BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Former Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku has been honoured for the role he played during the political unrest in the country.
Masuku has been given a Lifetime Award at the Shiselweni Regional National Arts and Culture Awards, which was held today (Tuesday, October 16, 2024) in Nhlangano. He was appreciated for his resilience during the unrest.
At the time when the political unrest broke out in June 2021, Masuku was holding fort as an acting prime minister. He had taken over this position after the death of the then Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, who had succumbed to death in December 2020 due to COVID-19 related illness.
Masuku held on to this position until His Majesty King Mswati III appointed former Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini in July 2021 to replace former PM Mandvulo. At the time, Masuku returned to his position of being DPM until the end of term of the 11th Government, which ended last year in October.
The awarding of the former DPM comes two days after Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo described Masuku as a loyal servant and a stalwart of the Tinkhundla system of governance. Nxumalo made this reference to former PM Cleopas, as well.
Nxumalo was responding to some social media commentators, who described the two former Government officials as the ones who had been left out. They are described as being left out because so far, they have not been appointed into any office by the king after the general elections that were held last year. Nxumalo said this proganda by the social media commentators would not work to their favour because they were dealing with loyal servants of the system.
“It won’t work because the two statesmen are one of the most tried and tested solders of the system. Even today, they are seated at the front row, as far as supporting and defending the system and the current Government is concerned. They are part of the Kingdom’s political diamond on the Crown,” Nxumalo said. He further highlighted that the two worked knowing very well that they did not have the mindset of being entitled. Serving in this system does not necessarily mean that a person is guaranteed any position or role to play, according to Nxumalo.
