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WE’VE ALREADY ACQUIRED GUNS FOR SAFETY – FESBC

23/12/2023 07:45:00 Sibusiso Zwane

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MATSAPHA - Shortly after forming a Safety and Security Department, which is headed by former Army Commander Jeffery Shabalala, FESBC announced that it had acquired guns.

This announcement was made by the Federation of Eswatini Business Community (FESBC) Head of Business Transformation, Mavela Sigwane during the federation’s president’s end of year statement address, which was held as a breakfast meeting at S&B Restaurant in Matsapha yesterday morning. He said the leadership of the federation was at risk following a statement which they made on behalf of the organisation. He said some of the businesses they talk about take things personal.

“We are saying to hell to the businesses that think they can intimidate us. The issues we are raising are not personal, but we do not care about those who are making these issues personal matters. They will suffer from heart attack,” Sigwane said. To justify that the leadership of the federation was at risk, Sigwane said some of them had been attacked and he made an example of the organisation’s National Co-ordinator Sibongile Mamba, who was attacked at her home last year as about 34 bullets were fired at her house.

As such, he said they have formed a Safety and Security Department, which was headed by former Army Commander General Jeffery Gubuzumlambo Shabalala and his assistant is Nhlanhla Dlamini. “We have already acquired guns and we are making arrangements to make short term permits. We will be ready for anything,” the FESBC Head of Business Transformation said.

This he said after one of the attendees, Sibusiso Siyaya, asked the leadership of FESBC on what strategies do they have in place because following statements which were made by the leaders of the organisation, they could be under threat. His concern was what the organisation would do to get freedom of expression in terms of publicity. Again, Sigwane highlighted that regarding publicity, they have appointed Paul Matimela as the organisation’s Public Relations Officer (PRO). Matimela is also the Deputy Secretary General of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO). He said the appointment of Matimela means that everything about the federation that has to go out to the public, would be addressed by the PRO’s office.

Corruption

On another note, the federation’s head of business transformation said they would continue to investigate and expose all businesses that breach policies that govern money laundering, fairness in competition and fraud. In terms of money laundering, he said there was a bank account that was opened in Mauritius which was used by one of the local companies to allegedly launder money. He said once they close that account, they would demand a certain share from it as a federation.

Also, regarding exposing some of the businesses which breached the above mentioned policies, Sigwane alleged that coal trade once stopped for about three to four months. He said their next target was one of the companies in the sugar industry. On the other hand, regarding the concerns they were raising, the President of the federation, Henry ‘Tum’ du Pont said they were doing what His Majesty King Mswati III allowed emaSwati to do during his Sibaya 2023 opening address. He said the King told the nation to raise all the concerns they have.

“Ingwenyama yatsi asikhiphe emanyeva,” the president said. He said it was impossible for all emaSwati to get a chance to speak at the Sibaya and it was unlikely that all the concerns which the nation has could be raised during the People’s Parliament. In that regard, he emphasised what they were doing (raising concerns) because as emaSwati, they were rightfully given a green light by the King to do it. Therefore, he said they do not care even if those who were aggrieved could take them to the highest court of law.