NO MINISTER WANTED TO RESIGN – PERCY

MANZINI – The King’s Office has refuted claims that former acting Prime Minister, Themba Masuku and 80 per cent of Cabinet ministers sought to tender their resignations.

A circulating report on social media, dated July 23, 2021, purported to be from the Palace, insinuated that royal sources had indicated that Masuku and the Cabinet ministers had met the King a week before Sibaya. The nation was summoned to Sibaya, also known as the People’s Parliament, on July 16, 2021. Worth noting is that the country has 18 ministers, the deputy prime minister and the PM.

Appointed

For over six months, Masuku has been the acting premier and during Sibaya, Cleopas Sipho Dlamini was appointed by His Majesty King Mswati III as the PM of the country. In the said article which has been declared untrue by the King’s Office, it is alleged that the Cabinet ministers and Masuku met the Monarch to tender their resignation. It was claimed that they cited defeat and lack of support from the King which rendered them enemies of the citizens. The claims made in the article are to the effect that the King was very angry. The article supposed that the monarch had relayed to Masuku and the Cabinet ministers that should the information about their ‘resignation’ leak, they would have sold him out to emaSwati.

Winning

The article which is titled ‘Themba Masuku and the Cabinet admitted that the people are winning the battle’ further alleged that the ministers had tried to explain to the King that he was fighting a losing battle and that the people were already on the winning line if he did not give in or listen. “Our Cabinet minister confirmed to that, the government is in more trouble because the King does not want to listen, yet he is aware that he is losing the battle,” claimed the article. The said article further purported that all government structures were now concentrating on the uprisings, so service delivery was compromised. It further quoted an anonymous prince, allegedly residing at Lobamba, who supposedly said it was clear that the people had already won.

Lion

However, Kings Office Director of Communications, Percy Simelane, said: “The King’s Office has nothing to do with this statement. It did not originate from us. We use a letterhead with the Coat of Arms bearing a lion, elephant, and shield, spears topped by a feather head- dress (inyoni) when issuing press statements, speeches or any other official business documents.” Simelane said the King’s Office had never used a crown where the country’s Coat of Arms should be. He said the King’s Office believed that yet another anarchist was trying to instil despair and fear among the citizens of Eswatini. He assured the nation that the State would continue to do everything to provide protection as it goes about rebuilding after the recent spate  of vandalism of property,  theft and robbery by anarchists who mounted illegal toll-gates demanding cash from the very people their leaders said they were liberating.

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