IPU SEEKS TO REVIEW ‘GAWUZELA’, INCARCERATED MPS’ CASE

MBABANE – The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) wants to review the case of the two incarcerated MPs and former MP Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane during their upcoming session in Kigali, Rwanda.

The IPU is a global organisation of national parliaments. In a correspondence dated September 15, 2022, the Secretary General (SG) of the IPU, Martin Chungong, wrote to the Speaker in the House of Assembly, Petros Mavimbela, informing him of a proposed session from October 10 to 14, 2022. He indicated that on that occasion, the committee would review the case of Hosea Member of Parliament (MP) Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza, Ngwempisi MP Mthandeni Dube, and former Siphofaneni MP Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane. “I attach for your information, the most recent decision which was adopted on this case. In as much as the requests for information and concerns expressed therein remain valid, I would be grateful for your assistance in helping ensure that we receive this information together with an update on relevant and important developments which may have occurred since the adoption of the decision. Naturally, I would gladly submit to the committee any other observation which you consider relevant regarding the case,” stated Chungong in the correspondence.

The SG further stated that he required the updated information from the Speaker in order for the committee to take the official information and views on the case into account at the session in October. Chungong further expressed the wish to meet with the Eswatini delegation during the IPU Assembly in Kigali. “I would like to propose that such a meeting takes place in (location withheld for security purposes), which is the venue for the committee session. As for the date and time, I would like to propose that the meeting takes place on Tuesday, October 11 at 4pm, local time. I would be grateful if you could confirm whether this proposal is convenient,” reads in part the correspondence.

The Speaker was reached for comment on the purported correspondence, firstly to confirm receipt of same and further confirm attendance of parliamentary representatives in the session. He was further questioned on his response as well as whether he furnished the IPU secretary general with the requested information. In response, he said he would check in the office today and further respond accordingly. Previously, the committee expressed concern that the MPs’ rights to freedom of expression had been violated and that the charges they faced were politically motivated.

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