King Mswati III.
JINTY JACKSON/Gally Images
- Pro-democracy activists challenge SADC to bring King Mswati III to the negotiation table with a clear framework, timelines and set targets.
- They also want reports by previous envoys dispatched to Eswatini through SADC's troika to be made public.
- Opposition leader accuses SADC of being a group of "elite" leaders covering up for King Mswati III and vows people of Eswatini will take charge of their destiny.
Pro-democracy activists from Eswatini welcomed the Southern African Development Community (SADC) resolution to send a fact-finding mission to Africa's last absolute monarchy.
They noted, however, that it was not the first fact-finding mission to be sent to Eswatini, with those before not yielding much progress.
Thulani Maseko, a prominent human rights lawyer from Eswatini, and Mlungisi Makhanya, leader of the People’s United Democratic Movement, the largest opposition party in the country spoke to News24.
Maseko said: "While we welcome the developments, we are concerned about what we see as a lack of decisiveness when it comes to the Eswatini question.
"The question is, how many fact-finding missions will be conducted before there is a serious commitment to a real meaningful process to resolve the crisis?"
He added that he hoped President Cyril Ramaphosa's framework for dialogue would be consolidated so that King Mswati III commits to it, although in the past, the king had not been so keen on engagement.
READ | SADC sending 'panel of elders' on fact-finding mission to Eswatini
"We do feel that the king is given leeway to delay the resolution of the impasse while he continues to harass the people in Eswatini and the leaders of the mass democratic movement.
He added:
In our view, the facts speak for themselves for the need to bring the parties to the impasse to the table of dialogue, and SADC long accepted that dialogue is the only possible and meaningful way to address the socio-economic and political crisis facing the country.
He also said that SADC should pin down the king to commit to the creation of a political climate of peace conducive to dialogue, ensuring that all political prisoners are released, exiles return home safely, and all impediments to meaningful dialogue and free political activity are removed.
Another wish from Maseko was for SADC to agree on a framework for the dialogue to start, including timelines, and the adoption of mutually agreed terms of reference.
"We do hope that the fact-finding mission will realise the urgency because the security situation is fast deteriorating," he added.
Makhanya told News24 that while SADC was going to send another fact-finding team led by a panel of elders, it owed the people of Eswatini an update on what happened with past envoys.
"While we in principle welcome the decision by the SADC summit to send the panel of elders on a fact-finding mission anywhere it deems fit, we however strongly feel that SADC owes the people of Swaziland an explanation on how far the previous fact-finding mission went and their subsequent reports," he said.
Three envoys sent by SADC have been to Eswatini in the past.
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Makhaya feels SADC was playing "marbles" with the Eswatini situation and as things stood, "the country will continue to burn".
While SADC handles the diplomatic side of the crisis, Makhanya said they would not wait but take matters into their own hands.
"We are not waiting for SADC to liberate us, we are liberating ourselves. Our message to our people is very clear: You are on your own and only your efforts will liberate you," he added.
He also branded SADC leaders as "elites" who are "indifferent" about the massacre of innocent people.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
Source https://www.globalcourant.com/security-is-fast-deteriorating-eswatini-activists-welcome-sadc-move/?feed_id=13332&_unique_id=63007f9fcb209
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