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‘CISHA LOGESI’ MANTRA

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I am not sure whether to call it a mantra or a phrase but surely if we had an award for phrase of the year; ‘cisha logesi’ would have won the award with a wide margin.

That the Swaziland Electricity Company had used it in its adverts is evidence enough. In most meetings and events you are to hear people saying ‘cisha logesi’. Our artists have also composed songs using the phrase; that is how popular it is. Maybe the phrase was bound to be popular because it was used at Sibaya where all Swazi adults converge.


Now that the hype about the phrase has gone down, I have decided to speak about it because I did not want to spoil the party when everyone was still enjoying it. For me the phrase did not bring any joy because it was a violation of people’s rights. Freedom of expression was violated when ‘cisha logesi’ was used. Section 232 of the Constitution of the country provides that Sibaya constitutes the highest policy and advisory council of the nation where every adult Swazi gathers. This is where the nation presents its views on pressing and controversial issues.


That Section 232 provides for every adult Swazi to present his or her views on pressing and controversial national issues resonates well with Section 24 of the Constitution which provides for freedom of expression. This section provides that every person has the freedom of having or forming an opinion and to articulate his or her views in a manner he or she feels comfortable in. That person cannot be hindered in enjoying and exercising this right. We of course know that rights come with responsibilities and limitations. For guidance, Section 24(3) does list some of the limitations.


The King when addressing Sibaya told the nation that they should speak of any issue that they feel should be addressed or discussed. This was so much in conformity with the provisions of Section 232 that at Sibaya the nation can be called to discuss views on national issues.


This time, His Majesty had commissed the nation to speak about anything that they felt should be discussed (emanyeva). His Majesty then constitutionally delegated his powers of chairmanship after he had allowed the nation to speak. Mind you Sibaya is the highest advisory council and this is where people suggest views and it is for the leadership to then take the people’s advice.


The rules of the submissions were then laid down including the time allocated to each person willing to submit. This was fair so that everybody could have a chance and equal time. My problem was when the chairman would then say ‘cisha logesi’. Why ‘cisha logesi’ when the person who delegated the powers to you told the nation that they could speak on whatever (emanyeva). The chairman was acting, first, ultra vires as he did not have the power to overrule the imstruction of the person who delegated the powers to him.


For me, the chairman was also depriving the people their right of expression. I am not sure whether the problem is that we always want to listen to those who are in agreement with us or what. But it seems people are not willing to tolerate dissenting views and when this is happening in the highest advisory body as Sibaya, it is frightening.

At Sibaya, this is where the trend to be followed in our different communities is set. If someone will order that someone be stopped from expressing himself or herself just because the chairman is not in agreement with the views submitted, we are setting a bad trend. The instruction was to speak on anything, which to me was the widest freedom of expression that was given and no one then had power to stop another if still within the allocated time and still within the limitations as set in Section 24(3).


The problem is that we are living in a very diverse world and we have to learn to tolerate each other. Some people were allowed to go even beyond the allocated time and no one was ordered to ‘cisha logesi’ before they were done with their submissions. That leads me to the issue of equality and discrimination.

According to Section 232 there is no rank of people when the nation is at Sibaya. The conduct of the chairman was in violation of Section 20 of the Constitution because he was giving different treatment to different people on a wrongful criterion. Discriminate, according to Section 20 (3), is giving differing treatment to people basing it on gender, birth, social or economic standing, political opinion etc. ‘Cisha logesi’ therefore was discriminatory; consequently it violated the rights of the people. Let me ‘cisha logesi’ before I go very far. 

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