
“His Majesty reminded us that we can
achieve great things if we work together in the spirit of dialogue and each one
of us has a role to play in contributing meaningfully to peace in the kingdom,”
he said.
He added that as government, they took
great courage in His Majesty’s words of encouragement and hope as he declared
2023 as a year of turnaround for the nation, away from the pain and suffering
that was experienced in the last two years, so long as Emaswati continued to
pray as a nation and call out to God for his guidance and wisdom.
He observed that Eswatini had always been
renowned for its reputation for peace and stability.
“However, our security forces were not
sufficiently equipped to adequately respond to the coordinated and widespread
looting, rioting, arson and assassinations that the country has witnessed over
the past two years,” he said.
He noted that His Majesty again reminded
Emaswati that they could only succeed as a nation, if development aspirations
were firmly grounded in peace, and that no one wanted to live in a country
where government structures were continuously destroyed, homes were burnt down,
and people’s lives were lost.
The minister said law and order was a
foundational requirement for any healthy society and nation. “Without law and
order, whatever else we do to build the nation is done on a poor foundation and
remains unsustainable,” he said.
He urged all Emaswati to fully support the
country’s security forces and to understand and appreciate their critical role
in enforcing law and order and re-establishing peace and stability in the
country.
He called on all Emaswati to assist in
fighting crime, terrorism and gender-based violence. Rijkenberg said for this
reason, government has allocated a budget of E1.17 billion to the Royal Eswatini
Police Services (REPS).
He added that the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence
Force (UEDF) will continue with its peace-keeping mandate and manning the
country’s security along all borders. His Majesty’s Correctional services will
focus on rehabilitation of offenders and integrating them back to society for
improved public safety and stability.
Students
get more money than ministries
By
Mfanukhona Nkambule, eSwatini News, 25 February 2023
SOURCE
LOBAMBA: The tertiary scholarship facility headlined Minister
of Finance Neal Rijkenberg’s budget speech yesterday as it increased by 79.22
per cent.
In what could be defined as a
youth-focused budget, Rijkenberg announced an increase of the scholarship
budget from E361 million allocated in the current financial year to E647
million. The minister said the number of learners to benefit would
increase from 2 500 to 3 500. Fundamentally, the scholarship increased by E286
million. The theme of the budget is ‘First Fruits’. “Mr Speaker, this year
we are tabling a fully financed budget. For the first time as a minister, I am
not going to the market for budget support,” the minister said.
Rijkenberg said he stood
before the august House for four years and presented a vision from the
national strategic plan for the economic turnaround, which aimed to balance the
budget, raise revenue and increase funding for infrastructure and service
delivery. He said this vision laid the foundation for the subsequent
budget themes of ‘Green Shoots’, ‘Fixing the Foundations’ and ‘Transformation
through Economic Sustainability’.
“And it is my pleasure Mr
Speaker, to announce that the theme of this budget is ‘First Fruits’. The
incredible work of this administration is now beginning to yield the resultant
macro benefits and our fiscal position is stabilising and improving,” said the
minister. Regarding the youth-focused budget, he said: “I could not help
but notice that every time His Majesty spoke of the youth in his Speech from
the Throne, there was a louder than normal ‘Bayethe’ being shouted by all those
present, indicating that the welfare of the youth is very close to the hearts
of all of us in leadership.”
Delivering his speech marking
the official opening of the Fifth Session of the 11th Parliament last Friday,
His Majesty had said: “We will strive to ensure that our young people
contribute positively to the development of this country, as well as improve
their own lives.” The minister of Finance said the budget of E85 million
for the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs was purely for auxiliary
activities related to sport and the youth.
He said the allocation was no way reflective of ‘governments full commitment’
to empower the youth.
He explained what he meant:
“If one considers this budget holistically, the E900 million increase in the
wage bill is mainly for the youth; the E286 million increase in scholarship is
100 per cent for the youth; the E430 million increase in the education budget
is 100 per cent for the youth and I can keep going.”
The minister broke it down as
follows, to justify his youth- focused budget:
E900 million increase in
wage bill;
E430 million in
education budget;
E647 million
scholarship;
E85 million budget for
the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth to mainly benefit youth;
In his own words, the minister
mentioned that the budget was shining a spotlight on youth
activities. “These numbers are a true reflection of how this budget is
focused on youth empowerment,” he said. Observably, the students received
more money than 24 ministries and departments. The ministries and
government departments which received less than what the learners would get in
scholarships are as follows: Cabinet, Parliament, Ministry of Tourism and
Environmental Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation, Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Development, Geological
Surveys, Minerals and Mines; Ministry of Housing and Urban Development,
Eswatini National Fire and Emergency Services and the Ministry of Commerce,
Industry and Trade.
Others which got less than the
students are Treasury and Stores; Internal Audit, Ministry of Public Service,
Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology, Elections Boundaries and
Commission, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Anti-Corruption
Commission, Judiciary, His Majesty’s Correctional Services and Ministry of Home
Affairs. The Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth, King’s Office and
Audit Department also received less than what the students will get as
scholarship benefits. When analysing the figures released by Minister
Rijkenberg, it effectively means that young people will get 55 per cent of the
entire budget for the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS).
To read more of this
report, click here
http://www.times.co.sz/news/139105-students-get-more-money-than-ministries.html
Police
shoot and abduct Communist Party of Swaziland member Mvuselelo Mkhabela
Peoples
Dispatch, 28 February 2023
SOURCE
The Communist Party of
Swaziland (CPS) reported on February 28 that the police force of Africa’s last
absolute monarchy has shot and disappeared one of their members, Mvuselelo
Mkhabela, age 21. “Comrade Mvuselelo was badly shot at and dragged to the
police van helplessly and his whereabouts and condition is unknown and the
armed to teeth police force continued its attacks to the protesting community,”
CPS tweeted. Reportedly this abduction
happened at around 13:00h (local time) on February 28.
This latest act of violence by
the Swaziland police force comes amid an uptick in police repression of recent
protests against the “farcical” parliamentary elections. CPS claims that the elections are a farce because the parliament
itself is under the control of the monarchy, so the electoral process
constitutes “a tool used by the absolute monarchy to sanctify King Mswati’s
decision.” Mvuselelo himself was arrested and tortured earlier this month for
protesting these elections, which are set to occur this August. Shortly after
his arrest, Mvuselelo told Peoples Dispatch, “Often, when [police]
invade communities, there is no one to defend the family or the individual from
the wrath of the regime. This cannot go on.” Mvuselelo was abducted today in
one such police invasion.
Communists in Swaziland have
been involved in a struggle against the monarchy for decades. In recent months,
the regime led by King Mswati III has intensified attacks against pro-democracy
activists, including the assassination of human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko, threats against union leader Sticks Nkambule, torture of union leader Mbhekeni Dlamini, and more.
“Mvuselelo’s consciousness and
commitment to the just course of the people of Swaziland fighting for democracy
in the face of a militarized system of oppression presided by Mswati and his
political elites remains unwavering,” CPS wrote in a tweet.
Buganu
Fest: 7 injured during stampede over food
By
Joseph Zulu and Sibusiso Shange, Times Sunday, 26 February 2023
SOURCE
BUHLENI: What was meant to be a day of enjoyment at the
Buganu Festival, ended on a painful note for some of the members of the
Lutsango Regiment.
Yesterday, Eswatini celebrated
the annual Buganu Festival, where thousands of women presented products from
the marula fruit to Their Majesties. The marula fruit is a type of plum that
grows randomly in some parts of the African continent. The fruit is
fermented to produce a brew that has become associated with the Buganu
Festival, which is commemorated mainly by women. The women also use this event
to share ideas and learn how they can convert the fruit into business.
Chaos erupted in yesterday’s
event, resulting in a stampede that left 17 of the women injured. While some
women lined up to collect food parcel, others began to rush forward and as the
commotion erupted, some of the women on queue walked over hot porridge that was
served with some meat. It is during this time that a stamped occurred as more
women rushed forward in an attempt to get food. It was revealed that some
of the women had fallen along the way and trampled over by others, who were
rushing to make sure that they collected some food. There was no clear version
of what was happening while the women were being trampled upon by others.
Others lay flat on the ground as others step on them in the mad rush.
It was only later that some of
the members of the regiments realised that there had been a stampede and that
some people were injured. After the commotion, two men were seen trying to
force their way into the arena saying one of their relatives had been injured.
They said the injured relative was an elderly woman and they had been trying to
reach her on her cellphone but could not get hold of her. When the Times
SUNDAY team arrived at the entrance of the arena, more women were found trying
to enter, so that they could find out the condition of their relatives. The
injured members of the regiments were then rushed to the nearest hospital.
Meanwhile, there were also
claims that four of the members of the regiments had died during the stampede,
an allegation that was quickly refuted by the Chief Police Information and
Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati. Vilakati only
confirmed that seven people were injured and taken to hospital, where they were
treated and discharged. A member of the public who did not want to be
mentioned said it appeared that the chaos may have been a result of bees. He
said the bees disturbed some of the women who then tried to run but one of them
fell, causing a stampede. *Jomo (not his real name), who said he could not
find his relative said an elderly women was fatally injured. He also alleged
that a child might have died.
Reporters from this
publication also, went to the Mkhuzweni Health Centre where the members of the
regiments who had been injured were rushed to. Upon arrival, some of the women
who were injured were found being treated. One of the women was later wheeled
to another section of the hospital by a security guard after she had been
attended to. A vehicle from a funeral parlour was also found at the scene
to collect what appeared to be a corpse. Some of the officials quickly said the
body was that of an elderly man who had died earlier.
Ambulances
unavailability no longer good enough reason to cancel games
By Xolisile
Sacolo, eSwatini Observer, 24 February 2023
SOURCE
The Premier League of Eswatini will no longer accept the unavailability
of ambulances as an excuse to abandon premier league matches.
This decision follows the recent cancellation of both premier league and first
division matches due to the unavailability of ambulances.
“Where an effort to secure an ambulance has been made by the PLE Secretariat
and such effort fails due to the non-availability of this scarce resource,
games will proceed and there will be no just reason to abandon PLE games,”
stated Premier League of Eswatini Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Makhanya.
Makhanya said this after announcing the organisation’s meeting with the
Emergency Services department, which he said had resulted “in a positive
outcome”.
“The PLE notes with great concern the prevalent abandonment of games
purportedly on account of a medical rule that requires the presence of an
ambulance and advanced life support paramedic at the stadium,” he stated,
adding that “the safety of players, officials and spectators was of paramount
in any games fixture.”
He also urged clubs to ensure that they have team doctors during matches and an
extra car to evacuate any player if a need arose.
The two matches abandoned were between Ubombo Flyers and Milling Hotspurs as
well as Madlenya FC and Sea Birds, which were played at the Mayaluka and Ka
Langa Stadiums respectively.
eSwatini Church warns seething violence could erupt into
civil war
By
Linda Bordoni, Vatican News, 28 February 2023
SOURCE
The lawyer and human rights activist
Thulani Maseko was gunned down in cold blood in his home close to Mbabane, the
capital city of Eswatini, on 21 January. Authorities promised to investigate
the assassination, but over one month on, no answers have been provided and
calls for justice are swelling across southern Africa.
As the country’s highest-ranking Catholic
cleric explains, Maseko’s murder spotlights seething violence in Eswatini, a
dangerous atmosphere described by Maseko himself as a low-key civil war.
Speaking to Vatican Radio, Bishop José
Luis Ponce de Leon of Manzini expresses his fears for the unrest and unease
that are erupting in the country, reiterating the need for dialogue and
awareness so that this does not become “the new normal.”
Formerly known as Swaziland, Bishop Ponce
de Leon said the country, which lies between South Africa and Mozambique, has
always been considered a peaceful one.
It has a small population of about 1.2
million and came to be known in particular during the 80s and 90s because it is
home to a very high percentage of HIV-positive people and the government
enacted successful policies to detect positive cases, and treat and monitor
them. In this sphere, he said, it became a point of reference for many.
But in June 2021, “we had a type of violence
never seen in the history of the country,” the bishop said, that has led to
killings, anger and division.
He recounts previously unknown experiences
of teargas, roadblocks and curfews that led the Council of Swaziland Churches,
of which he is part, to offer its service to authorities in the pursuit of
dialogue and peace.
The Council, Bishop José Luis explained,
was founded in 1976 to empower Christians as advocates of justice and peace at
a time in which it was necessary to offer a welcome to a large influx of
migrants; it includes the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church and the Lutheran
Church.
Our delegation, he said, had perceived the
risk of serious violence in the country and as we arrived to express our
concern to the authorities, “we started feeling something in the eyes: tear gas
was in town.”
The acting prime minister, Bishop José
Luis said, “was good enough to welcome us, and we spoke to him about the need
for an inclusive National Dialogue in the country as a way out of the crisis.
“In the month of May, a University law
student was found dead and there was a suspicion that he had been killed by the
police,” he said.
The undercurrent of violence in Eswatini,
which has been rated as one of the most unequal countries in the world, is fuelled
by unemployment, poverty, lack of infrastructure, and by the perception that
the king and the government are turning a deaf ear to the demands of the
people.
“As Council of Churches, we offered to
pursue the path of dialogue and started meeting different groups – political
parties, NGOs - to understand what their demands are, what they think is the
way forward,” he said.
Searching for a way forward through
dialogue
One of the things that were born at that
time was the Multi Stakeholders Forum (MSF), a coalition for
constitutional reform, which chose as its chairperson a lawyer: Mr Thulani
Masego, a man who wrote every month in a magazine called The Nation.
The unprecedented clashes, brutality,
fighting and disorder, Bishop Ponce de Leon continued, that affected men and
women from all walks of society, gave rise to an organization for victims of
violence, deeply in need of counselling.
It also highlighted the urgency for a
forum of discussion in which citizens could voice their needs, difficulties and
political views. This, he added, is especially vital for young people, many of
whom do not recognize themselves in the country’s 2005 Constitution and need to
be able to talk about the future.
“Unfortunately, I am not aware of any
steps having been taken in the last year and a half towards the dialogue,” he
said, decrying a very difficult and crucial time for the country "because
the government says 'yes, dialogue will take place but it cannot take place in
the midst of violence'."
The Bishop of Manzini described the
feeling of being caught in a vicious circle in which “some groups say because
there is no dialogue, we turn to violence,” and warns that “unless we are able
to break that circle, things can become out of control,” which is exactly what
is happening.
Bishop Ponce de Leon spoke of his shock
and sorrow to wake up one morning in January to the news that Thulani Masego
had been killed.
Not only was he a voice for human rights,
but he also said, very clearly, that “he felt that no one is safe any longer in
the country.”
As Church and as Christians, the bishop
continued, there is much we can do to find a way to work together.
The Council of Churches, he said, keeps on
insisting on the need for dialogue and encouraging “every initiative, from
any side, towards dialogue in the country.”
A positive step has been taken by the
Justice and Peace Office in the diocese that has started to set up Peace Clubs
in high schools, he noted, adding that “the Ministry for Education would like
this to go beyond the Catholic schools.”
To read more of this report, click
here
https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-02/eswatini-violence-thulani-maseko-bishop-ponce-de-leon.html
Mswati
prepares for his Tinkhundla undemocratic elections under the barrel of a gun, CPS
member shot during civic education gathering
By
Sicelo Mhlanga, Swaziland News, 28 February 2023
SOURCE
HOSEA: Mvuselelo Mkhabela,a resident of
Hosea and member of the Communist Party of Swaziland(CPS)was shot and
subsequently abducted by King Mswati’s police during a civic voter education
gathering held at Hosea on Tuesday.
The gathering was organized by the
Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC),however,it ended pre-maturely after
the residents went on a rampage, demanding answers regarding their Member of
Parliament(MP) Bacede Mabuza who was arrested for challenging King Mswati,
demanding democratic reforms.
Mkhabela was also assaulted by a police
officer with a stone after the officers started firing shots to disperse the
residents.
A questionnaire was sent to eSwatini
Police Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, however, she had not responded at the
time of compiling this report.
Richard Vilane,the Hosea Indvuna
yeNkhundla was hot under collar when addressing the EBC officials, he
questioned why these officials came to Hosea for a civic education while MP
Bacede Mabuza was inside prison.
“That’s not the way to conduct yourself,
you should have at least firstly expressed sympathy to the residents for their
incarcerated MP before engaging them. Someone is missing amongst us, where is
Bacede?” said the Constituency Headman.
After the residents walked out, leaving
the EBC officials, members of the Communist Party of Swaziland(CPS)started a
political song and that was when the police started shooting the residents,
even the elderly had to run to the Mountains for cover.
On another note, after shooting and
abducting Mvuselelo Mkhabela, the police disappeared without taking him to a
nearby hospital, the bleeding CPS member was later transported to a health facility
after being tortured.
Reached for comments, Pius Vilakati,the
Spokesperson of the Communist Party of Swaziland(CPS) confirmed the shooting of
their member and the subsequent abduction.
“This evening, badly injured Mvuselelo was
identified at Hlathikhulu Government Hospital. The police dumped him in the
hospital and informed the hospital staff that they will come check him at night.
Two unidentified senior police officers visited his ward to identify him.
Subsequently, two plain clothed police came and took him pictures,” said the
CPS Spokesperson
Free President Mabuyakhulu , Comrade Philani and all political
prisoners has been launched
Swati Newsweek, 27 February 2023
SOURCE
When the enemy humiliates and tries to
breakdown patriots communities rise up to defend not just the patriots but the
cause itself. Yesterday as the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) we joined
structures and community members from Lubombo and Shiselweni to launch the #FREEpresidentMabuyakhulu,comradePhilaniandallPoliticalPrisoners.
The Communities that came together are those where SWAYOCO president Ncamiso
Mabuyakhulu was a resident before going to jail. We were blessed by very large
number of senior citizens and the traditional authorities of the area because
they worked well with president Mabuyakhulu in community struggles. We fully
stand by all our patriots in jail and we insist that the real criminals are in palaces,
security forces and government offices.
The tinkhundla regime by arresting our
patriots is trying to cultivate fear so that the struggle in our communities
would lose its spark. As SWAYOCO when they arrested our president and other patriots,
we took a resolution not only to salute their sacrifices but also to make sure
that from our incarcerated patriots we derive inspiration to continue with the struggle.
Mswati thought arresting SWAYOCO president
Mabuyakhulu would destroy SWAYOCO yet it has made us strong. President
Mabuyakhulu is still leading young Swazis from inside the prison cells. It is
for that reason that we donot listen to stupid royal orders to go for Buganu
drinking spree at Buhleni but took the order from our president to go to
Nsubane.
We want to urge families of all patriots
who are political prisoners to embrace the sacrifices and not be embarrassed by
words of those without conscience. In every struggle there will always be
counter revolutionaries who will make fun of or even celebrate the losses in
our sacrifice. We must remember our incarcerated patriots at all material times
not just when they are to appear in Mswati’s courts. Our resilience is a
product of first in discipline, first in commitment and first in sacrifice.
We urge young Swazis to add voices and
take practical action to continuously raise the incarceration of our patriots
instead of the real criminals at all material times. We must never be friendly
to government agents because they earn a living by killing us. We are young and
active. It is not only our mouths but also our hands that will free us. Let us
use them day and night. Our patriots will be freed by us through the removal of
the current despot. We do not beg for any mercy from Mswati because we have peoples’
power.
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