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MARWICK: TINKHUNDLA SYSTEM HAS BECOME MONSTER

25/08/2021 08:53:00 BY NTOMBI MHLONGO

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MBABANE – The country’s Tinkhundla System of Government has become inunu (a monster) to many.

This assertion was made by experienced politician and Lobamba Lomdzala Member of Parliament (MP) Marwick Khumalo. The former radio personality was speaking during an engagement on social media platform, Twitter Space, which was hosted by an organisation called SwazisInDiaspora whose members include those based in other countries. According to its profile, SwazisInDiaspora is an independent social movement (non-partisan) whose main objective is to tell stories of emaSwati around the world. Worth noting was that this time around, the engagement attracted many participants, who included well-known people from various sectors and foreign media such as BBC. It lasted for over two hours with most of the participants boldly stating that they no longer wanted the monarchy as it had failed them while others said they wanted the country to become a republic.

Others did not want to entertain Khumalo’s submission of having a dialogue. As they made their submissions, criticising the country’s system and leadership, Khumalo would now and again advise them to consider consulting BakaNgwane, something which the participants did not want to entertain. As expected, while many appreciated having the MP join the session and felt his views were enlightening, others felt he was not responding properly to their questions. Worth noting was that Khumalo was his usual calm self as he would at times express appreciation to comments that were seemingly too much for him. Khumalo emphasised that he did not mean that things were perfect in previous years but that the whole political landscape had changed for the worst.
In vernacular the MP said; “Tinkhundla, setijike nyalo taba yinunu, akusasiko loku. Sekwashintja. I know, I can see that lapho seyihambe khona seyiyayela.”

He said he was speaking from a privileged position having been a practitioner in the system. Khumalo mentioned that today’s situation had changed from what it was during the days of individuals he referred to as political stalwarts, including the late Albert Shabangu, Dr Sishayi Nxumalo and Arthur Khoza. According to Section 79 of the Constitution of Swaziland (Eswatini), the Tinkhundla is a system of government that is democratic and participatory on the tinkhundla level. Even though MP Khumalo did not mention any name, he stated that the situation was fine until one man came and the ship started to sink. “That is a fact. It was not like this before. Some of us have been there and we know. The political machine that exists now, there is no one who defends it. Those who attempt are just doing lip-service. In Parliament right now, there is no politician who stands up and puts their foot down. We just do lip-service because we are paid,” he stated.

Khumalo said such needed reforms so that development agencies and international organisations could assist the country. In his view, the country was slipping away from emaSwati and said recent incidents where property and infrastructure were burnt would make investors leave. “This is serious, lelive liyasilimalela,” he said. The participants of the session also raised a concern that legislators no longer questioned some of the bad decisions taken by government. It was brought by the participants to Khumalo’s attention that some years ago, he was in the forefront of a move by MPs to stop the purchasing of a private jet by government. The participants said Khumalo and his colleagues at the time stood their ground and won over government.

Electorate

In response, Khumalo first said he hoped the participants, as the electorate, would have the answer to such a question. He mentioned that he was a political practitioner in the field and wouldn’t know what then happened. He admitted to having participated in such an exercise and spoke in jest saying it brought problems to him up to this day. “I am trying to say that we believed at the time that we had that kind of autonomy to correct things and vote on those issues. The vote was serious such that at some point we felt government would win and since it was in the evening and journalists were present, we left one by one and did not form a quorum. And then the next day we came back in full force. That is when we voted against the purchase of the jet. But those were the days. Now it is a totally different ball game. Now the autonomy is no longer there because the past system used to allow differing views,” Khumalo said.

He recounted how at one point a prince who was a minister spoke in jest about how certain people felt like Eswatini MPs were just rubberstamps, when the reality was that government was actually finding it hard to contain them. “Indeed at the time government knew that when it tabled something in Parliament, it would be tough. However, the system then evolved and things were neutralised. My experience tells me that the tendency of intimidation by threatening to jail people started and things changed,” he stated. Even though he did not elaborate, he mentioned that he was not the only one who was arrested by the government that was led by the late Prime Minister, Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini, as there were others as well. Meanwhile, he reiterated his call that the monarchy should remove itself from politics. One of the participants said most emaSwati had always had a soft spot for the monarchy no matter where they were in the world as they always ensured that they took on anyone who criticised it and the authorities.

The participant said such had changed as they had seen that the monarchy allegedly did not care about them. Khumalo mentioned that he was not oblivious to the fact that emaSwati saw things differently such that others spoke of a republic. He said he was of the belief that most of the citizens spoke of the monarchy being removed from politics. “If you like the monarchy and have its interests at heart, you will only talk of it removing itself from politics. It is not a mistake what is happening in countries like the UK because politics is muddy. Now you don’t want the institution involved,” he said. He mentioned that people who saw things differently were regarded as ones who wanted to overthrow the State.

Monarchy

“Utawuketula bese uba yinkhosi yaka-Khumalo njani nje? Let the monarchy be removed from the day to day political activities and allow the people to elect a government that will be accountable to them. I am dreaming of a country whereby you will have His Majesty’s government and have His Majesty’s opposition the same way it obtains in the UK,” the MP submitted.