Will the violence end?
7
+( Tuestion above, which has become my title for today’s analysis, was on my mind this past week, as I contemplated the political instability ravaging Eswatini.
0y mind went back to 0ay , when the nation, especially the youth, decided to take to the streets and demand justice and eTuality for all.
This was after the highly suspicious death of 8niversity of Eswatini 8NE6WA) law student Thabani Nkomonye .
The youth felt that ‘enough was enough’ and de cided to demand justice for all citi]ens.
Basically, the demand was that the officers who were on duty on the night Nkomonye died should come clean about events of that day and, if guilty of any wrongdoing, be disciplined or prosecuted.
We all recall that various demonstrations were held to demand justice for Thabani.
Nkomonye’s name was in all the banners and posters but it cannot be disputed that it actually rep resented all ema6wati who had been tortured, killed or mysteriously died in the hands of the country’s security officers before.
There had been many such reports, with social media now and again showing pictures and even vid eos of unarmed citi]ens being tortured by members of the 8mbutfo Eswatini 'efence )orce 8E')), especially along the borderline.
Border jumpers were the main victims, as those caught were subjected to very inhumane punish ment, instead of being handed to law enforcement to deal with them.
)or many years, dating back a couple of decades, there had been many mysterious deaths of ordinary citi]ens in the hands of 6tate security agents
Names like 0athousand Ngubeni who died at the 6igodvweni 3olice 6tation in 0atsapha while being interrogated for alleged theft of cash from his workplace and 6ipho -ele who was in custody when he died, hours after being arrested for wear ing a 38'E02 T shirt during a 0ay 'ay event in 0an]ini, come to mind.
There were others too and it had become the norm that most families of people who died in the hands of 6tate security agents rarely ever had closure, let alone compensation.
That is what demonstrators who joined the tice)orThabani marches wanted an end to.
It is now history, very painful history, that the riots and violence occurring in the country of late emanated from that period.
6ince then, there has been no going back for ema6wati who demand eTual rights and justice for all. It is Tuite sad that while the anger over the Thabani Nkomonye issue was directed mostly at the police, 6tate security agents once again used -us extreme measures to Tuell violence and looting in -une and -uly last year.
'o]ens were killed, with the +uman Right and Integrity Commission placing the figure at 46 while other stakeholders believe it reached or surpassed
.
This is the cycle of violence I am worried about. It was started by the country’s security forces and has now been adopted by certain sectors of our society.
2bserving the current trend, where arson, threats and even killings have become common in Eswati ni, one cannot help but wonder if the violence will ever end.
Actually, my Tuestion, as depicted in the headline, is two pronged.
2n one hand, it asks if government is willing and capable of coming up with a solution to end the current wave of violence as a matter of urgency.
This is an important Tuestion because every right thinking li6wati wants peace restored.
2n the other hand, the Tuestion interrogates the possibility that even after a solution is provided, violence could still continue.
Will the violence end after the nation finally comes together to thrash out the thorny issues dividing us"
These days, people have become so agitated that it is becoming difficult for them to accept a differing view, especially if that view is in favour of the current government.
Criminology experts say in 6outh Africa, violence went down after the 4 democratic elections but in , it reared its ugly head again and is now out of control once again in that country. This lends credence to the assertion that once the culture of violence is cultivated, it is almost impossible to root it out.
As I see it, there is no longer a guarantee that after the national dialogue, ema6wati will return to their previous mental state of tolerance.
Each day government delays kick starting the na tional dialogue drives us farther from that peaceful dispensation.
The unfortunate part is that the country’s leader ship has not offered any hope yet.
6tatements from the offices of 3rime 0inister Cleopas 'lamini and Government 6pokesman Alpheous Nxumalo actually inspire fear and hope lessness.
Take Nxumalo’s most recent statement of )riday, November , , for instance.
In it, Nxumalo says all Cabinet ministers are in full support of a national dialogue.
+e says Cabinet understands that a national dialogue is critical for the healing of the country. Then the bombshell: “Government and all Cabinet ministers have always maintained that law and order must be completely restored in the country and that a peaceful environment prevails, in order to have a productive dialogue free of intimidation.´
Cabinet is of the view that there cannot be a free and fair national dialogue while people who hold differing views are being threatened,
According to Nxumalo, Cabinet believes the na tional dialogue ‘has to come and it will come’ but the prelude to it is that the nation needs a window of peace and calm.
+e also believes that the chaos that occurred in 0an]ini on Thursday, November , is one of the incidents that continue to undermine gov ernment’s efforts to prepare and convene a national dialogue. I will humbly differ with Nxumalo and Cabinet on this one.
3eace will not be restored until the dialogue gov ernment keeps postponing is announced.
2ne )acebook user, reacting to Nxumalo’s state ment on the government website asked, “Why not release the 03s Bacede 0abu]a and 0thandeni 'ube) and announce the dialogue to see if the situ ation won’t calm down"´
Clearly, the delay is no longer a viable option. It is actually a dangerous one.