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MANZINI - Some emaSwati are expecting His Majesty King Mswati III to appoint a new prime minister (PM) and are keen to hear how he would react to some of the concerns (emanyeva) which were raised.

Following the fact that the Sibaya moderator and Attorney General, Sifiso Mashampu Khumalo, announced on Tuesday that today is D-Day for the country’s historic Sibaya, some members of the public said they expected the King to address the nation and also appoint a PM for the 12th Parliament.

In his address, some said they expected the King to react to some of the concerns raised during the Sibaya in the ‘kukhona linyeva’ submissions, while others said it could be too early for the King to talk about it, because maybe he was yet to get the minutes of the People’s Parliament from the secretariat and then act on the concerns.

Manzini North Member of Parliament (MP) Sifiso Mashayinkonjane Nhlengetfwa said he was of the view that the chairperson of Sibaya would give emaSwati another chance to make submissions (emanyeva), as many were still eager to talk when the People’s Parliament was adjourned on Monday and postponed on Tuesday.

Belief

He also expressed belief that His Majesty King Mswati III would address the nation and also appoint the PM.
“I think it is too early for the King to address the concerns that were raised by emaSwati at the Sibaya, because maybe he is yet to be furnished with the minutes of the proceedings,” the Manzini North MP said.  Meanwhile, Siboniso Shongwe of Othandweni, Siphofaneni, said since the beginning of Sibaya, the King asked the nation to pray for him to appoint a rightful PM, he believed today would be D-Day for the appointment.

“My favourite candidate for the position is the former Minister of Finance, Neal Rijkenberg, because he managed to revive the economy post COVID-19 and he was instrumental in the health crisis issues, which were later investigated. If given a chance to lead government, I think he could take the country to another level,” Shongwe said.

Shongwe, who was one of the people who got a chance to pose questions to the panellists, said emanyeva was not something which the King might take action on today, because some of the issues were new to him and he was yet to analyse them (issues). On another note, Thantaza Silolo of Ekudzingeni, under Lobamba Inkhundla, said it was always difficult for them to speak about the trail of the regime, because it was unpredictable and did not follow any legal procedure.

“In the past, a few people were allowed to make submissions in the morning before the King entered Sibaya, but like I said, the system thrives on secrecy and haphazard activities, therefore, one cannot be sure what will actually take place,” Silolo, who is also the Spokesperson of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO), said.

Prove

He said he believed that the King would try to prove to the nation that he was listening and that he took what was being said seriously, by trying to react to some of the concerns which were raised. Meanwhile, overall, there is some uncertainty about today, regarding Sibaya. People who will be attending the last day of Sibaya are full of uncertainty, due to the number of questions that the entire nation wishes would have been answered by the end of today.

The last day of Sibaya 2023 People’s Parliament has finally arrived after it had been postponed twice. Monday was supposed to be the last day of Sibaya but it was postponed to Tuesday due wet weather conditions that prevented most of emaSwati from accessing transport that was supposed to transport them to Ludzidzini Royal Residence. On Tuesday, the session did not commence as Sibaya moderator Khumalo announced that the last day was then postponed to today. In the past two days, the country has been experiencing good weather from a period of heavy rainfall. 

Sibaya will resume on Friday, November 2, 2023, at 9am. Transport will be available for emaSwati in all usual pick-up spots, people should come in numbers,” Khumalo said. The last day of the People’s Parliament is signified by the appointment of the prime minister by His Majesty King Mswati III. This is done after the Parliament is in place. The uncertainty that surrounds today’s Sibaya stems from the fact that Section 67 of the Constitution stipulates that the PM should be appointed from the House of Assembly. In previous years, the King, from the 10 MPs he appoints, would appoint nine and leave space for the PM. In the past, the PM would be appointed among the 10 appointed MPs. During the appointment of former PM Cleopas Dlamini, he was appointed from Senate and later moved to the House of Assembly.

Feeling

Most people have a feeling that the PM might come from the 22 panellists who made presentations during the People’s Parliament and were rated through the Sibaya application. However, out of the 22 panellists, only seven are already MPs and only one Senate-elect. These are Lubulini MP Dr Tambo Gina, Nkwene MP Sikhumbuzo Dlamini,   Mbabane East MP Welcome Dlamini, Mhlume MP Zanele Mashaba, Matsanjeni North MP Phila Buthelezi, Maphalaleni MP Mabulala Maseko, appointed MPs Mancoba Khumalo and Thuli Dladla, as well as Senate-elect Fezeka Dlamini.

An analysis that was made by political analyst Mbho Shongwe indicated that any appointment of an PM should come from the House of Assembly. He said if the PM was to be appointment from the panellists, it should definitely be those who were MPs.  “Any appointment outside the House of Assembly will be a breach of the Constitution,” he said. Shongwe said it was important that the Constitution was followed by everyone in order for other people to take it seriously.

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