ONE DEATH TOO MANY

The assassination of Human Rights lawyer Thulani Maseko is tragic, to say the least, and has deepened the unsettling feeling of fear and uncertainty about our safety. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

His demise has ignited a colossal response from local and international organisations, which speaks to his role in society and the personal sacrifice he had to make in pursuit of what he believed in. His passing can be treated no less or more than all the other shattering losses of lives we have witnessed since the outbreak of the politically induced violence of June 29, 2021, whose number now exceeds 68 citizens that can be accounted for in our books. This is one death too many!

Assistance

A number of them are victims of a wave of terror that has swept across the country, which prompted government to react by seeking external security assistance in setting up an anti-terrorism unit that has been able to capture and kill some of the forces believed to have been behind the spate of attacks on the citizenry and members of the security forces in particular.

It is this unit that now stands accused of Maseko’s assassination, but no one has come forward with evidence to substantiate this. What also features among the possible theories surrounding Maseko’s death is that it could have been motivated by the infighting within the progressives movement that has seen the formation of breakaway political parties and the adoption of opposite strategies, such as one faction calling for a boycott of the national elections while the other intends to fully cast their vote for the next crop of parliamentarians.

Land disputes in Maseko’s home area have not been ruled out by some family members. We hope the perpetrators of this crime will be apprehended soon to put to bed the speculations, which are dangerous to those implicated and the country at large. Government’s reaction has been to treat the killing of Maseko just as importantly as all the others that are under investigation, while the human rights lawyer’s sympathisers have reignited the call for the country to engage in dialogue and set out an independent probe into the murder.

Dialogue

It remains to be seen if anything will come of this, but it seems most likely that a possible dialogue may only come after the elections. Even then, the determining factor will be the state of violence, which government has insisted has to subside before people can be allowed to express themselves freely. Notably, we are entering 2023 on an almost similar footing to last year, when early in the year a wide spectrum of our society called for a national dialogue to address the numerous challenges facing Eswatini, particularly on the political front, which has sowed seeds of division among us.
It goes without saying that tensions have continued to rise since, leaving dozens of families on both sides of the political divide grieving, angry and vengeful. It is hoped that the dialogue process will bridge this divide, but that seems to depend on the quality and influence of the Southern African Development Community Organ on Safety and Security, Troika, processes.

As a result, we enter 2023 with the same anticipation, only this time with greater anxiety over our safety, a much more polarised society and greater uncertainty over the country’s future. The only difference with this year is that there is an added anticipation of a change of guard in the political front with elections set to take place in the third quarter of the year.

Changes

Here again, divided voices abound with calls for a boycott of the elections pending a resolution of the impending political debate, while others are preparing themselves for the elections with a desire to make changes from within. The onus rests on those to cast the ballot, but it would do the country well to go into these elections under a more conducive environment, where people would elect our future leaders based on freedom of choice and not intimidation or fear. The challenges facing this country are numerous and daunting, but certainly not insurmountable, so it is important that we get the right candidates who are up to the task.

There were several milestones in 2022 from which we can draw some inspiration to drive us confidently into 2023, but these are being overshadowed by the protracted political discourse that is cutting deep into the fabric of our society. This places great responsibility on each sector of our society to make a concerted effort towards finding a lasting solution to our predicament. We cannot allow our differences to hold the country and its future to ransom. The sooner we put down the weapons and engage in meaningful dialogue, the better for us all. Let us be reminded of the words of the new chairman of the SADC Troika, Namibian President Haige Geingob, who said, during his recent visit to the kingdom, that solutions to the challenges facing Eswatini must come from emaSwati.

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