THULANI MASEKO’S LEGACY LIVES ON

TWO years ago, I had occasion to join the throngs who took their time to pay their last respects to the slain Human Rights Lawyer Thulani Rudolf Maseko at the memorial service and see the unforgiving ground swallow his remains on top of a hill at KaLuhleko. Both events were, very surreal and moving at the same time. I was reminded of my favourite childhood quote by Etienne de Grellet who said: “I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” Maseko’s life of selfless service to the people was, to me an embodiment of the words of this author. What we are called to do on earth is to be of service to humanity in whatever stations of life we occupy.

Grief

Albert Pine, another author, once poignantly said: “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal”. Observing the outpouring of grief from locals and virtually all parts of the world, and listening to all the eulogies from ordinary people spoke to the man that Maseko was and the massive impact he had on lives of ordinary people. I have not seen international media report so widely about an ordinary liSwati. The sheer numbers of people from all walks of life who attended the memorial and funeral physically and virtually must be reminder of the cause for which Maseko lived and died. The media reported about vigils of solidarity from as far as Kenya.  
Two years on, the international community has not forgotten  about Maseko and his legacy, contrary to  what his assassins thought. From  the grave he continues to  fight for a better Eswatini.

The life and death of Maseko has a lot of lessons for us, at many levels. As ordinary peace-loving people, it reminds us that the overwhelming majority of world citizens abhors brutality and persecution of those who stand for justice and speak truth to power. Those who are labouring in the sometimes thankless field of justice and human rights must be reminded that they are not alone.

Reminder

The world sees them and they appeal to people where it matters the most; in their hearts. Our leaders have had a grim reminder that no matter how small we think this kingdom is, what we do, and don’t do, what we say, and don’t say,  draws the attention of the world. We are not an island and we will not escape international scrutiny when there is an attack on those who are brave enough to speak for and stand with the oppressed. To human rights defenders (HRDs) and those in the mass democratic movement, this is a reminder of how dangerous the terrain they are working in is. Enemies of the truth, often well resourced, are brutal and can be lethal. They have a lot to lose when the will of the people finally has pride of place in the politics of the land. Chief among those is unfettered access to State resources.

Maseko’s death, naturally instilled fear.  HRDs, for some time, have been hiding under their shells. Many fled to other countries to seek political asylum in fear of their lives. Human rights defenders must, however, be emboldened to continue with the work of holding leaders accountable and ushering in a just Eswatini. The government and entire leadership of this country need to take a hard long look at themselves. That in the court of public opinion, the government remains a ‘chief suspect’ in the death of Thulani and it must be a significant point of reflection for it.

Actions

What posture, words and actions has it exhibited to be viewed in this light, not only by locals, but by the international community at large as well. This is a point to reflect on whether  the investment in arms and military expertise is really what the country needs to set it on a path to peace. The millions we have committed to this controversial deal can be better spent on social issues. Two years after the death of Maseko, his killers still remain unknown. The police continue to feed us the rhetoric that the matter is still under investigation. Personally, I have serious doubts that the truth will ever come out under this regime. This is the same government that has failed to hold accountable the forces that killed over 50 emaSwati during the 2021 unrest. Instead, it chose to pin some of those deaths to incarcerated former Members of Parliament Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube who issued no order for people to  be killed. As the search for the truth continues, may lawyers, human rights defender, the mass democratic movement and all peace-living emaSwati not let Maseko’s death be in vain. May his legacy of peace, dialogue and democratic values live on.  

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