Times Of Swaziland: IF IT SMELLS FUNNY, IT IS PROBABLY ROTTEN

IF IT SMELLS FUNNY, IT IS PROBABLY ROTTEN
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Editor on 25/09/2022 14:58:00


Madam,
Following the attack on Mlungisi Makhanya’s property, the reigning People’s
United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) President, speculations have again been high
as to who is responsible for the attack. As citizens we have varying opinions
and suspicions as to who might be responsible for the attack, but according to
Makhanya, as cited by the Times of Eswatini, he strongly believes that the
Government of Eswatini is responsible for the attack. I, personally, do not have
anything concrete to suggest that Makhanya’s suspicions are in anyway
inaccurate, however, what I know is that Makhanya and government have been known
adversaries for quite some time now. Through his political influence and his
devotion to the revolutionary struggle, the PUDEMO president has, on many
occasions, openly criticised government even in international platforms.
actions
We have expected government to act on Makhanya through criminalising his actions
using the infamous Suppression of Terrorism Act and the country’s stance on
political parties, which would subsequently result in his arrest as government
has done with other political leaders such as the late Mario Masuku, Mphandlana
Shongwe, Sibongile Mazibuko as well as other political activists. In years past,
where we have been closely following the country’s politics, the burning,
destruction and the attack of certain individuals, including the targeting of
the armed security personnel, is a relatively new phenomenon, which has brought
mixed feelings on the real agenda for the call for democratic change.
This observation has triggered my curiosity and made me to investigate the
formation and the existence of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO),
which is led by the exiled former Member of Parliament, Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’
Simelane. I have further taken interest in observing the organisation’s
internal affairs, which have been making headlines in the short time the
organisation has existed. My analysis on the existence of SWALIMO has made me
notice a trend of disunity, not only among the political formation itself, but
also in the entire nation.
Maybe it is true that at some point the country’s political situation will
most likely escalate to the volatile stage that it is currently in, however, it
is very tempting to think that the formation and the existence of SWALIMO is one
of the worst nightmares that has ever hit the nation. Did Magawugawu create a
monster and subsequently ran away from the monster he created? When SWALIMO
introduced its executive members and its strategy, most of us were quite
impressed when ‘Gawuzela’ introduced and further brought into the political
space people who we believed had the capacity to understand politics and its
dynamics in an advanced level.
organisation
The growing followership of the movement was a true testament of an organisation
with a capable human resource. Through their influence, and what we suspect to
be external assistance from international organizations, the organization
demonstrated a no backward approach in achieving the freedom that their leaders
had promised. And fast-forward into recent events, in line with the existence of
SWALIMO, we have experienced the endless shooting of police officers, attacks on
people’s properties, including the property of the very same ‘Gawuzela’,
who is now painted by the same executive that he appointed as a bad leader. A
series of threats and intimidating messages have been circulating on social
media, where certain individuals have vowed to free the country, no matter what
the cost of doing that is.  One of the very disturbing developments with the
whole ‘Gawuzela’ saga is when government opposed MP Bacede Mabuza and MP
Mthandeni Dube’s bail application, citing Gawuzela as a living example of a
person who has been successful in evading trial.
situation
When it comes to the country’s political situation, we are all hoping that
government will eventually do the right thing in engaging its people and respond
to the calls for a dialogue. It is very unfortunate that movements such as
SWALIMO are slowly fragmenting the credibility of political parties in the
country, yet political parties are known to safeguard the application of
democracy in democratic States. If emaSwati do not stand up and dismantle this
monster that was created by ‘Gawuzela’ , which is in the process of
swallowing the same person that founded it, my guess is that we will keep on
pointing each other in the eyes, accusing each other of all sorts of heinous
crimes such as the burning of people’s homesteads. This will happen up until
the country finds itself in a civil war, which will destroy everything people
have worked for. And my parting question with the existence of SWALIMO is, what
is ‘Gawuzela’ running away from? Is he running away from government or the
monster that he created? The monster that is hell-bent on creating a trail of
destruction and disunity among the people of Eswatini and even worse, the
political parties that have been fighting for recognition for a very long time.