DIALOGUE IS WHAT WE NEED, IT’S A WAY OF LIFE – AT

MANZINI – “Dialogue is what we need as individuals as it is a way of life.”

This is the message that Tibiyo TakaNgwane Managing Director (MD) Themba Absalom Dlamini, popularly known as AT, shared during a Council of Swaziland Churches annual general meeting (AGM), which was held at Caritas in Manzini yesterday. He said it was important for all people to humble themselves and be open to dialogue for a peaceful nation.  Dlamini was responding to a question posed during a discussion session where pastors were posing questions to him. One pastor, who was identified as Babe Thwala had previously highlighted that, anger worsened everything and as such, the nation of Eswatini was also hit hard. “To drive the point home, there is also anger here. When you look around, people are seen burning property- there is anger,” Thwala said. He said it was across the regions and country and caused uncertainty. The man of the cloth further mentioned that anger could be avoided.

In response, Dlamini said people ought to humble themselves. He thanked His Majesty for allowing the national dialogue.  He was of the view that some may feel it would not take place. Nonetheless, he encouraged the men of the cloth to kneel down and pray.  “Will you take guns? Who will you shoot? You will kill innocent people. This is what I say and I’m speaking from experience; have a mentality that this (dialogue) cannot happen without prayer. You will succeed no matter what,” the MD said. Dlamini also stated that if people had anger, even for God, then it was not the way to go. He mentioned that the kingdom was not the only one experiencing this predicament. He implored the clergymen to pray for peaceful negotiations. Another response by the MD to a question posed by another pastor was that, fights in the church should be dismissed by word of prayer.

King

Meanwhile, he said people should not pin their trust on him to plead with the King on their behalf for a dialogue. It was after Babe Masuku had disclosed that he had a revelation where the MD was a part of, and played a role in the national dialogue. Masuku requested the MD to put in a word to the King and request for a national dialogue. “Never trust a person to represent you, because they could say things that they were not sent to say. Just pray. Dialogue is what we need  as individuals, at homes and at national level. It’s a way of life. I hope this will come to fruition,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said there were certain things that took time. He made an example of the children of Israel, who took 40 years to travel out of their native country. The MD mentioned that there was a point in his life where he was met with a difficult challenge at work and resorted to prayer. “As I speak, in my home there is a chapel. I called the pastors from most of the churches in the country to pray. They prayed fervently. I destroyed a garage and built a chapel. If you would go there you would find it,” he said. Meanwhile, he also pointed out that the church needed to restore its image by going back to the original unfiltered word of the lord.

According to the Tibiyo TakaNgwane MD, what was happening in churches was deeply concerning, and they ought to go back to the beginning, where the gospel was founded.  “Let us reunite and speak in one voice, a voice that elevates and glorifies the kingdom of heaven. Infighting, theft, misuse of money, acts of gross immorality, the scramble for power and pursuit for material gain, wealth and glory are embarrassing things we see in the church today,” he observed. The MD said the church must always be seen to be neutral and a unifying agent whenever there was conflict, be it at home, in the community and at national level.

Dlamini said if it found itself conflicted in any of these issues, its credibility, trust and authority would be grossly compromised and undermined. He said they got disturbed when they observed the gospel of salvation and eternal life being replaced with the gospel of ‘magic’, self-gratification, materialism and prosperity. Dlamini said these tarnished the image and brand of the kingdom of god. “We all have a duty to protect the image and value of the gospel of christ and restore its relevance,” Dlamini said. He advised believers to look to him for long-lasting answers, hope and solutions to their problems. Dlamini also begged believers to reach out to the poor, orphaned and the widowed. He said they would not have fully obeyed the great commission if they neglected the poor and the troubled.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: