Times Of Swaziland: NEW ANTI-MULTIPARTY MOVEMENT

NEW ANTI-MULTIPARTY MOVEMENT
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Zweli Dlamini on 12/08/2021 08:45:00


MBABANE – A new movement called Mangololo Eswatini, which is against
multiparty organisations, has been formed.
This was highlighted by the Spokesperson of the movement, Gcina Dlamini, during
a press briefing held in Manzini yesterday. Dlamini said the recently
experienced political unrest had brought fear among some emaSwati because they
no longer knew who they were, and in the midst of the call for multiparty
democracy, they had lost their identity. He said they were against the idea of
multiparties and the formation of their movement was premised on the ideology to
oppose such. “Most Africans have a difficulty going to some countries, which
is why they then steal our citizenship, not because they want to commit a crime
but because they seek greener pastures and a better life than they had where
they are originally from,” Dlamini said. He said emaSwati did not face any
difficulties when trying to visit other countries because the kingdom had always
been known as a respectful and trusted nation.
Peace
Dlamini added that Eswatini had always been known for peace, but the unrest
would make the country look bad and taint the kingdom’s image internationally.
He went on to state that the vandalism and burning of buildings would make
emaSwati look bad to the world and make the country unacceptable elsewhere.
“We decided to stand up and correct this demon that has befallen our country.
The elders will eventually pass away and the country will be left for us to
manage, then what?” he questioned rhetorically.
Dlamini emphasised that they wanted to leave the country in peace as well for
their children when they eventually passed on. Dlamini, when explaining further
the mission of Mangololo Eswatini, first mourned with all emaSwati who lost
their relatives, investment through the vandalised and burnt businesses and
those who also lost their jobs.  “Some people will never recover from what
they lost. It is important that we acknowledge this fact, which is the saddest
part of this whole situation,” he said.
He further spoke against the negativity that was shared on social media about
the country’s authorities, stating that nobody could stand for such. He said,
contrary, the authorities had never said anything that was harsh.  “We feel
that emaSwati need to correct these mistakes before things turn for the worst.
In our view, all of these actions are very foreign to emaSwati,” added
Dlamini. According to the spokesperson, the burning of buildings and blocking of
roads using rocks and burning tyres, was something that was not in the nature of
emaSwati. “EmaSwati have left the country to get educated but also came back
with bad habits at the same time,” he opined. He pleaded with emaSwati to look
into the situation with an analytic eye and figure out if this was the right
direction that they were taking and if this would guarantee a better future.
“We plead with the nation that we should call each other to order. We also
believe that the Tinkhundla System promotes the setup of family; when there is a
problem we go back home to our elders for guidance,” he said. He said anyone
who was against the current system came from somewhere in the rural areas where
they got guidance which should not be lost. He emphasised that respect might not
be forgotten. “We need to remember how we resolved arguments or disagreements
as emaSwati. We do not resolve disagreements over the phone but we go home and
have a discussion until the issue is resolved,” he said.
Pleased
He said they were pleased that the authorities announced recently that as soon
as the pandemic was manageable, the nation would meet again for a dialogue.
“We ask emaSwati to be patient as we wait for the time when we will be able to
have a dialogue,” Dlamini added.  He said a Constitution was established,
which everyone thought was complete as all emaSwati made contributions.  He
noted that various committees were involved and all emaSwati were involved, even
the people who did not believe in some of the ideas were welcome to raise their
concerns. “It took some time for the Constitution to be completed, which is
why we are puzzled as to where the panic to change it comes from. If you want to
change something that involves others, you need to also ask the next person if
they agree with the change or,” Dlamini said.
He said the people who were advocating for change on social media kept saying
they were sent by emaSwati but the question he asked himself was who were those
emaSwati they were referring to. Dlamini further said the system that emaSwati
currently used allowed each person in whichever position to be chosen by their
community or their family (to represent them in Parliament). “The people who
are talking negatively and causing all the turmoil are not sent by emaSwati,”
he further claimed. We ask that even the people who are out of the country
should come back home so we can have a dialogue together and resolve all the
issues that are draining our kingdom. Nobody should convince people to do the
wrong thing in hiding,” he said.
Dlamini said social media had made the country look bad, claiming that there was
no freedom of speech and many people were being abused, but as Mangololo, they
were of the view that this was not the case. “We are shocked that it is our
country that they are talking about in such a negative way. There are other
people who will soon join us who are in support of this movement we are talking
about today,” he added. Dlamini said an official launch would soon be held
where the vision and mission of the movement would be elaborated upon, alongside
their plans moving forward. He said they were yet to launch an official social
media page, which would help tell the truth about Eswatini and avoid tainting
the country’s image.
Reasons
“We want the world to know the truth about Eswatini unlike the people who we
do not know or understand their reasons for rushing to change our way of life
which has been peaceful all along,” he added. He added that there was no
leader or Member of Parliament (MPs) whom we should be forced to follow, stating
that most MPs were chosen by the people to represent them. “Petitions were
also seen as the reason that some of the riots started in the country. We have a
concern about the petitions in that some of these were delivered by people who
were even less than 30 in number,” Dlamini explained. He said in some
constituencies, there were people who randomly delivered petitions, some of
which were not even known in those areas. “It is a major concern to us as to
what is really happening and whether there is someone financing them to destroy
Eswatini. We wonder where are they planning to go to after destroying their own
country,” he said. Dlamini reiterated that they would disseminate more
information about the movement and their plans going forward. He did not wish to
be drawn on how many people had joined the movement, save to state that there
were others who had shown interest in joining it.