‘WHAT WILL BE THE AGENDA?’

Political activist Wandile Dludlu addressing the PUDEMO activists inside the Cathedral where the police monitored proceedings. (File Pic)

MBABANE – Sipho Gumedze, well-known human rights and constitutional lawyer, says in his understanding, the 15 people to take part in the democracy talks will be seeking a general audience with His Majesty the King.

“When I look at it, it’s not going to be a dialogue,” he said.
Usually, he said, an agenda was set during a dialogue.
“Here, we don’t know whether the discussions are socially-oriented or politically-oriented. The nation does not know what the representatives of the organisations would be talking about,” he said.

Gumedze said an NGO (non-governmental organisation) would definitely not take a lead in a political process as this was a prerogative of the organisations that had been pushing for democratic change in the country.

“An NGO cannot call for the registration of political parties but a political party has a clear locus standi to do that,” he said.
In a dialogue, he said, representatives came from organisations with a specific mandate.

He said the nation deserved to know what mandate the organisations carried.
Gumedze said he would not be surprised at hearing that the King had referred the matter to sibaya (national meeting), which is held at the Ludzidzini Royal Residence.

“Where’s the agenda? What’s on the agenda? Why is it a secret? Let us see it before it is presented to the King,” he said.
He said it was a pity that the public was clueless about what the 15 representatives of organisations would be talking about with the King.

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