BACEDE, MTHANDENI SEEK KING’S INTERVENTION

MBABANE - Incarcerated Members of Parliament (MPs) Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube now want His Majesty King Mswati III to intervene in their matter.

“We have noted with great concern Your Majesty that we are the few selected Members of Parliament who have been ridiculed, embarrassed, persecuted  and insulted and now placed behind bars for carrying out our mandate as Members of Parliament,”  reads part of the MPs’ letter addressed to the King. They stated that they then asked themselves what the duty of an MP was not to seek changes to meet societal needs of the citizenry. “We have always called for dialogue and negotiations in the transition of power in Eswatini, so that people can be able to elect their own government that will have the people’s best interest at heart,” stated the MPs.

Persecuted

The imprisoned MPs went on to state that they, therefore, felt and believed they were being persecuted mainly for holding different political opinions. “It is for these reasons that we want to bring this matter to your attention. A call for change in government can never be regarded as seditious, terrorist or even murderous, if anything, it is democratic and parliamentary,” reads part of the letter. In the letter that was delivered to the King’s Office on December 2, 2021, the MPs stated that the submissions they made in Parliament were not their beliefs, but the assertions made by the people who voted them into Parliament.
They further highlighted to the King that MPs had always raised motions within the House and as such, the assertion or submissions they made inside Parliament were similar to those they made in public. The duo told the King that they had never made any public interview on issues that were not discussed within Parliament. “Then we ask ourselves, how will Members of Parliament work from now on, in fear of being arrested?”  part of the letter reads.

Astonished

They stated that they were, however, astonished as to why they were being persecuted, victimised and heavily punished for doing exactly what MPs did in any democratic society. “Your Majesty, Parliament Privilege cannot be ousted by any court, mainly because Members of Parliament would not be able to freely legislate and make submissions without fear or favour.”

The MPs further wrote that it was disturbing that the King’s Office had allegedly clearly neglected the audio that circulated of former Army Commander Jeffrey Tshabalala, where he made it clear that their arrests were allegedly orchestrated by the King. The MPs said the King’s Office was at least expected to make an inquiry about that. “Our continued incarceration has a negative effect on our constituencies, which we were voted to represent in Parliament. At the moment, no one represents our constituencies and we are getting paid for a job we are not doing, which is everything that we stand against,” said the MPs.

Representing

The MPs stated that they believed that for every MP to earn a living, they must execute the duty of representing the interest of the electorate. “Secondly, Your Majesty, we are also businessmen who have invested a lot in our country and lastly, we also have families that rely on us for survival. Our children are steadfastly growing in our absence and our families remain affected by our arrest,” said the duo. They further informed the King that it was common knowledge that their arrest was of a constitutional nature, mainly because the speeches the Crown relied on, especially for charges of terrorism, sedition and murder, were allegedly made in exercising their right as per Section 24 of the Constitution. 

Section 24(1) of the Constitution provides that a person has a right to freedom of expression and opinion. The MPs stated that: “It is prudent Your Majesty that we practise the democracy we say prevails in the country.” Mabuza and Dube told the King that their continued incarceration was prejudicial to them and it was also unconstitutional and the office of the Ingwenyama shall be the last resort in matters such as this one. “It is for this reason Your Majesty that we seek your intervention in our case. We strongly believe we are being persecuted,” said the MPs.

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