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AS time goes on, I am becoming more disillusioned with this tinkhundla government. I have never had trust in this system from the time. I started having some appreciable comprehension of its machinations. We have seen how over the years there has been some improvement, at face value, in the ‘book value’ of the politicians that have swelled government ranks, particularly at Hospital Hill. The naive liSwati would have been fooled to think the country is moving in the right direction when former corporate gurus increased Cabinet. The functionary head of government, in the prime minister, is a man with impeccable credentials in the corporate world.
His predecessor also had an illustrious CV in a similar career path. We know a number of the current Cabinet ministers have also led big corporates which have performed well. Sadly, their successes have not been transferrable to the world of politics which was thrust upon them, without applying for it. The late Premier, Mandvulo Dlamini, said in politics there are many moving parts. The tinkhundla system has shown its ability to take intelligent men and women, and make a mockery of their education, skills and experience. The politics of patronage that drive this system reduce intelligent people to stooges and the entire populace suffers in return.
One of the hallmarks of this government’s failures will arguably be the manner in which it has (mis) handled the issue of the proposed national dialogue. This epoch, in the history of this kingdom, needed better leadership than what we have. I fail to understand how the government, in its wisdom, or lack thereof, would hold the misguided view that the country is not ready for dialogue because of the sporadic incidences of violence that are taking place. The government is quoted to have said it will not be held at ransom by the people calling for change and will only do so in its terms.
Leadership
This is testament to the undisputed fact that the leadership of this country is not at all ready to facilitate this dialogue which could be its one saving grace against a backdrop of epic failures in the area of being of service to the people. The scandal of man-made poverty stares them portentously in their faces while they live large at the expense of the suffering emaSwati. We started seeing this aversion to dialogue when bona fide emaSwati calling for political reforms were castigated and called all manner of names by the country’s authorities. Even after the intervention of the Troika Organ of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), we continue to play games as a country and keep making flimsy excuses not to face the elephant in the room. All the while, there is escalation of violence in the country which has taken the form of assassination of police officers. In response to this, the National Commissioner of Police, Tsintsibala Dlamini, in an
apparent display of bravery, has thrown down the gauntlet and challenged the ‘cowards’ behind the killings to come out in the open and face the police head-on. What an inapt statement from the head of the police! Like his principals at Hospital Hill and beyond, he is failing to read the times. He very well may, by this statement, put to danger, those in his care who are all exposed, on daily basis, to the threat of being targeted by the outfit(s) perpetrating this.
Violence
I have said in my previous pieces that violence is not the solution to our problems. I will never support it, no matter what. However, it gets harder every day to understand what emaSwati must do to get the attention of a recalcitrant government that shows no sign of willingness to hear views it does not agree with. In his statement, the prime minister speaks of the unreadiness of engaging in dialogue as though he has a mandate from emaSwati to express those unfortunate sentiments.
The stance of the people on this subject, as expressed by some parliamentarians recently, is unequivocally that this country needs this dialogue, and that it needs it urgently. Who then, does the prime minister speak for? The government needs to take us seriously, bekunene. We cannot sit back and watch it prevaricate around this dialogue issue while our brothers and sisters in uniform die in defence of a leadership that clearly does not care about them and is happy to use them as political pawns. I agree with other political commentators that if government does not drive the change that is being demanded by the people, we risk the people rising and taking over in a manner that may usher lawlessness. For the love of God, the government must call all the voices calling for change to the round table so that a proper agenda for an inclusive dialogue can be drafted. Let’s give peace a chance.