Africa-Press – Eswatini. Former Siphofaneni Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane says LaZwide’s removal from Yiba Nemusa Simakadze Crossover was for political reasons.
In an interview, Simelane, who is also the President of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) and husband to the current Siphofaneni MP, Nomalungelo Simelane, also known by her stage name LaZwide, said the removal of the artist from the crossover line-up that was held at the Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre on December 31 to January 1, 2023 was not due to security threats as purported by some.
Pressure
“There was pressure from the State, through the police, that the crossover could turn into a political rally,” he alleged. He disputed that there were security threats to LaZwide or the event as a whole. Simelane said whosoever was behind the police, was afraid of the change in atmosphere that was going to be brought by LaZwide when taking to the stage. Simelane said if LaZwide had performed at the event, a political statement would have been made. He explained that by making a political statement, he did not mean that the artist was going to deliver a political speech but that the atmosphere would have turned political. “LaZwide, by virtue of being a member of SWALIMO and my wife as well as being an MP, is a proponent for change. As soon as she took centre stage, the atmosphere would have changed at Mavuso,” he said. He said there was no threat to life whatsoever, which made the security narrative neither here nor there.
Simelane said he was basing this also on the way people reacted when his videos were played at the event. This was noted when at around 11pm, on December 31, 2022, ‘Thuma Mina’ instrumental was played while it was raining. However, people left the stands and went to the open space where they sang along and danced to his music. At around 4am on Sunday, Mduduzi Nezinceku Zamagawugawu music also played and the people went crazy. “In the morning, they were cooled down by playing of LaZwide’s songs. That was an indicator of what the people wanted. The people were there for LaZwide,” he said. He alleged there were certain individuals who were afraid of the masses and further used the police to influence the organisers of the crossover to remove LaZwide from the line-up.
As the founder of the Gospel crossover, Simelane stated that security discussions during the crossover event were never easy. He said even during the time when he organised the crossovers, police officers were never comfortable with the show. He said there were so many conditions that needed a strong willed person, who was not easily intimidated by the questions that were posed during the meetings. Morevoer, Simelane said he understood what the organisers were facing regarding LaZwide’s performance and, young as they were, they were easily going to chicken out after learning about the terms and conditions. “I knew that as long as Umlilo was not organising the crossover, LaZwide was likely to not perform. Because the organisers were weak, they easily removed her. If only they stood their ground, the State or whosoever was behind the decision was not going to do anything to the event or organisers. They did not know their rights,” alleged Simelane.
threatened
“Before the political climate was like this, police were always threatened by the crossover. I understand the meetings the organisers were subjected to,” he said. In terms of the crossover as a whole, Simelane said a lot of things were not up to standard and felt sorry for emaSwati for that. He added, however, that he understood that the organisers were still new in the space.
Furthermore, Simelane said the organisers were concerned about the entertainment aspect of the show not the prayer aspect, where people would gather and worship the Lord as they were ushered into the new year. He said the playing of Gcom music was not something he would have done if he had organised the event.
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