Times Of Swaziland: WARRIORS WARNED AS LITTLE INCWALA BEGINS

WARRIORS WARNED AS LITTLE INCWALA BEGINS
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Sibusiso Shange on 14/12/2023 18:11:00


LUDZIDZINI - Warriors have been urged to forget about threats and devote
themselves to the annual Incwala Ceremony, which commenced yesterday with the
Little Incwala.
Incwala Ceremony is an annual national event, where emaSwati celebrate the
harvest of the first fruit inside the Ludzidzini Cattle Byre. The nation also
celebrates peace and stability, which has prevailed since Eswatini gained her
independence from Britain in 1968. In a preparatory meeting held at Ludzidzini
Royal Residence on Saturday, the warriors were reminded that only His Majesty
King Mswati III had the authority to issue orders related to cultural activities
in the country.
Warned
The warriors were warned against listening to other voices once summoned by the
King.
The reminder came after some warriors shared that there were people who
continually accused them of siding with the King whenever they attended cultural
events, inclusive of Incwala Ceremony. They shared that they felt unsafe, as the
accusations were accompanied by threats.
“Last year, we heard someone threatening to deal with warriors during the
course of the event, but we were not deterred. (Nyakenye seva lomunye
kuletekuchumana atsi kutawumbimba umdada emajaheni eNcwaleni kodvwa saya noma
kunjalo). We urge everyone to listen to the King and do as he says even this
year,” Ludzidzini Inyatsi Regiment Indvuna Bahlole Ndzimandze told the
warriors.
Yesterday, a regiment of warriors, Ingatja and Imbali, came in numbers for the
commencement of the Little Incwala, which is a build-up to the main Incwala
Ceremony.
The main Incwala Ceremony takes place three days after the  commissioning of
Ingatja to fetch the sacred shrubs also known as Lusekwane. The King normally
commissions the young boys to fetch the shrubs between 14 or 15 days after the
commencement of the Little Incwala.
The commissioning of Ingatja takes place under the full moon, which is likely to
happen on December 27, 2023, according to the calendar. If things go according
to the calendar, it would mean that the main Incwala Ceremony might take place
on December 30, 2023.
Also, warriors were  urged to register all those who would be participating in
the event, to ensure that whatever was given to them did not fall into the wrong
hands.
An example of incentives (timbasha), which amounted to E15 million was made
available last year. The warriors were told that some money fell into the wrong
hands, resulting in some warriors missing out.
“Make sure that all warriors and Ingatja are registered along with their
personal identity numbers or birth certificate numbers, to ensure that whatever
is given to them falls into the right hands. We do not want a repeat of what
happened last year. Some people were lured into protesting, because they did not
get their share of the E15 million and there was no way to ascertain if they
really participated in the event,” Ndzimandze told the warriors, who were
represented by tindvuna and inner council heads.