Africa-Press – Eswatini. His Majesty King Mswati III has joined the many calls for emaSwati to end the killings, which are as a result of gender-based violence (GBV).
The King’s call comes when the nation recently woke up to the shocking news of a shooting of four women by a deputy sheriff and another case of a socialite who shot his wife and later turned the gun on himself. Addressing the attendees of the End of Year Prayer Service at Mandvulo Grand Hall yesterday, the King noted that there have been many incidents where couples have killed one another; something he said was bad for society. He condemned the killings, saying: “There is no reason to kill one another. We, therefore, ask God to help us as emaSwati so that we do not face such circumstances where a person has killed another.’’
joyous
The King had begun his address by stating that the prayer service was a joyous one and that the music dished out by the choirs and artists of the day was uplifting. His Majesty said the service had been so good such that he wished it could go on and on. “We heard and enjoyed the good music and may God bless all the performers. We also heard the messages delivered by the men of God through the sermons they shared. The message was powerful.’’ In vernacular the King said: “Letingoma tiyasikitata”, which means, “These songs tickle us.’’ In jest, His Majesty said as he was coming for the service he felt like he was a lucky man because all the selected pastors had prepared for the sermons, while he had not due to that the past few days have been hectic with many commitments.
Touching on the theme for the day, His Majesty said it was spot on as it encouraged all to thank God for the wonders and miracles he has done for the country. “We need to lift up our hands and sing ‘Halellujah’ because we are blessed. Blessings, by their nature, bring life to a person,” the King said. The attendees were thrown in stitches as the King clarified that the real blessings were those from God in heaven and not the ones from what is referred to as ‘blessers’. The word ‘blesser’ is used when referring to people who spoil others with money in return for certain favours. It is also used to refer to old men who spoil young women with money. “A blessed person thrives in life and I can confidently say that in the Kingdom of Eswatini we are blessed. God has indeed been with us ever since we started talking about a turnaround. That idea of a turnaround was a message from God,” His Majesty said.
Elaborating on blessings, The King said people needed to know that they would not receive them if God decided that they did not deserve them. His Majesty shared the story of Isaac and Jacob in the Bible and said the latter thrived because God had blessed him. Another message that His Majesty gave to the attendees regarding blessings was that whenever they received them, they should not take them lightly. “You need to hold your blessings with both hands because they are a favour from God. Because we have received blessings, it means that God has shown us Hismercy and grace. He will never forsake us.’’ The King stated that God had been with the people of Eswatini since the time of King Somhlolo during which the word of God was not known.
Through Somhlolo, The King said, God showed His mercy for emaSwati through a vision where he called for them to choose between the Bible and money. The King said the onus was on all emaSwati to never leave the Bible for money. “Do not just pretend to be living for the Bible, but your actions must show as well. When God decides to give someone else blessings and not you, it shows that they did not belong to you in the first place. What is also important is that once you receive blessings, you then need to stay away from sin. Staying in sin will destroy you,” the King said. Elaborating, His Majesty said blessed people had a duty to ensure that they remained humble and not treat others badly. The King emphasised his message by sharing the story of Petro and the disciples who decided to go fishing at night and did not catch anything.
It was only in the morning that God felt their pain and made a decision to help them and ordered that they threw their fishing nets in the water. This, His Majesty said, saw the disciples catching the highest number of fish and this happened when they had lost all hope. With this story, His Majesty said he was emphasising that as the Bible says, weeping may endure for a night but joy will come in the morning if people believed in God. The King also encouraged emaSwati to never stop believing in God as such would cause them problems and sleepless nights. “In God there is peace. By coming to this service, it shows that God loves you. Even those who are following the service on social media platforms from all the four regions of the country have been blessed by God,” The King said.
Meanwhile, the service was well handled with Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) Deputy Chairperson Reverend Sipho Tembe taking the lead in the proceedings. Tembe began by sharing humorous words, saying he was proud to be from Logoba where the newly-appointed Prime Minister Russell Dlamini is from. Tembe used the popular saying, “Nawe Logoba awumncinyana”. Some of the notable figures at the service included Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala, Judge Mumcy Dlamini, Liqoqo Chairman Paul Dlamini, Members of Parliament and senators, businessmen and leaders of corporate entities to name, but a few.
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