Times Of Swaziland: MANDELA’S FRIEND ADVISES EMASWATI ON SIBAYA

MANDELA’S FRIEND ADVISES EMASWATI ON SIBAYA
================================================================================
Sabelo Ndzinisa on 17/02/2024 09:38:00


MBABANE – He is admired by many as the walking dictionary of Eswatini
politics.
At 95 years of age (born February 1, 1929), experienced politician and founder
of Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC) party Shiyemaparty Dube is without
doubt a political legend in his own right.
Not everybody can claim to have enjoyed the privilege of rubbing shoulders with
respected African leaders like the two former South African Presidents Nelson
‘Madiba’ Mandela and Jacob ‘Msholozi’ Zuma among the many, but Dube
lives to tell the story.
Interacted
After all, he has interacted with the two respected South African politicians in
his illustrious political career spanning over 60 years now. He is a
pro-Tinkhundla person and holds high respect for the country’s monarchy.
Dube was among the first emaSwati to be elected into the first Parliament of the
Kingdom of Eswatini.
The former MP said Sibaya would remain the appropriate platform for emaSwati to
interact and talk about matters affecting them, as was the case during the
recent People’s Parliament. “I am 95 years old and ever since I was born,
Sibaya has always been the perfect platform for us as a nation to meet and
deliberate on issues. That has always been the practice and we should not be
influenced to change that,” he said.
Disowned
He said people who disowned Sibaya did not understand that some nations liked
the philosophy of the cattle byre. The 95-year-old former MP said there were no
delegates during Sibaya as every liSwati has a right to make a submission on how
this country should be governed. In two weeks, he said Sibaya could listen to
thousands of views and seconders.
Handful
He said there were only a handful of delegates who attended conferences in other
countries. He said a handful of people decided the future of a country. The old
man said all people in Eswatini were part of the decision making mechanism at
Sibaya. Dube then praised His Majesty King Mswati III for his well-articulated
speech from the throne in parliament recently.
Praise
The King officially opened the 12th Parliament, delivering a two-hour long
speech that won him praise from a number of people and organisations. Speaking
to Eswatini News, he said he was mostly impressed with the King’s emphasis on
the issue of corruption. He said the country will never flourish or develop as
long as corrupt elements were not exposed and dealt with accordingly.
Directive
“When I heard the King speaking about corruption and giving directives for
action to be taken, my heart was filled with joy,” he said. He said corruption
would stall the development of the country’s economy. “The sooner it is
addressed, the better and I want to say that the King was spot on regarding that
issue,” Dube said. He also lauded the King for touching on the importance of
improving the health sector in the country.
Dube said health was a very crucial aspect of any nation, commending the head of
State for emphasising on the efficiency of the health system. It must be said
that Eswatini became a constitutional monarchy at independence in September 1968
under the leadership of His Majesty King Sobhuza II and held its first
post-independence elections in 1972. The kingdom became a member of the
Commonwealth of Nations (CON) and Eswatini was admitted as a member of the
United Nations (UN) on September 11, 1968.
Served
The government, at the time, was headed by Prince Makhosini Dlamini, who also
served as foreign minister from 1968 to 1970. Dube speaks fondly of these days,
revealing that the first parliamentary elections were held on May 16-17, 1972.
The pro-monarchist Imbokodvo National Movement (INM) won 21 out of 24 seats in
the House of Assembly. Dube’s NNLC won three seats in the House of Assembly
and he was among those elected into Parliament.
Interesting to note is that one of the elected members from the NNLC, whose
nationality was questioned by the major political party, was refused his seat in
the House of Assembly and threatened with deportation. The NNLC referred the
matter to the Swaziland Court of Appeal, which ruled in its favour. Dube said
King Sobhuza II, on April 12, 1973, declared a state of emergency, dissolved the
House of Assembly, banned all political parties and abolished the 1968
constitution.
Altercation
“The King established the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force, to defend the
monarchy. I was the leader of NNLC but we had an altercation with Ambrose Zwane
in Parliament. I remember forcefully taking the microphone from him in
parliament to address the members. This was after I was summoned by King Sobhuza
II before that sitting in parliament, where he made it clear that he was not for
the idea of parties. He actually directed me to denounce my alliance with the
NNLC, which I did.”
Zwane was arrested in Manzini and imprisoned on February 9, 1978. Subsequently,
King Sobhuza II introduced a new constitution on October 13, 1978, restoring
parliament, including the 50-member House of Assembly and 20-member Senate. Dube
is singing nothing but high praise for the Tinkhundla system of government,
pointing out that it was a system perfectly designed for emaswati.
“We need to embrace the Tinkhundla system of government as emaswati and
respect the Monarchy as the highest authority in the country. The King is our
leader and we must respect that. Yes, opinions will always differ in politics
but we should never lose respect for Their Majesties. This is our culture as
emaswati,” Dube said. On meeting both Mandela and Zuma, Dube said he learned a
lot, politically from the two African leaders, admitting that these are memories
he will cherish forever.
Opportunity
“I had the opportunity to interact with these two great African leaders and
gained quite a lot in shaping up my political career. Yes, the political system
of our country will always evolve with time but this should not change who we
are as emaswati. We may hold different political ideals but losing respect for
the King should never happen.”
Dube said Eswatini should be a peaceful country, urging citizens to read and
appreciate the rich history of this country.
“I am very proud to have been among the politicians to be elected into the
first parliament of this country. It seems like yesterday and these are memories
I will cherish everyday,” he said. Dube is free to share his knowledge and
experiences with emaSwati and institutions.