NEW ANTI-MULTIPARTY MOVEMENT

MBABANE – A new movement called Mangololo Eswatini, which is against multiparty organisations, has been formed.

This was highlighted by the Spokesperson of the movement, Gcina Dlamini, during a press briefing held in Manzini yesterday. Dlamini said the recently experienced political unrest had brought fear among some emaSwati because they no longer knew who they were, and in the midst of the call for multiparty democracy, they had lost their identity. He said they were against the idea of multiparties and the formation of their movement was premised on the ideology to oppose such. “Most Africans have a difficulty going to some countries, which is why they then steal our citizenship, not because they want to commit a crime but because they seek greener pastures and a better life than they had where they are originally from,” Dlamini said. He said emaSwati did not face any difficulties when trying to visit other countries because the kingdom had always been known as a respectful and trusted nation.

Peace

Dlamini added that Eswatini had always been known for peace, but the unrest would make the country look bad and taint the kingdom’s image internationally. He went on to state that the vandalism and burning of buildings would make emaSwati look bad to the world and make the country unacceptable elsewhere. “We decided to stand up and correct this demon that has befallen our country. The elders will eventually pass away and the country will be left for us to manage, then what?” he questioned rhetorically.
Dlamini emphasised that they wanted to leave the country in peace as well for their children when they eventually passed on. Dlamini, when explaining further the mission of Mangololo Eswatini, first mourned with all emaSwati who lost their relatives, investment through the vandalised and burnt businesses and those who also lost their jobs.  “Some people will never recover from what they lost. It is important that we acknowledge this fact, which is the saddest part of this whole situation,” he said.

He further spoke against the negativity that was shared on social media about the country’s authorities, stating that nobody could stand for such. He said, contrary, the authorities had never said anything that was harsh.  “We feel that emaSwati need to correct these mistakes before things turn for the worst. In our view, all of these actions are very foreign to emaSwati,” added Dlamini. According to the spokesperson, the burning of buildings and blocking of roads using rocks and burning tyres, was something that was not in the nature of emaSwati. “EmaSwati have left the country to get educated but also came back with bad habits at the same time,” he opined. He pleaded with emaSwati to look into the situation with an analytic eye and figure out if this was the right direction that they were taking and if this would guarantee a better future.

“We plead with the nation that we should call each other to order. We also believe that the Tinkhundla System promotes the setup of family; when there is a problem we go back home to our elders for guidance,” he said. He said anyone who was against the current system came from somewhere in the rural areas where they got guidance which should not be lost. He emphasised that respect might not be forgotten. “We need to remember how we resolved arguments or disagreements as emaSwati. We do not resolve disagreements over the phone but we go home and have a discussion until the issue is resolved,” he said.

Pleased

He said they were pleased that the authorities announced recently that as soon as the pandemic was manageable, the nation would meet again for a dialogue. “We ask emaSwati to be patient as we wait for the time when we will be able to have a dialogue,” Dlamini added.  He said a Constitution was established, which everyone thought was complete as all emaSwati made contributions.  He noted that various committees were involved and all emaSwati were involved, even the people who did not believe in some of the ideas were welcome to raise their concerns. “It took some time for the Constitution to be completed, which is why we are puzzled as to where the panic to change it comes from. If you want to change something that involves others, you need to also ask the next person if they agree with the change or,” Dlamini said.

He said the people who were advocating for change on social media kept saying they were sent by emaSwati but the question he asked himself was who were those emaSwati they were referring to. Dlamini further said the system that emaSwati currently used allowed each person in whichever position to be chosen by their community or their family (to represent them in Parliament). “The people who are talking negatively and causing all the turmoil are not sent by emaSwati,” he further claimed. We ask that even the people who are out of the country should come back home so we can have a dialogue together and resolve all the issues that are draining our kingdom. Nobody should convince people to do the wrong thing in hiding,” he said.

Dlamini said social media had made the country look bad, claiming that there was no freedom of speech and many people were being abused, but as Mangololo, they were of the view that this was not the case. “We are shocked that it is our country that they are talking about in such a negative way. There are other people who will soon join us who are in support of this movement we are talking about today,” he added. Dlamini said an official launch would soon be held where the vision and mission of the movement would be elaborated upon, alongside their plans moving forward. He said they were yet to launch an official social media page, which would help tell the truth about Eswatini and avoid tainting the country’s image.

Reasons

“We want the world to know the truth about Eswatini unlike the people who we do not know or understand their reasons for rushing to change our way of life which has been peaceful all along,” he added. He added that there was no leader or Member of Parliament (MPs) whom we should be forced to follow, stating that most MPs were chosen by the people to represent them. “Petitions were also seen as the reason that some of the riots started in the country. We have a concern about the petitions in that some of these were delivered by people who were even less than 30 in number,” Dlamini explained. He said in some constituencies, there were people who randomly delivered petitions, some of which were not even known in those areas. “It is a major concern to us as to what is really happening and whether there is someone financing them to destroy Eswatini. We wonder where are they planning to go to after destroying their own country,” he said. Dlamini reiterated that they would disseminate more information about the movement and their plans going forward. He did not wish to be drawn on how many people had joined the movement, save to state that there were others who had shown interest in joining it.

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