Africa-Press – Eswatini. His Majesty the King has said SADC cannot expect the government of Eswatini to dialogue with terrorists.
He said SADC should, instead, condemn all forms of terrorist activities wherever they exist because they cause untold suffering and result in the loss of lives.
Speaking during a closed session of the SADC Troika yesterday, the King raised concern about what appeared to be a predetermined approach to dealing with the political and security issue in Eswatini.
The concern arises from the fact that the report presented to the troika does not seem to take into consideration that the country had since returned to normalcy, thanks to its own efforts.
His Majesty said any assistance given to any member State must be based on the facts as they obtain on the ground rather than a dogmatic adherence to a predetermined approach.
“In this way, we would be able to genuinely assist each other and not allow subjective intent to interfere with the pursuit of peace,” he said.
The King said the country was appreciative of the aims and ambitions of the organ troika and was also proud of its heritage as a peace-loving nation, which has structures and systems designed to protect and entrench that peace.
He recalled that when the country attended the SADC Summit in August last year in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, the request made was that SADC assists Eswatini with curtailing the terrorist outbreak that had befallen the country.
“It was with great surprise that instead of assistance being given to Eswatini to curb these activities, we were effectively told that we should negotiate with the perpetrators of violence.
“The question that arose in our minds was, where else in Africa has a government been told to negotiate with terrorist entities?”
The King said Emaswati are always happy to dialogue with those they disagree with within the provisions of the constitution, but not with terrorists.
“This was a very peculiar position and one that we were, in all honesty, disappointed with. The Kingdom of Eswatini thus makes the second of our two requests and respectfully asks that we be removed from inclusion in upcoming agendas for the Troika as we too should not be held to a pre-determined process that is no longer fit for purpose,” he said.
Dialogue after elections
Speaking of the proposed national dialogue, the King said although the discussion of the day focused on the SADC Advisory Council (SEAC) Pre-election Assessment Mission Report, Eswatini made its position on the National Dialogue explicitly clear.
“The dialogue will take place after our national elections in conformity with our constitutional and legal dictates. Our response should therefore not be misunderstood to have been limited to a particular context.
“We believe, therefore, that any issue that may have arisen regarding the date for the dialogue, the form of the dialogue or the substance of that dialogue will be properly elaborated once our elections have been completed,” the King.
He said while being extremely appreciative of efforts by SADC in providing the country with a draft framework, the kingdom stands guided by the constitution on such matters. His Majesty further raised concern that the extracts from the SEAC Pre-Election Assessment Mission appear to have been selectively chosen to fit a narrative that the kingdom was still in need of a particular form of intervention.
He highlighted the fact that it was clear from the report itself that the mission observed a general calm, people going about their daily lives, a voter registration going about in an orderly manner, a very successful one at that, yet they reported negatively about the general security environment.
“This has led us to observe that the report has become convoluted to try and get them to fit particular narratives, even though the observed facts on the ground tell a different story,” he said.
The King said he was pleased to report to the Troika that the country had since been able to restore peace ‘on our own’.
He further brought to the fore that over and above the positive reports from the SEAC team themselves, the country has, in recent months, hosted a number of international festivals, summits and meetings, some attended by the Heads of State and governments.
We said there was a full programme of events and activities planned out for the upcoming months.
“Life has returned to normalcy in the Kingdom of Eswatini. It is puzzling, therefore, to note that SADC would continue acting based on an alternate narrative contrary to what prevails on the ground. We wish that this be placed on record. We must be wary of reigniting tensions through misaligned approaches,” he cautioned.
Perpetrators of violence are known
The King told SADC Troika that perpetrators of violence against Emaswati were known and have found refuge in neighbouring countries.
He said within these countries they received training while continuing to foster hate speech and instigating violence.
The King was speaking during a Troika session, which looked into an update on political and security item on the Troika agenda.
He said a majority of those who were killing Emaswati, including members of security forces and traditional authorities, had been apprehended and were behind bars, while others who perpetrated violence had found refuge in neighbouring countries.
“While in those countries, they have continued to promote hate speech and seek to perpetuate the violence that they had been instrumental in masterminding. We are also alive to the fact that some of these known terrorists are receiving training in these countries,” he said.
He informed Troika that on-going investigations into the violence that beset the country and sub-region in July 2021, had uncovered that these individuals belonged to a proscribed entity that also continues to operate from one of the neighbouring countries.
He further informed the summit about the on-going election process which recorded an impressive voter registration.
“A voter registration exercise was conducted which returned a total number of over 584 000 registrations against a possible total figure of 650 000.
This represents 90 per cent of eligible voters, a resounding success,” His Majesty said.
He noted that this was an indication of the support for the system of government by the general populace.
“We are looking forward to Emaswati expressing their desires through the poll and we welcome the intended deployment of the SADC Election Observer Mission in the kingdom,” His Majesty said.
Sibaya to chart the way forward
His Majesty has cautioned against imposing a system of governance that has not been driven by the people.
Addressing SADC organ Troika, he said the Tinkhundla system of governance had long been in place and it was through this system that decisions impacting on the growth and development of the country had been taken.
“However, it would appear that there are those who would wish to impose their own beliefs and their own systems on Emaswati. In all honesty, this is not the SADC way. We must all introspect and consider the implications of such interventionism,” he said.
The King submitted that when the nation was called to Sibaya on July 11, it turned up in numbers, despite the cold front that had beset the region, bringing snow to regions where none had ever lay.
“It is at Sibaya that we dissolved Parliament and announced the People’s Parliament that will be held after the national elections are completed. It is at that forum where Emaswati will dialogue and deliberate on key national issues,” he said.
transformation
The King noted that Eswatini was one of the founding members of SADC and believed that it has played a big role in the growth and transformation of the organisation into one that has respect and admiration from many quarters.
During an extra-ordinary organ Troika summit held on January 31, 2023, the kingdom was urged to present its formal position concerning the draft framework for the national dialogue to the secretariat by June.
It was also urged to urgently initiate the process of the national dialogue and ensure that any bilateral consultations between the government of Eswatini and other partners do not delay the SADC initiatives in support of the kingdom’s dialogue process.
The Troika summit was informed that the Government of Eswatini had not presented its formal position concerning the draft framework for the national dialogue in response to the request for an update as communicated by the secretariat in June.
In response, His Majesty thanked SADC for the work that had been done on a draft framework and indicated that while this had been most helpful, this cannot be imposed on Emaswati as they need to own the process and develop their own framework in consultation with all sectors of society.
The King said the incoming Parliament and Cabinet would be in a position to engage in this process and be encouraged to ensure that all sectors of society have the opportunity to be heard and that no one is left behind.
Zambia assumes Troika chairmanship
Namibia yesterday handed over Chairmanship of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security to Zambia.
Incoming Chairperson Zambia President, Hakainde Hichilema, accepted the responsibility by thanking his predecessors and welcoming the prime minister of Lesotho who made his maiden speech.
Hichilema, fondly known HH, assumes the role from Nambia President Dr Haig Geingob.
He said a lot of work had been done to provide stability in the region and of the SADC organisation.
He stated that stability was crucial for the socio-economic development of member states, cautioning that ‘instability anywhere, is instability everywhere.” He highlighted with concern the instability in West Africa, Sudan and Mozambique and eastern Congo, which he said needed vital support to bring about peace in these areas.
“If and when we have no peace and stability, it is absolutely difficult and near mission impossible to deliver better lives for our people who elected us into office,” he said.
He said lack of development was also a source of instability.
Panel of elders overtaken by events
Another issue on the table was on the facilitation of the deployment of the panel of elders to the kingdom in line with its mandate on conflict prevention, management and resolution before the elections in the kingdom take place.
His Majesty said the Panel of Elders was originally mandated to assist Eswatini to deal with terrorism in the country.
“We have dealt with that threat on our own. In July the Troika summit recommended that the panel of elders visit before the elections, but that has been overtaken by events because the election process is well underway with the registration process being complete, nominations process complete, primary elections being held on 26th August and secondary elections scheduled for 29th September,” he told Troika. The King said there was, therefore, no need for the Panel of Elders to visit at this stage and he requested that this be removed from the agenda.
Liswati pupil wins about E19 000
A pupil from Evelyn Baring High school got second position in the High School Essay Competition.
For this achievement, Luyanda Simelane won herself US Dollars 1 000, which is about E19 000. The winners were announced during the official opening of the 43rd SADC summit in Luanda, Angola yesterday.
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