GOVT TO BLAME FOR STRIKE VIOLENCE

LAST week’s man-made crisis at the height of a legal three-day strike over socio-economic issues by members of the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) (presumably Eswatini now), provided empirical evidence that we are on the wrong side of history, at least the ruling class that is.

 In case you often take leave of your faculties; have you ever wondered why the sum total of the problems facing this country is self-made, more often than not by the ruling elite? The impact of challenges accruing from natural phenomena could be minimized if this country maximized on opportunities but for a short-sighted and self-serving leadership the kingdom is worse for wear.

 In last week’s brazen abuse of power, brawn was allowed to replace reason in what could otherwise have been a peaceful and perhaps less than momentous strike. This just about authenticated the governing elite’s affinity to violence when dealing with legitimate grievances by workers that it misinterprets to be political dissent – not that dissent of whatever nature should be met with violence other than constructive engagement for consensus building. Consequently, the leadership’s hostile strong-arm tactics in dealing with workers and other stakeholders grievances have entrenched the Kingdom of Eswatini on a calamitous path to nowhere but ruin and possible candidacy for global pariah status. About time too!

 On the eve of the strike, government, perhaps out of respect for the rule of law, appeared to be informed by reason when the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Training, Dr Sibongile Mtshali informed parents to keep their children at home for the three days of the strike. This position must have been heartily welcomed by parents because it removed their children from harm’s way, while at the same time showing a government that had turned the corner by respecting the legality of the protest action by workers.

 There was all the reason to believe that the announcement by Dr Mtshali had been a product of consultations possibly involving all PSs and acting Prime Minister Dr Vincent Mhlanga. Therefore, parents and all stakeholders must have accepted the statement’s authenticity and its concomitant reassuring tone at a time of uncertainty. But in a sudden turn-around reminiscent of the erstwhile hegemony of the Liqoqo in the early to mid-80s, the acting PM stunned the nation with a shockingly contradictory announcement later; teachers must report for duty and children must attend classes as normal.

 While Dr Mtshali’s statement was seemingly underscored by government’s stated commitment to respect for the rule of law in recognising and acknowledging the legality of the strike, nothing of the sort could be gleaned from Dr Mhlanga’s latter announcement. In the event, the acting PM’s statement must have and was, indeed, made outside the law. The import of this contradiction being that government had turned around and no longer recognised the strike as legal without relying on or invoking any legal precept whatsoever.

Thus, in one fell swoop government had moved from a position of rationality and reason informed by the law - Dr Mtshali’s initial announcement - to one of brawn and confrontation - acting PM Dr Mhlanga’s later pronunciation. The conclusion being that government had, once again, retreated to its natural habitat of not respecting the rule of law anchored on its loyal security apparatus. 

 As I see it, had government’s initial position held, there would never have been the sporadic violent flare-ups that were witnessed across the country, as well as gory pictures of police violently attacking and maiming not just unarmed striking workers but as well as onlookers, which were instantaneously flighted on social media. These gruesome images provided, and are providing, empirical evidence of the source of the violence that denial and counter accusations by National Commissioner of Police Isaac Magagula will not erase.

And it is, these grisly images that the world will judge for itself if the obtaining political hegemony of Tinkhundla is democratic enough that people are free to exercise their inalienable human rights and liberties. This apparent infantile government behaviour could not have happened at a better time than it did on the eve of the secondary elections and in full view of international observers and media.

It is apparent that the thinking of the leadership in trying to stop the strike through illegal machinations was to save face and project a positive image of the country as a peaceful haven. But this has apparently backfired fantastically, especially happening as it did on the eve of the secondary elections that naturally have attracted the world’s attention. In the event, the false façade of a peaceful, rather than a silent and fearful, the country has been shattered once and for all. Now the Tinkhundla political system has been left bare for all to behold an experiment that has gone terribly wrong and taken the country to the edge of the abyss.
 Ultimately it is government – or whoever arbitrarily sought to contradict the Ministry of Education and Training PS - that was left with egg on the face for eventually there were no classes for the duration of the strike from Tuesday to Thursday. Instead the pro-democracy movement was dealt a good hand by government for exposing its dictatorial tendencies to the world. Proponents of multiparty democracy could not have wished for a better expose of the abuse and excesses of the Tinkhundla political hegemony. One such glaring abuse being the bribery of 217 junior police officers with promotions – when government has refused to award cost-of-living salary adjustments for civil servants ostensibly because there is no money – that was enough motivation for them to unleash violence against unarmed and peaceful protesters.

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