CALL TO REMOVE MOURNING GOWNS FOR ELECTIONS: TINYANGA WARN

MBABANE - Chairman of Bemdzabu Bamunye Eswatini and Witch Doctors Association Makhanya Makhanya says removal of mourning gowns before the allotted time is against the ancestral law and God.

Widowed women, especially those married through Eswatini Law and Custom, wear mourning gowns for at least two years in respect of their deceased husbands, though some families cut this period to even six months. The mourning period could be shorter than two years, depending on the agreement between the wife’s family and her in-laws. Wives are not forced to wear the mourning gowns but a decision is taken during discussions between the wife and her in-laws. Makhanya said the wrongful removal of the mourning gowns might attract the wrath of God and ancestors.

Wrongdoers

He said the unfortunate thing was that the wrath could not only be limited to the wrongdoers but to the whole community if not the whole country. He said the common feature of ancestral and God’s wrath was heavy storms. Makhanya was interviewed following the proposal made by Lutsango LwakaNgwane before the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Portfolio Committee, during stakeholder submissions in Parliament last week. During the submissions, Lutsango LwakaNgwane, which is the regiment of women, said the  Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) should consider that widowed women, who were in mourning during the electoral year, be permitted to remove their gowns to participate in the elections freely. The women were of the view that widows were indirectly discriminated against in the electoral process, hence the proposal to the EBC.

It should be noted that the Chairperson of the portfolio committee, Kwaluseni MP Sibusiso Mabhanisi Dlamini, responded that mourning gowns were in-line with Eswatini custom and that they did not want to be seen participating in processes that would clash with the traditional custom. Makhanya said under no circumstances should anyone in power allow women of the country to defy the ancestral law and God in the name of human rights. “Without being seen as going against human rights, it is important to call people to order if they go wrong. Wearing mourning gowns is not by choice, so people cannot remove thwm by choice. A mourning gown is a siSwati way in which women grieve the loss of their husbands. Wearing a mourning gown means that a wife commits herself to mourn her husband and further respects him for a certain period after death,” he said.

The chairman said women who understood the significance of a mourning gown knew that mourning went beyond the gown. He said even if not in their mourning gowns, the women knew that they had to forfeit their right to freedom of participation in respect of their husbands. However, he said the notion applied to those who valued and respected their husbands during their lifetime. “Widowed women can participate in the national elections, nominate and vote but they cannot stand for the elections pending the completion of their mourning period. It is not only in the national elections where widowed women can forfeit their right to freedom of participation,” he said. Makhanya made an example that inasmuch as every woman had a right to love a person of her choice; widowed women forfeited their right for a certain period after losing their husbands.

Mourning

He said a widowed woman was not expected to fall in love and give birth to a child of another man during the mourning period. Makhanya stated that if that happened, that woman attracted the wrath of God and ancestors. He said widowed women knew that they could not be seen in hangout spots and partying in their mourning gowns. “The husband’s family can grab the gowns from her because the wife would have ridiculed her husband and his family,” he said. Makhanya urged widowed women to wait for another chance to stand for the national elections if the exercise took place during the course of their mourning period. He stated that widowed women needed thorough cleansing during the removal of the mourning gowns.
He made an example that a goat had to be slaughtered for its blood, bile and dung (umswane) to ensure that the woman was cleansed and ready to live her life after the long wait.

“There is no way a widowed woman can win elections during the mourning period. They can just join the race to waste time,” he said. A senior citizen, who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity, pleaded with Lutsango to engage properly before discussing cultural affairs. He said Lutsango was the last regiment to propose something that clashed with Eswatini customs.

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