MTHANDENI: DON’T BOYCOTT ELECTIONS, GO REGISTER

MBABANE – While his image is used to promote elections’ boycott message, jailed MP Mthandeni Dube has encouraged the electorate to register and vote in the national election.

Dube is currently in jail facing charges under the Suppression of Terrorism Act, 2008 for allegedly inciting the public to revolt against a constitutional government. He is facing the charges together with his colleague Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza of Hosea and their co-accused, former Siphofaneni MP Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane, is still on the run. An audio of the jailed Ngwempisi Member of Parliament (MP) that was secretly recorded by a member of the mass democratic movement (MDM) during a visit to his mother surfaced on social media this week.

transpired

In the recording, the incarcerated MP was encouraging a group of women from the MDM, who were visiting his sickly mother at Ngwempisi. This was towards the end of November 2022. It transpired that during the visit, Dube made a call to his wife’s cellphone from a public phone at Matsapha Maximum Correctional Facility. After sharing pleasantries with his wife, the phone was passed on to his mother, who then introduced the group of women who had come to check on her. Dube subsequently requested to be put on loudspeaker, so he could talk to all of them. He went on to have a four-minute long conversation with the group of women, where he encouraged them to ensure that they register for the national elections. He told them that they should avoid boycotting the elections because it had been proven that to abstain from voting yielded no fruits in the calls for political change.

desired

Dube said many organisations had tried boycotting the elections in the past, but failed to achieve their desired results. He said it was no longer important to boycott the elections as the system had proven that each election year, more people were elected to the august House. He stated that his only wish was for people to go to the polls in numbers to vote for brave men and women who would not be afraid to challenge the government. “One thing I would appreciate would be for us all to go and register for the elections so that we can vote for the right people to go and represent our sentiments in Parliament and challenge the system from within. Hhayi lentfo yekutsi singayi elukhetfweni. Ayisebenti lentfo leyo, (not this thing of boycotting the elections, it does not work). This thing has been practised for so many years and has yielded no results; the people have not benefitted anything from boycotting the elections, so let us all go and vote. It has been proven that corruption and bad governance can be resolved better that way,” he said.

orchestrated

Dube said he was aware that the dialogue would be delayed, and further alleged that the delay was orchestrated to keep him and his co-accused in jail until the elections pass. “This will pass, just be strong because we know that the dialogue is going to happen even though they might delay it, but it will happen. They will delay it so that we remain inside jail during the elections process, but what I want is that once they open the polls, you all must go and register to vote. Let us vote for people who will condemn corruption and challenge the way government is running its business. If the three of us did not speak in Parliament, the government would not be on its toes as it is now; that is why it is important for you to register and vote for the right people, so that they can continue where we left off. When this people challenge the government, there will be pressure to deliver, and then our people will benefit in that way. As for me, I am begging you to remain united, go register and vote for people who will be brave to go inside and challenge the government, even though we might not be there, but they can continue the calls for a better life,” he added.

anticipated

Dube further predicted that he was not going to be released in January 2023, as anticipated and said he would be kept in jail so that he would not be eligible to stand for the elections in his constituency. His wife, Hazel Dube confirmed that the MP made such utterances and the audio recording was authentic. She said the MP called through her phone and requested to speak to the group of women that had come to check on his mother.

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