POLITICAL PARTIES NEED REBRANDING

Rebranding is a response to public perception. Entities concerned with consumer satisfaction take rebranding very seriously. Politically speaking, rebranding cements an entity’s relevance and popularity among the masses. In an article published by Crowdspring, rebranding, from a business perspective, allows one’s company to stand out from its competition by showcasing to its target audience the things that make it different and better.

Likewise, some political parties have to tell a stronger brand story. I have to address particularly the oldest party in the country, the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO). Without singling out PUDEMO, it is an indisputable fact that all the country’s political parties have a daunting task to accomplish. Effectively meaning, they need to do substantial work on the ground to convince emaSwati that multiparty democracy is more effective than Tinkhundla System of Government.

The daunting task stems from the fact that the Tinkhundla political system proponents have taught emaSwati to accept the belief that political parties are not ideal for the country’s administration. Actually, they advanced a persuasive theory that King Sobhuza II in Council, with legislative backing from Parliament, issued the 1973 Decree which banned political parties because he wanted to save the nation from bloodshed.

EmaSwati were raised with the belief that political parties take their rivalry to the battlefield. As they battle out in the field, the grass suffers. Who’s the grass? Your guess is as good as mine. For the nation to live in peace and tranquillity; our seniors argued that Tinkhundla is a political system suitable for emaSwati. While they branded the country’s political system as an ideal mechanism for service delivery, they besmirched the integrity of political parties.

Resultantly, some of our fellow citizens began to view political parties as a recipe for division and mayhem. This is a political doctrine embedded in many of emaSwati. We cannot deny this fact. It is deep in the mental faculties of many of our people. Any process that ignores this political doctrine is a waste of time.

Crumbling

In June 2021, we presumed that political parties had gained ground. When Cyril Ramaphosa paid a courtesy call on His Majesty the King, many of our people thought Tinkhundla System of Government was crumbling. In November 2022, the President of Namibia, Dr Hage Geingob, also undertook a working visit to the country to hold consultations with King Mswati III. While this process of consultations was ongoing, certain elements within the mass democratic movement (MDM) took emaSwati back to what the elders taught them about the disadvantages of multiparty democracy in Eswatini.

Firstly, the formation of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) did not go down well with some senior executives of the PUDEMO. Frankly, Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane’s participation in the formation of SWALIMO was never viewed by PUDEMO as a complementary effort in the pursuit for multiparty government.  The enmity or rivalry between SWALIMO and PUDEMO began. Was this rivalry necessary in a country where the people still have some questions about multiparty democracy?

Secondly, the consternation emanated from what other members of PUDEMO defined as disloyalty on the part of Simelane. The ex-Siphofaneni MP is a former member of the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO), the youth wing of PUDEMO.   He also worked closely with Mlungisi Makhanya in the student movement. Makhanya is the president of PUDEMO.

Logically, Simelane’s stint with SWAYOCO created an impression that he would definitely vouch for PUDEMO. However, he ‘sailed to Tarshish’. When the call for political reforms was at its climax, Makhanya, addressing people, dedicated the ‘VIVA’ slogan to Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube. He did not recognise Simelane. He claimed he would not recognise people who feared arrests. This, he said, after the former legislator had fled the country to exile, leaving behind Mabuza and Dube.

Makhanya’s omission of Simelane from his salute irked some comrades, viewing and defining this conduct as sheer disrespect to the former Siphofaneni MP. On that fateful day, there was also a physical confrontation among partisans which left others injured.  The emnity or rather impasse between PUDEMO and SWALIMO has continued over the past two years under the public’s watchful eye. As things stand, I wouldn’t be surprised at hearing a proponent of the Tinkhundla System of Government warning again: “what did we say about political parties?”

Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised at seeing a small group breaking away from one of the main political parties to establish their own. I am aware that certain partisans would argue, even though without substance, that the rivalry is part of politics. As it were, that would be a lame excuse because their potential electorates (emaSwati) are insecure and uncertain about the effectiveness of the rule of political parties in the context of Eswatini, whose people are interrelated.

I have talked to liberal thinkers who also share the same feelings that the fighting among political parties has frightened emaSwati to a point that they might have to cling to the adage that: “better the devil you know than the angel you don’t.” SWALIMO executive member Sibongile Mamba-Manyika believes that her home was attacked by those who align themselves with PUDEMO.

Ordinarily, one would have expected Manyika to shift blame to the State. But, she sees enemies within the mdm. Manyika argues that some partisans wanted to kill her. This is a very serious statement. With my limited knowledge on politics, perception is mightier than evidence. That there is no evidence pointing to some members of the mdm doesn’t wash in the political space.  The truth is that the image of some political organisations has been tainted and the general perception is that there is no smoke without fire.

Killed

The adage ‘no smoke without fire’ is applicable in politics, and it has affected many political parties on the polls. On the other hand, the issue of evidence is only dealt with in-house. There are people who believe in the school of thought that Muzi Mmema was not killed by the State. The late former Deputy Secretary General of the Swazi’s First Democratic Front (SFDF) was reportedly snatched in front of his wife and four children and shot dead in a forest, about 20km from his home. The four men who kidnapped him were travelling in a white foreign registered Ford Ranger.  

There are other people who believe that Thulani Maseko was also not killed by the State and a party worth its salt will never scoff at those who subscribe to this theory. There is also a feeling within the mdm that certain partisans set a trap for Thabo Kunene to be arrested.  Kunene, the self-styled commander of the underground forces, is in jail with others.

These are some of the infightings occurring within the movement, which leaves a great deal to be desired. With regard to these hair-raising assassinations, why are people shifting the blame to political parties? This is because they haven’t done justice to convince the masses that they are united in their cause for political reforms. Instead, they adopted a militant posture that frightens emaSwati to believe that political parties are not yet ready to govern the country, but poised to spill blood.

In other countries, political parties hire Public relations (PR) agencies to enhance their brand. I have observed that political parties in Eswatini do not invest in processes aimed at building mutually beneficial relationship with the public. Food donation is morally upright but not enough to convince people that multi-party democracy is more effective than the Tinkhundla System of Government. As it were, an indigenous liSwati is unsure if rivals in the political space can accept the outcome of an election.

Some of our people are not accustomed to a government under the administration of a political party, and justifiably so, they may be sceptical of the political changes. Political parties need public backup to push for change. Therefore, emaSwati, all of them, should have a say in the manner in which the country should be governed. It cannot be the exclusive or preserved right of political parties to suggest the country’s political destiny.

EmaSwati should be allowed to ask critical questions: “What if SWALIMO wins elections; will PUDEMO accept the outcome or what if PUDEMO wins the election, will SWALIMO accept the results?” Political reforms in a conservative country like Eswatini need intellectual and physical postures in the frontline. I must also acknowledge the fact that the image of some parties like Sive Siyinqaba National Movement, Swaziland Democratic Party (SWAPEDA) and NNLC has not been tainted. 

They haven’t been fighting against each other. Their executives have tried to portray a good posture to the public. I must say that they haven’t done enough as well to win the hearts of the people. I don’t have records of their members involved in action that undermine the call for political reforms. Sive Siyinqaba almost lost it when its president, Matoni Ngom’yayona Gamedze’s vehicle was burnt. I don’t know why his car was burnt, and I don’t even know the people who burned his vehicle.  

Velaphi Mamba, PUDEMO Treasurer, can attest to the fact that there is a lot of ground work that needs to be done before parties can be allowed to contest the election and form a government. Mamba has been a victim of slur and ridicule on social media. He has been fighting back through posts understood to be attacking SWALIMO executives, particularly Simelane, the co-founder. So far, the happiest person is the one who favours Tinkhundla. I think the proponents of the Tinkhundla System of Government are watching the ‘show’ with keen interest. Basically, the most important thing to realise is that they enjoy the ‘spectacle.’ 

“Do you see, we told you that political parties are a source of bloodshed,” a supporter of Tinkhundla could be pushing this theory.  I will not blame those who subscribe to this theory because Eswatini political parties are in a crisis. So far, Tinkhundla System of Government is in the driving seat.

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