PARLY SUITABLE FOR DIALOGUE - CONCERNED CITIZEN

MBABANE – As the debate over how the dialogue will be convened in Eswatini rages on, a third view has resurfaced.

A concerned citizen, who elected to remain anonymous, said in his opinion, the dialogue could be convened in Parliament as compared to the Sibaya or any other forum as suggested by others. *Sipho said people could use their Members of Parliament (MPs) to be the ones doing the negotiations inside Parliament. He also called upon the release of the incarcerated MPs in Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza of Hosea and Mthandeni Dube of Ngwempisi so that the people from their constituencies could be represented as well.  He said Siphofaneni MP Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane should also be allowed to come back to the country and the warrant of arrest against him be withdrawn in order for his electorates to have him representing them in Parliament during the dialogue.

Parliament

He said as emaSwati had said it that they wanted to have an elected prime minister; let that be deliberated in Parliament by the MPs. Sipho said even the progressives should be represented in the dialogue. He said they should elect their representatives because at the end of the day, not everyone would speak.
Meanwhile, since the pronouncement that the dialogue would be held through the Sibaya platform, some people voiced out that it should be held at neutral venue like stadiums. The Co-ordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organisations (CANGO) Executive Director Emmanuel Ndlangamandla said Sibaya was not a dialoguing space. He said it could only be a space where the King could make an announcement that the dialogue would start and then proceed anywhere else, not at the Sibaya.  

“The dialogue itself cannot happen at Sibaya,” said Ndlangamandla. He added that the Sibaya could not accommodate the emaSwati once they came in numbers.
He said the sooner the government realised that the country was in a serious situation, at a crossroad to find each other, the better. He said the dialogue needed to be convened in a neutral ground where people would sit at a table, face-to-face, having an agenda, and discuss all matters that needed to be deliberated there.

Rejected

People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) and the Swaziland Multi-Stakeholders Forum (MSF), representing a broad range of political and civil society organisations, rejected the King’s offer of dialogue (Sibaya) and vowed they would not attend it. The MSF, chaired by Human Rights Lawyer Thulani Maseko, said Sibaya was not a forum for effective and meaningful dialogue. He said Sibaya had failed in many respects including ensuring people had control or influence on when it must be called.

He stated people had no say on the agenda for Sibaya. It was for that and other reasons the Multi-Stakeholders Forum rejected Sibaya as a form of dialogue and negotiations. At least two groups welcomed the Sibaya platform. The September 6 movement – an organisation that is pro-monarchy – is for the view that Sibaya should not be boycotted. However, the movement had its own reservation, which is the time-frame at which the Sibaya will be held as it was announced that it will only happen after the Incwala ceremony.

Meanwhile, Mangololo Eswatini Movement – a pro – Tinkhundla organisation – appreciated that the King had given direction that Sibaya would be convened after Incwala. Speaking through its Chairperson, Pastor Phetsa Dlamini, Mangololo urged emaSwati to prepare themselves so that they were ready to make submissions once the dialogue commenced.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: