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PM SHOULD RESIGN – MSF

07/06/2022 15:30:00 Stanley Khumalo

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MANZINI – The Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF) wants the Prime Minister (PM), Cleopas Sipho Dlamini, to resign.

Speaking during a press conference at the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Centre, Madzabudzabu Kunene, called upon every person to partake in a petition delivery that would be directed to the office of the PM. He said the contents of the petition would include seeking accountability from the PM, who doubles as the Minister of Police. Kunene, who is also the Chairperson of the Swaziland Massacre Victims and Survivors Association (SWAVISA), said: “The prime minister should resign as he has failed to bring accountability from the police. No police officer has been arrested; yet they (allegedly) killed people.”

Kunene bemoaned that there had been concerns about destroyed property, despite that there were also lives that were lost, while other individuals were injured and in the process lost mobility. To date, he claimed that government had been mum on the issue; hence the need for the premier to resign. He claimed that the police officers who supposedly aimed and targeted people during the political unrest were known to them and the premier.

Accountability

In the same breath, Kunene took a jab at legislators, as he said they should also play their role and call for a commission of inquiry in order to bring accountability for the people who were injured and killed during the June/July political unrest last year. The SWAVISA chairperson was speaking during a press conference convened by MSF and was attended by among others, People’s United Democratic Movement’s (PUDEMO) President Mlungisi Makhanya, Human Rights Lawyer Mary Pais Da Silva, Phumelele Zulu of the Swaziland Union in Learning and Allied Institutions (SULAI) and Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) President Sakhile ‘Aw’viva’ Nxumalo.

In his address, Kunene said they were shot for delivering petitions wherein they were expressing their desire for change of the system of government – Tinkhundla – through delivering petitions to constituency centres. This, he said, was necessitated by the supposed failure to deliver by the current system; hence they raised concerns and a call for democratic reforms.
He said: “(Through the petition) we want to establish from the police and the army Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) what have they done to force accountability, other than the reshuffling of people from one region to another.” Also, he said instead of getting responses on what they had raised as concerns through the petition, they had not been addressed but instead, intimidation had increased as there were more security personnel dispatched in almost every location. Kunene said the petition would bring emphasis that June 29 should be declared a public holiday, as there were lives that were lost while other people lost mobility or means to earn a living.

He said through the delivery of the petition, they would be submitting evidence, as he was part of those who were injured at the peak of the political unrest on June 29. Through attending the petition delivery, he said, they would show the faces of the people who were injured, as it was not just a matter of statistics. Meanwhile, as part of the commemoration of the June/ July unrest, Kunene said they would also visit families of the people who were killed and those injured and do certain chores for them. He said the dates for the activities would be shared at a later stage. “We shall also have dialogues in various communities to motivate and inspire those who may have lost mobility and or source of income.” He said they would be seeking to ensure that the affected individuals did not give up on life.

Meanwhile, an effort to get a comment from the Government Spokesperson, Alpheus Nxumalo, hit a snag as he had not responded to a questionnaire sent to him. In the questionnaire, Nxumalo was sought for comment to establish if government would seek to bring to account any person or people who may have been responsible for the mass killings which unfolded last year during the June/July political unrest. He was asked if government would pursue bringing to account any individual, when it would be and if no person would be brought to book, why it was so. Also, the government spokesperson was asked if a commission of enquiry was on the cards to establish what really happened and what ought to happen in the future should such an incident repeat itself.

Holiday

Lastly, he was asked if government would consider the proposal of declaring June 29 a holiday in the country to commemorate the people who died during the political unrest. Meanwhile, Makhanya said they should put their differences aside and make the petition delivery a success in commemoration of the martyres who paid the ultimate price. He said it was an essential exercise as people had laid down their lives to voice their grievances about the current system of governance. Makhanya said the press conference was to announce the activities that shall ensue this month while also sharing background information on the events that unfolded towards the end of June last year. The PUDEMO leader rallied people to attend the petition delivery slated for June 29, 2022 as a greater price had been paid by many in the quest for democratic reforms. This was after he had provided context and background to the events that led to the political unrest wherein he alleged security personnel were behind the killings. Makhanya said the events of June 29, 2021 resulted in many people being shot and killed.

The PUDEMO president made an example of Sifiso ‘Mpostoli’ Masilela (26) and Mxolisi ‘Sigubhu’ Nyoni (28), who were shot and killed while at Lomahasha, allegedly by a police officer. Makhanya said the unrest was born from frustration of the public as inflation and the impact of COVID-19 had made life difficult for people, hence they voiced their grievances through petitions. He acknowledged legislators in Hosea Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza, Ngwempisi Constituency MP Mthandeni Dube and ex-Siphofaneni MP Mduduzi Simelane for being vocal against some of the injustices which were being experienced by the public through legislation, like the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA).

He said there were also other legislators such as Timothy Myeni who raised the aspirations of the people in chamber, which later resulted in the banning of petitions. Subsequent to this, Makhanya said there had been restrictions on people exercising their right to assembly and voice out their grievances and evident to this, according to him, was the revocation of local governments (town councils and municipalities) to issue permits to march.