BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo has described Eswatini as a people-based constitutional democracy.
Nxumalo said this in trying to remind people to stop labeling Eswatini as a country ruled by what they termed as an absolute monarch. Nxumalo said this in response to the Congress of Trade Unions of South Africa (COSATU), which is said to have been one of the organisations that have organised a march to deliver a petition at the Eswatini Embassy that is based in Pretoria, South Africa.
“Let everyone be reminded that the Kingdom of Eswatini is not an absolute monarchy, but a people – based constitutional democracy, with an independent legislature, judiciary and executive branches of Government,” Nxumalo said.
He said the Tinkhundla of system of governance had proven its peaceable mantle over multiparty democracy over and over again. According to Nxumalo, multiparty democracy has proven to be a total sham in Africa. “Look how political parties are consistently rejecting elections results all over Africa. The attitude is, ‘If my party did not win, the elections are fraudulent or rigged!’ What a shame,” Nxumalo said.
The Government Spokeperson further mentioned that it was in this framework that they worked also with the Corporate Sector and Non-Governmental Organisations ( NGOs) and Community Based Organisations ( CBOs) and Civil Society Organisations ( CSOs) to make sure no one was left behind. He said Emaswati were just in a ‘Nkwee’ mood 24/7. He reminded COSATU and the rest of the what he termed as the solidarity internationalists that, like in any other sovereign state, only Emaswati would decide their new political dispensation, not from any external weird forces, including COSATU and the rest.
“In Eswatini we value every life and every citizen. Therefore, anyone who is responsible for the murder of Thulani Maseko, Chief Mahloma, Warder Bheki Magagula and the rest of our valiant security officers will be finally apprehended and made to account soon or later before the courts. COSATU should be concerned with their local national issues not the Kingdom of Eswatini,” he said.
Nxumalo said gate crashing was always viewed as self-inflation and arrogant – which unfortunately, would stoke tensions in the region. He noted that of course, they also liked becoming busy bodies during the INCWALA season. “They need to be reminded that INCWALA national ceremony is just too big and popular an event for anyone to think he can stage a side show as a counter attraction to it,” he said.
He described political parties as organisations that have reached a stage of political menopause in their various activities, producing nothing of substance or progressive anymore, except to regale their respective audiences with political slogans, rhetoric, and fairy tales on stale stories about a non-existent struggle. “They must wake-up and smell the coffee,” he said.
Nxumalo also stated that everyone should clearly know and understand that COSATU was a South African Trade organisation, which initiated its sympathy strikes, rhetoric and border blockade activities in early 2006 when he was working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (before becoming Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in 2008).
According to Nxumalo, COSATU purportedly claimed that it was embarking on those activities in solidarity with the then active Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU), under the leadership of the late Jan Sthole and Richard Nxumalo. Of course, Nxumalo said COSATU found their match in the person of Dr Moses Mathende Dlamini, who was the Foreign Affairs Minister then, with Nxumalo being his political aide.
“Not even once were the borders of the country closed. This time around, they are absolutely not expecting any different results other than compiling those reports to their donors and pretend something has been done or achieved,” he said.
In politics, Nxumalo said every political activity or programme should have a political objective or goal to achieve. “What is it that will be achieved by the delivery of the petition in our embassy in Pretoria other than simply attempting to please their donors and probably for relevancy which was lost long time ago,” Nxumalo wondered.
He said COSATU was only regaling on stale news and demands of which, the Kingdom of Eswatini had immaculately and convincingly submitted not only to SADC, but also to the entire international community. “This is nothing else but a clumsy attempt at gaining publicity and a survival kit and fundraising stunt. We wish them success on that score,” Nxumalo said.
