Maybe it is time to learn Swahili

8

1'(5 normal circumstances, we would not be writing this message to you, maSwati lamahle.

As Mo]ambican nationals living here, legally or otherwise, we would not ordinarily bother you with such long messages, especially at this particular point in time, when we know you are going through a lot socially and politically.

There were also a few incidents of violence, mostly perpetrated by the security forces.

As guests around here, we know a few familiar faces, like that of Deputy Prime Minister DPM Themba Masuku, who was acting Prime Minister in the last couple of weeks or so.

He is usually acting PM when mayhem erupts and we want to believe that this is purely by coincidence and not by design. Some of us have been here for a few months while many have been in Eswatini for years. 2thers have actually been here since the 0s, having arrived as pimply-faced teenagers. They are now grey-haired men and women.

The only way you can tell that they are from Mo]ambiTue is by paying attention to their accent when they pronounce certain siSwati words.

Anyway, let us apologise for using the word `normal.’

:e know it still reminds you of the fear and trauma you went through when you had been assured that all would be normal, only to find that there was no `normal transport’ and shops that are normally open on those days were closed.

There was also a very abnormal presence of heavily armed State security agents.

,t was an abnormal kind of normal. Now that we have dispensed with that apology, let us Tuickly get to the gist of our message to you. Those of you who read the newspapers may have seen a story carrying our plea to you, from the bottoms of our hearts.

AVOID CIVIL WAR

That is the story carried by the Eswatini News on Saturday, November

, 0 . ,t was at the bottom of Page , so some of you may have missed it. The headline was, `E[iled Mo]ambicans to emaSwati Avoid civil war at all costs.’

As people who have been there and done that, we know how civil wars start, how they affect innocent citi]ens and how impossible it is to stop them once they start.

,n that story on Saturday, we tried to impress it on you, as our hosts, to avoid making the mistakes we in Mo]ambiTue made four decades ago.

:e are still paying the price to this day, hence some of us are still in foreign lands like yours.

Nina bekunene, we are not saying you should not demand democracy by all means do that. :e are not saying you should not demand accountability and an end to corruption either.

:e encourage you to demand service delivery from the ta[es you pay so religiously, eTuality before the law and more job opportunities.

However, we ask that you avoid glorifying intimidation and violence. This goes for both the armed forces and ordinary citi]ens.

%esides, if a civil war breaks out here as well, where will we, Mo]ambicans e[iled in Eswatini, run to" :e would not want to join you as we all flee the kingdom to seek refuge in countries that speak the yet-to-beintroduced Swahili.