I’VE BEEN ABUSED, ‘GAWUZELA’ WORSHIPPED AT SWALIMO - SYDNEY

MBABANE – “I have been abused by SWALIMO.”

The aforementioned statement was shared by former Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) member Sydney Maseko, who has officially left the organisation. According to Maseko, the organisation’s President Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane was allegedly being worshipped by the members of the political formation. Maseko alleged that Simelane was an emotional person and did not want to be challenged. The former SWALIMO member said he had been attacked by the members for speaking anything against the president; they were told that the organisation was not about them but the leader, hence they were following him. He said he had been attacked by the organisation’s leadership and some members for raising concerns in the manner they were led. Maseko stated that at times when he posted, Simelane would grab the post and repost it in other groups setting him up with the membership which was very wrong.

Comment

“How can a president screen grab a post and make an opposing comment without engaging with the person who has posted?” Maseko questioned. He added that instead of behaving in such a manner, the president should have at least privately engage with him. Also, he stated that he was sidelined by the organisation for being against the idea to start preparations for the 2028 elections. Maseko said in a post which was made by SWALIMO Spokesperson Thantaza Silolo, he made it clear that he was not in support of the idea. He said he was against the preparations and stated the reasons behind, which he said was that the State had not started and was busy with other things. This, he said, the very same government, which they were opposing, had not even started talking about the elections. “I told them the idea was offside and a contradiction for them to be excited about the 2028 elections.”

Maseko said this was the reason for being sidelined by the organisation, as he voiced out his opinions that preparing for the elections would be creating job opportunities for few individuals and not a political strategy. The former SWALIMO member said the issue of supporters was a challenge, as people tend to focus on individuals and question any opinion that is raised by members. “In the SWALIMO issue, the other members just tell you that they joined the party for one person, who is ‘Magawugawu’.”

Situations

Maseko said his crime was raising the manner in which they were led and more often had been told that the president was God-ordained and could tell situations before they happened.
He said such was a serious problem because other members would then attack persons who raised opposing opinions. Explaining what fuelled his resignation, Maseko said he was removed from the social platforms for having an opinion which was opposed by the president. He said through the secretariat’s actions, he decided to leave, as he felt unwanted by the organisation. Maseko said by virtue of not having access to any of the platforms, he realised that he was no longer a member, because he could not talk to anyone on the social platforms of the political formation. “I am currently in the diaspora and the only communication is through the social platforms and if removed, it meant automatic termination of membership,” he said.

Maseko said after a confrontation with Simelane, where he was called and questioned about his submissions to the national executive committee (NEC) secretariat, a structure used by the organisation for anyone who had concerns to forward, he decided to step aside. He said he then wrote to the NEC, informing them of the reason why he had stepped aside, stating that following the confrontation with Simelane, he realised that he was actually the highest authority in the structure, hence his stepping aside.

Structure

“I wrote to the higher structure where the president sits and in response, they called a meeting inviting all members with the aim of giving direction on where they could take their grievances,” Maseko said. He said he was also invited on the side to raise his grievances. He said they promised to respond to the grievances in a week’s time, something that never happened to date. On Sunday, Maseko said he wrote to the secretariat, informing them about his decision to leave the organisation and further made the post public on Monday. This, he said, was to shed light to some of the SWALIMO members who attacked him, trying to clarify his position. He said some of the members had no idea what had transpired, but were making comments.

Maseko noted that whenever they did not see eye to eye with Simelane and when trying to raise a point, those things would be taken personally. Furthermore, he said the clash with the president would sometimes emanate from the group chats, where he would then be attacked by other members who were not called to order. These, he said, were concerns that touched upon the organisation, which is why he did not call the president directly, but opted to raise them on the group platforms. Prior to the failing relationship, Maseko stated that he raised his concerns with the president and they did not reach common ground. “We had a meeting with the national executive committee, a structure used by the organisation for anyone who has concerns and I raised same,” said Maseko.

However, he stated that he was called by Simelane following the meeting, confronting him of the concerns that had been raised, which he felt was unprofessional. Maseko said it was unfortunate that it was the president’s son who reported the discussions after the meeting, yet following the meeting, the submissions were to be taken up to another structure to be dealt with. He said it was unprofessional then for the president, to whom the concerns were directed, to call and confront him of same. Maseko said he tried reasoning with Simelane, trying to understand why he decided to question him on the concerns but he heard none of it. He stated that the only thing which Simelane could state was that he was sorry.

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