Africa-Press – Eswatini. King Mswati has tricked the Southern African Development Community(SADC) again by promising to engage in a political dialogue after his Incwala ritual ceremony.
It is alleged that the King made this commitment to calm the situation so that he could perform rituals without any disturbances.
The King made the same commitment in November 2021 during a meeting with SADC and subsequently unleashed his soldiers and the police to shoot more civilians. He later told the police to meet “eye for an eye” when dealing with what he described as insurgents seeking to disturb peace.
Speaking during the SADC Ministerial Committee Summit held in Windhoek last week, the Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)MCO,Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, said the people of Eswatini and the Government had agreed on the importance of a dialogue.
“The people of eSwatini and the government have agreed on the importance of a national dialogue. What remains now is to work out the modalities and the process of that on how the national dialogue would be conducted,” said the Chairperson of the SADC Ministerial Committee.
Foreign Affairs Minister Thulie Dladla was representing eSwatini Government during the meeting, she then made a commitment that the dialogue would be held.
Reached for comments, human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko, the Chairperson of the pro-democracy Multi-Stakeholder Forum said the King hasn’t made any commitments with the pro-democracy movement to participate in a dialogue.
“The same thing happened when President Ramaphosa was here, Ramaphosa used a strong saying it has been “resolved” that a political dialogue would take place after Incwala last year. We appreciate SADC’s commitment and for its consistent call for a dialogue, but we accept that the dialogue might be held in February with a huge doubt, considering the fact that no one is corresponding with the pro-democracy movement on this issue,” said the MSF Chairperson.
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