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LOOK OUT FOR RE-COLONISATION AGENDA

09/11/2021 08:11:00 BY SABELO GABS NXUMALO

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I want to caution emaSwati against thinking that multiparty politics is the answer to all our problems.

Multiparty politics is a western concept which has been successfully used by western powers to keep Africans at war with one another for decades, while they control our economies and resources. Western powers have no tribal loyalties and have their own traditions and cultures which multiparty politics are based on. The conflicts below were all based on multiparty politics; so we should mix our blend of politics with the best version of their multiparty politics and our culture and traditions. Our monarchy must find a way of getting back to being the neutral mediator so that when all reason is lost in the multiparty political arena we call on it. Only a people centred constitutional monarchy can do this.

Rwandan genocide

A Hutu revolution in 1959 forced as many as 330 000 Tutsis to flee the country, making them an even smaller minority. By early 1961, victorious Hutus had forced Rwanda’s Tutsi monarch (king) into exile and declared the country a republic. In 1994 when the Rwandan genocide started, members of the Hutu ethnic majority murdered as many as 800 000 people, mostly of the Tutsi minority.

Mozambique cold war

The Mozambican Civil War was a 15-year proxy war between the Soviet backed Frelimo and United States backed Renamo led by André Matsangaissa and later Alfonso Dhlakama. It was estimated that one million Mozambique citizens died during that conflict in a country which in 1990 had a population of 14 million. The US and Soviet Union played a role in the loss of African lives.

Cost of third force

Africans have allowed themselves to move away from their roots and culture, exposing themselves to foreign cultures which made them easy to manipulate and defeat. We are now weak people who feel that our children should learn a foreign language (English) before their mother tongue. We feel proud that our children know English and speak broken siswati. The Japanese and Chinese think we are as foolish because they speak behind our backs in their own languages and continue to conquer the world. Some western powers supported the apartheid regime in South Africa and did not assist the ANC during the struggle but today these powers control the South African economy, culture and every aspect of life. And our royalty is trying to emulate their celebrities.

The late Dr Sishayi Nxumalo, my father, once gave me advice to the effect that I must never trust the Caucasian monopoly capitalists, particularly Britain. He would jokingly say you need a Caucasian name on your board before a black man can take you seriously. Caucasian monopoly capitalists work only for themselves and do not want an African to prosper outside their control. The present multiparty political system is their strongest tool of control. They shift power from one political party to the next, funding the manipulation of voters into thinking that they have freedom of choice and expression, when the media is directing their thoughts.

Simunye Sugar Estate

Dr Nxumalo went on to tell me of the establishment of the Simunye Sugar Estate. The work to consolidate the funding finance and planning were complete and work could begin. The subscribers then to the E40.l million equity capital were government, Eswatini nation (Tibiyo TakaNgwane), Tate and Lyle Ltd, Coca-Cola Export Corporation, Mitsui and Co Ltd, Commonwealth Development Corporation, the German Development Company (DEG) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Of the above, government and the nation had a majority holding of 65 per cent and were later joined by the Nigerian Government. For about three years the 12 investors and financial institutions who had agreed to participate, discussed and planned the technical and commercial aspects of the project while negotiating with many governments and private bodies in the country to build a legal and practical base upon which the project could go forward. About E154 million in 1978, about E3 billion in today’s standard, was needed and that was not enough.

The final investor’s conference was held in Zurich Switzerland and everyone was excited as it was now only formalities. On the morning of the main meeting after full presentations of the Simunye project, a CDC representative suddenly requested an opportunity to address the meeting. CDC has had the most experience in Eswatini. Dr Nxumalo, the chairman, had no problem offering them that chance. He said it was about 11:30am and spirits were high. However, when the CDC representative started to speak he cast serious doubt on the whole project. Recognising the British sabotage afoot Dr Nxumalo secretly asked one of his officials, Tim Zwane, to request to step outside and then return and whisper something in his ear.

When Zwane returned and whispered in his ear, Dr Nxumalo immediately asked for the adjournment of the meeting as an urgent message for the meeting was expected from His Majesty King Sobhuza II in an hour, stopping the British saboteur dead on his tracks. He called for an early lunch and the meeting would resume at 2pm that afternoon.

Back is his room Nxumalo’s head was spinning when he realised the the Simunye project was about to collapse which had cost so many years and hard work. He called King Sobhuza II to inform him of the sabotage and asked for his advice but the King only said; “Musa waMqcobeya bona kutsi wentani kepha buyanayo, ngiyakutsemba,” (meaning son of Mqcobeya do whatever you can but come back with the project, I trust you) and put the phone down.
He then scrambled through his business card book for anyone he could call to save the deal within the two hours he had. The disappointed look on the faces of the other international investors and funders was flashing vividly in his mind after the presentation by the British CDC and that dreaded feeling that the deal was dead.

For some reason he once had an encounter with the Nigerian General Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and he came across his business card and requested a direct call to him. Without his knowledge a call to the Nigerian Embassy in Zurich was soon made. At 1:55pm Dr Sishayi said he was walking up and down the lobby of the hotel not sure what to expect. Almost in tears he described the scene; at about 2pm a team of about 10 Nigerians stormed the lobby oozing confidence with one instruction, which was to get to the conference room. All attempts to brief them failed as they were here to take equity - period.

When the meeting resumed, he instructed the CDC representative to leave the conference room if he was no longer interested in investing as new investors were ready to take his equity. The Nigerian delegation confidently informed the meeting that they had studied the documents of the Simunye project and were ready to invest and if anyone wished to pull out. That is the reason the Nigerian Government remains part of the Simunye shareholders to this day. CDC was simply looking out for their own Mhlume Sugar Mill and were willing to kill a project that would change the economy of Eswatini. Dr Sishayi told me many other such stories of successes and sabotage in the building our economy.

As the drive for democracy in Eswatini intensifies there are forces who do not have the interest of emaSwati at heart but their own agendas. They don’t particularly hate emaSwati but they need us under their control all the time and monarchies are always tricky. So we must look out for the re-colonisation agenda. septermbereswatini@gmail.com