{"id":78106,"date":"2025-09-24T18:25:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-24T18:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/decoding-the-uyezwa-na-in-army-recruitment-drive"},"modified":"2025-09-24T18:55:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-24T18:55:01","slug":"decoding-the-uyezwa-na-in-army-recruitment-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/decoding-the-uyezwa-na-in-army-recruitment-drive","title":{"rendered":"Decoding the Uyezwa Na in Army Recruitment Drive"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Eswatini. <\/strong><\/span>When Army Commander Lieutenant General Moses Mashikilisane Fakudze announced the start of the army recruitment exercise yesterday, what stood out was not the recruitment drive itself, but the way it was communicated.<\/b><\/p>\n

The announcement was made using the phrase \u201cuyezwa na\u201d, a practice deeply rooted in the cultural tradition of calling regiments (emabutfo) to assemble at the monarch\u2019s behest for national or royal duties. This was no small detail.<\/p>\n

By invoking \u201cuyezwa na,\u201d the commander was not calling citizens to join a professional army bound by national duty, but to enlist in what is effectively a uniformed and armed regiment of the king. The symbolism was clear: this is less a national army of the people, and more an extension of the monarchy\u2019s cultural and political apparatus.<\/p>\n

That distinction matters. For if push came to shove, can this army defend the nation and its people or is its loyalty exclusively to the monarch? History provides an answer. From its inception, Eswatini\u2019s army was established not as an institution of the state but as an armed wing of the monarchy. Even its name reflects this origin.<\/p>\n

Over time, this role has been reinforced, not diminished. Recruitment and indoctrination make it plain: soldiers are taught first and foremost to defend the king. Protecting the people comes second, if at all. Even recruitment prioritises people seconded by chiefs, royalty, emabutfo and then to a less extent ordinary Swazis. This reality underscores the deep entanglement of the monarchy with the very fabric of the state.<\/p>\n

That is why some radicals who imagine the monarchy as simply the occupant of the throne miss the point. The institution has carefully reshaped the machinery of the state; its parliament, judiciary, civil service, and armed forces reflect and advance its own interests. We therefore call for a professional and modern army but under no illusion that this would be simple.<\/p>\n

We know that simple reforms would present existential challenges to the present army. For a force that has always understood itself as an armed regiment of royalty, being told to serve another authority or to stand above politics as a neutral state army would not just be resisted. It could provoke outright rebellion within the ranks. This is why slogans and catchphrases within the progressive movement, however cathartic, often ring hollow.<\/p>\n

To wish the monarchy away is easy. To dismantle the monarchy as an institution, with its cultural legitimacy, its economic control, and above all its “private army”, is another matter entirely. How does one confront an army that does not see itself as the nation\u2019s, but as the king\u2019s? Eswatini is not a simple state, and it cannot be transformed by simple answers.<\/p>\n

Sustainable change requires grappling with the hard truths: the army is not a neutral national institution but a royal regiment; that the monarchy is not just a person but a system woven into every institution of power; and that frustrations, however justified, must be tempered with strategy, nuance, and a sober reading of reality.<\/p>\n

If we are serious about building a democratic Eswatini, we must begin by acknowledging that the biggest obstacle is not just King Mswati III, but the monarchy as an entrenched system fortified by its own private army dressed up as a national defense force.<\/p>\n

swazibridge<\/b><\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Eswatini<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Eswatini. When Army Commander Lieutenant General Moses Mashikilisane Fakudze announced the start of the army recruitment exercise yesterday, what stood out was not the recruitment drive itself, but the way it was communicated. The announcement was made using the phrase \u201cuyezwa na\u201d, a practice deeply rooted in the cultural tradition of calling regiments […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":78105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[249],"class_list":["post-78106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","tag-eswatini"],"yoast_head":"\nDecoding the Uyezwa Na in Army Recruitment Drive - Eswatini<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Army Commander Lieutenant General Moses Mashikilisane Fakudze announced the start of the army recruitment exerci ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/decoding-the-uyezwa-na-in-army-recruitment-drive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Decoding the Uyezwa Na in Army Recruitment Drive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Army Commander Lieutenant General Moses Mashikilisane Fakudze announced the start of the army recruitment exerci ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/decoding-the-uyezwa-na-in-army-recruitment-drive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Eswatini\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-24T18:25:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-24T18:55:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/09\/sm_1758727468.113801.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/decoding-the-uyezwa-na-in-army-recruitment-drive#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/decoding-the-uyezwa-na-in-army-recruitment-drive\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Decoding the Uyezwa Na in Army Recruitment Drive\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-24T18:25:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-24T18:55:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/decoding-the-uyezwa-na-in-army-recruitment-drive\"},\"wordCount\":570,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/decoding-the-uyezwa-na-in-army-recruitment-drive#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/sites\/33\/2025\/09\/sm_1758727468.113801.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Eswatini\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"files\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/decoding-the-uyezwa-na-in-army-recruitment-drive#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/decoding-the-uyezwa-na-in-army-recruitment-drive\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/eswatini\/all-news\/decoding-the-uyezwa-na-in-army-recruitment-drive\",\"name\":\"Decoding the Uyezwa Na in Army Recruitment Drive - 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