WARRIORS WARNED AS LITTLE INCWALA BEGINS

LUDZIDZINI - Warriors have been urged to forget about threats and devote themselves to the annual Incwala Ceremony, which commenced yesterday with the Little Incwala.

Incwala Ceremony is an annual national event, where emaSwati celebrate the harvest of the first fruit inside the Ludzidzini Cattle Byre. The nation also celebrates peace and stability, which has prevailed since Eswatini gained her independence from Britain in 1968. In a preparatory meeting held at Ludzidzini Royal Residence on Saturday, the warriors were reminded that only His Majesty King Mswati III had the authority to issue orders related to cultural activities in the country.

Warned

The warriors were warned against listening to other voices once summoned by the King.
The reminder came after some warriors shared that there were people who continually accused them of siding with the King whenever they attended cultural events, inclusive of Incwala Ceremony. They shared that they felt unsafe, as the accusations were accompanied by threats.
“Last year, we heard someone threatening to deal with warriors during the course of the event, but we were not deterred. (Nyakenye seva lomunye kuletekuchumana atsi kutawumbimba umdada emajaheni eNcwaleni kodvwa saya noma kunjalo). We urge everyone to listen to the King and do as he says even this year,” Ludzidzini Inyatsi Regiment Indvuna Bahlole Ndzimandze told the warriors.
Yesterday, a regiment of warriors, Ingatja and Imbali, came in numbers for the commencement of the Little Incwala, which is a build-up to the main Incwala Ceremony.
The main Incwala Ceremony takes place three days after the  commissioning of Ingatja to fetch the sacred shrubs also known as Lusekwane. The King normally commissions the young boys to fetch the shrubs between 14 or 15 days after the commencement of the Little Incwala.
The commissioning of Ingatja takes place under the full moon, which is likely to happen on December 27, 2023, according to the calendar. If things go according to the calendar, it would mean that the main Incwala Ceremony might take place on December 30, 2023.
Also, warriors were  urged to register all those who would be participating in the event, to ensure that whatever was given to them did not fall into the wrong hands.
An example of incentives (timbasha), which amounted to E15 million was made available last year. The warriors were told that some money fell into the wrong hands, resulting in some warriors missing out.
“Make sure that all warriors and Ingatja are registered along with their personal identity numbers or birth certificate numbers, to ensure that whatever is given to them falls into the right hands. We do not want a repeat of what happened last year. Some people were lured into protesting, because they did not get their share of the E15 million and there was no way to ascertain if they really participated in the event,” Ndzimandze told the warriors, who were represented by tindvuna and inner council heads.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: