Africa-Press – Eswatini. Government has refuted reports that the Kingdom of Eswatini ‘dodged’ being part of the agenda of a regional meeting of the SADC Troika in South Africa.
Yesterday, South African publications, including the Daily Maverick and eNCA, were abuzz with news that the country’s authorities had removed the Kingdom of Eswatini from the agenda of the said meeting. It should be noted that on Sunday, all eyes were on South Africa by virtue of being the chair of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, as it convened a ministerial meeting in preparation for a summit which was to take place yesterday. The ministerial meeting, as was stated on the official social media pages of the SA Department of International Relations and Cooperation, widely referred to as DIRCO, was for the SADC Organ Troika Plus, the Republic of Mozambique and the Kingdom of Eswatini.
Summit
It was expected that the ministerial meeting would be followed by the Extra-Ordinary Organ Troika Summit yesterday, which was to receive progress reports and consider recommendations on a way forward, based on the operational situation on the ground in the two countries. However, the summit was postponed. The Daily Maverick reported that in the absence of a discussion of Eswatini, the SADC Troika ministers’ meeting on Sunday focused entirely on SADC’s mission in Mozambique. The publication alleged that His Majesty King Mswati III made a last-minute move, which it claimed raised concerns that he could be determined to conduct the proposed national dialogue on his own terms despite his agreement with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in November last year, to accept the involvement of the regional SADC.
“The SADC’s Security Organ Troika was scheduled to meet on Monday with Ramaphosa in the chair, to discuss both the Eswatini national dialogue, as well as SADC’s military intervention in northern Mozambique against an Islamist insurgency,” the publication reported. It also stated that the summit was postponed without a new date set. “Foreign ministers met in Pretoria on Sunday anyway to prepare for the summit. The minister of International Relations and Cooperation told the meeting that the summit had been postponed because Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi and Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi could not make it,” it was mentioned in the publication.
Original
It also alleged that Pandor did not explain why Eswatini had been removed from the original agenda of the ministerial meeting but that sources had said it was done at the King’s request.
They alleged that the King requested more time to consult internally about the proposed dialogue. Following the reports, this publication sought clarity from the King’s Office on whether they were factual or not. King’s Office Director of Communications Percy Simelane refuted the reports saying: “It is fake news. Eswatini continues to, with the SADC Troika and this can be verified with the office of the Troika chairperson. We suspect another projection of fallen journalism, where the reporters make up news instead of covering it as it breaks around the world”.
This publication went on to seek further clarity from the Office of the Government Spokesperson and this time, the plan was to ascertain if the Kingdom of Eswatini was initially on the agenda and why exactly it ended up not being mentioned. Deputy Government Spokesperson Thabile Mdluli responded and said there was no truth to the circulating reports. Instead, she said the Summit of the SADC Organ Troika Plus Mozambique and Eswatini was announced a few weeks ago and as a country, Eswatini was requested to provide a report on the civil situation.
Circumstances
“However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the summit was postponed and the opportunity to present such a report was lost. The ministerial meeting, being the highest segment, would not have heard this report as it was prepared for the summit. The SADC secretariat and the chairperson of the Organ are fully aware of this adjustment,” she sated. Explaining further, Mdluli said the Kingdom of Eswatini will join the Troika Summit in the next opportunity that would be availed, if invited. “Eswatini will work closely with SADC in all aspects of the aforementioned agenda,” she said.
It should be noted that during a breakfast meeting with editors last Thursday, Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini said government would facilitate the national dialogue. The PM was responding to a question on who exactly would facilitate the dialogue. In particular, the PM was asked if it would be the SADC or government facilitating the dialogue. The PM highlighted that the dialogue would be a process that would go along the structures that were in line with the Constitution. He said SADC would provide a consultative ethical system and also play an observer role and this it would do together with other organisations like Commonwealth.
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