SADC SUMMIT: MSF HOPES ESWATINI SECURITY TOPS AGENDA

MBABANE – The Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF) says it is hopeful that Eswatini’s political issues will be on top of the agenda of the SADC Extraordinary Organ Summit scheduled for tomorrow.

Eswatini will be part of the summit and will be represented by Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini, who is expected to provide a report on the country’s security situation. The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Summit follows the one that was supposed to be held in November 2022, but was postponed on the 11th hour. In the latest statement issued by SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation (Troika) Chairperson Dr Hage Geingob, where he was passing condolences for the death of Human Rights Lawyer Thulani Maseko, he said they were proposing that national and inclusive multi-stakeholder dialogue must take place.

In an interview yesterday, Sikelela Dlamini, Secretary General (SG) of the MSF, said there was now an issue of security in Eswatini. He said emaSwati needed to be provided with security because of the high rate of killings. Dlamini said these killings made many emaSwatini feel unsafe and insecure in their own country. He added that they were also hoping that talks around kick-starting the national dialogue process would be on the top priority. He said the dialogue was important as it would help the country to find peaceful resolutions of the political challenges that were currently faced by the kingdom. The late MSF Chairperson, Thulani Maseko, had been notably advocating for SADC to push Eswatini to convene the national dialogue. Maseko died while there were plans for his organisation to meet Dr Geingob, who is also Namibia’s President.

According to the Chairperson of the Institute for Democracy and Leadership (IDEAL), Barnes Dlamini, the meeting was scheduled to be convened with the Troika chairperson before the end of January (this month).” In regard to the summit scheduled for tomorrow, Chairperson of the Political Party Assembly (PPA) Nombulelo Motsa said the summit should be focusing on the dialogue and SADC must provide peace-keepers to the country. She said a neutral body must be brought in to investigate the assassination of political leaders, including that of Maseko, among others. Motsa said if SADC was really an independent organ, then it must act now and intervene so that the problem faced by the country could come to an end. She said as PPA, they were advocating for multi-party democracy.

Swazis First Democratic Front (SFDF) Secretary General (SG) Gift Dlamini said he was aware that the Prime Minister, Cleopas Sipho Dlamini, who will represent the country in the summit, was likely to state that the violence made the situation not quite conducive for a dialogue. Gift said that would be ironic as government was at the same time promoting elections and other activities but when it came to dialogue, then the environment was not conduvice.

Dialogue

Gift said as SFDF, they were praying that SADC stopped dilly-dallying with the Eswatini Government, but be firm and demand that the country must have an all-inclusive political dialogue. He said SADC must give Eswatini an ultimatum that there should be the dialogue or else the country would be chucked out of SADC, SACU, COMESA and all other international support systems. He said the national dialogue process must start in February 2023 as planned. Meanwhile, following the death of Maseko, several international organisations have amplified their calls for the national dialogue. The European Union (EU) urged the country’s authorities to launch the comprehensive and inclusive dialogue as a matter of urgency and priority, on terms facilitated by the SADC, towards national reconciliation, respect for human rights and the rule of law and ultimately lasting peace.   

Conference

In a press conference last Thursday, the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku, said government noted the need for a national dialogue involving all emaSwati.
Masuku reiterated government’s commitment to holding a peaceful, open and fair national dialogue. He said while noting the need to hold a national dialogue, as soon as possible, however, with the continued spate of violent killings and arson attacks against innocent people, the government was forced to consider the safety of the people first. He said the country’s leadership was working towards the restoration of law and order as the country paved a way to a peaceful and open national dialogue.

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