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IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR OUR LEADERS

20/11/2022 16:22:00 Editor

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Events of the week we have just ended highlighted many aspects of where we stand as a country in terms of our politics.

Chief among these was the chilling confirmation that government has lost control of the situation. It has lost a great deal of credibility over the past year. We have come to a point where citizens no longer take seriously anything said by government and instead, prefer to listen to other voices.
It is not a secret that the recent shutdown between Tuesday, November 15 and Wednesday November 16, 2022 was a result of emaSwati and all other residents of the kingdom, heeding warnings issued by unknown people.

Of course, those who called for a total shutdown and encouraged everyone to march to the High Court in Mbabane, to demand the release of incarcerated Members of Parliament (MPs) Mthandeni Dube and Bacede Mabuza came from the mass democratic movement and did not hide their identities. After all, the protest march would have been in exercise of their constitutional right to freedom of assemble. However, the threats were issued by a faceless voice. Alas, that march never saw the light of day because members of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) were strategically deployed to ensure that protesters did not reach Mbabane.

Mistrust

In the process, even those who were going to the city on personal errands were turned away. This situation in itself worsened the mistrust many emaSwati now have for government. Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku had assured the nation that the day would be a normal one. He had said security would be boosted to ensure that those who wished to go about their normal business were able to do so. At the end of the day, those who got shot or were brutalised by soldiers blamed the same DPM for giving that assurance. That is why on the following day - Wednesday - it was almost automatic for people to listen to those who said the shutdown would continue. Economic experts placed the loss of revenue during the shutdown at around E200 million per day. Again, it was clear that people had lost confidence in government. Masuku later called a press conference to give a post-mortem of the situation, saying in government’s view, “emaSwati worked together with government to ensure that Eswatini remains safe for all inhabitants.” Such statements are unfortunate because even a child can see that the kingdom is no longer a safe place. Everybody fears that instead of getting better, safety and security will continue to be seriously compromised.

God forbid

Think about it…what would happen if, God forbid, the same faceless people who facilitated a total national shutdown last week were to say nobody should go to work tomorrow? Obviously, government would come out to condemn this call and give an assurance that everything would be normal.
However, individuals would stay home and businesses would not operate. Even schools would be affected. This is the sad situation we are in now as a nation. Governments everywhere are supposed to lay down policy and give political direction but in Eswatini, of late, citizens prefer to listen to people they do not even know. Some might argue that emaSwati and other residents keep off the streets or close their businesses because of fear but that is exactly the point. Had government done the right thing from last year, we would not be where we are. Had the promised National Dialogue been held when it was supposed to be convened, that is early this year; emaSwati would still consider government worthy of their trust. The contentious issues may have long been thrashed out, ushering the nation into a peaceful dispensation once again.

Unwarranted

The unwarranted delay has resulted in the MDM raising other issues. They now want the detained MPs released before any `meaningful and all-inclusive dialogue’ is held. This presents a new dilemma for our government, which thrives on delaying crucial decisions. This brings me to the involvement of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the affairs of Eswatini. Since the June/July 2021 riots SADC has indicated interest in resolving the socio-political crisis here. However, more than a year later, there is no solution. This dates back to when South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the kingdom, several months ago. Namibia President Hage Geingob, representing SADC, met His Majesty the King at the Mandvulo Grand Hall on Friday, in what was believed to be a visit to discuss an urgent and lasting solution to the Eswatini unrest.
Geingob is Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.

After the meeting, both leaders agreed on the need for the promotion of peace and stability in the SADC region, especially in Eswatini, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They also discussed the restoration of peace and resolution of conflict through dialogue.
On the Eswatini Government Facebook page, reactions to this high-profile meeting were mixed, with some feeling hopeful and others saying they did not have confidence that the talks would have a positive outcome. I particularly noted questions like, “Why is the focus on the SADC region when it should be on Eswatini?” and “Did he (Geingob) meet other stakeholders?” Indeed, SADC is led by astute people, mostly from democratic countries who know that dissidents should also be heard and not dismissed as rabble-rousers.

Demanding change

After all, those demanding change are also citizens of the country. They are part of the nation His Majesty leads. After all has been said and done, events of the past week proved to all and sundry that power had shifted and government was rapidly losing grasp. However, despite all the loss of life and property, there is still time for government to start engaging the dissenting voices. There is no better time than now to do the right thing.
Just as the Multi Stakeholders Forum (MSF) said in a statement on Friday, we cannot wait until the Incwala activities are over before talks are held.
They say `better late than never’ and there might still be a chance for government to salvage a modicum of respect and regain control.