CONTRASTING ‘GAW’ZELA’ TO MONDLANE?

Sir,

While the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) doesn’t wish to make comparisons of the two leaders in question, it necessitates to respond according to what has been perceived as similarities. The public might be drawing similarities between Venâncio Mondlane and Mduduzi Gaw’zela Simelane for the following reasons:
● Both leaders are God fearing, they believe in the power of prayer and the Bible.
● Both leaders have traction with the people. The masses hear and follow them. Numbers don’t lie, these two leaders are followed by a number of people who resonate with their respective messages.
● Both leaders prioritise the welfare of their people. When they speak it is not rhetoric politics, but real issues that affect the people. It is necessary however, to delve into the characteristics of the leaders as mentioned above. These are considered in the context of Eswatini polity.
1. God fearing leaders
It is important to note that history is full of examples of God fearing leaders. Leaders that have never hidden their Christian faith. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, the one accredited with leading the Civil Rights Movement in the USA, was a man of faith. Therefore, similarities should not only be drawn with Mondlane and Simelane, but with all the men and women of the faith who stood up with their people in a time of need. One thing that is common among them is that they are able to speak something that resonate with the people. That is a striking similarity between Mondlane and Simelane, they are on the similar level as that of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Oliver Tambo of the African National Congress, and others who never hid their faith, but publicly declared that they believe what they were doing is spiritually and naturally just.
2.Traction with the masses
(a) Across history, the men of faith who are also politicians have a natural traction with the masses. Mondlane and Simelane are proven powerful orators. They have the ability to use simple language that is consumable to all their people, hence the huge following. That is a trait seen in Mondlane and Simelane, a characteristic that was seen in Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and others.
(b) In the case of Mondlane and Simelane, social media is the main platform where we could assess their influence with the masses. They both, even if it is proportionally so, have commanded a large following on  social media and have used social media to make sure that the people are mobilised for a just cause or what they believe is the right thing to do as a people. They both understand the Fourth Industrial Revolution and make good use of it to advance the will of their people effectively, blending it with the yesteryears’ modes of waging a people’s struggle.
(c) They are both organic in nature and approach. They are themselves not imposters in terms of articulation of the message of the plight of their people.
3. Focus on human rights and the welfare of the people
These leaders are focused on what matters most, the human rights and welfare of their people. While others could argue that they are not identifying with certain ideological schools, the strength of these leaders is that they genuinely care for the people. In them Africanism is taking the baton from our forefathers to higher levels.
The basic ideological positions laid by our pathfinders will be overhauled and sharpened to meet better the needs of society in the modern era. Listening to the leaders speak, the message is always about how best to work together as a people to make the life of everyone better. It is never about how they could enrich themselves or promote their own organisations. This is evidenced in their willingness to work within a coalition, it is never about them.
Other similarities
• They both were in media, Vicente Mondlane a radio personality while Simelane a gospel artist
• They both joined politics to influence change, Mondlane as mayor for Maputo and Simelane as a member of Parliament.
• They have both been forced into exile, though Mondlane can still go back home while Simelane cannot go to Eswatini. They laid their lives for their people.

Ingiphile Dlamini
Acting SWALIMO Spokesperson

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