SWALIMO praises Zuma
MBABANE – SWALIMO has applauded former South Africa President Jacob Zuma for his speech during the beginning of year prayer service held at Mandvulo Hall on Saturday.
In a statement, Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) Spokesperson Thantaza Silolo said Zuma openly and diplomatically gave the country’s authorities advice.
In his remarks, Zuma implored the people of Eswatini to find a proper way of solving the prevailing problems. He said now that the country had prayed, it was time for it to find a solution to the issues.
Challenged
Zuma further challenged the pastors not to preach to the King alone, but to also go to the people who were congregants in their churches. He said pastors were leaders and needed to engage the people to ensure that they knew the dangers of fighting and killing one another.
In the statement, Silolo said it had always been speculation that the country’s authorities lacked brave individuals to give them the right advice, but Zuma did not hesitate to publicly give a detailed and more informative counsel while the King and all who were present watched and listened.
Silolo said this kind of diplomacy provided guidance to those who continued to feed the King on how to reflect and think of what was best for the country.
“President Zuma, as a longtime friend to the King and an elder statesman with experience in conflict resolution, gave a clear picture on the consequences of delaying the national dialogue to resolve the country’s political crisis,” he said.
Silolo said they knew well that the Eswatini authorities would seek to water down the counsel.
Meanwhile, before requesting the Indlovukazi to address the congregants, Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini informed the former president that thugs were killing the people. He said the nation was not fighting among itself, but only thugs were killing those who were opposing their views.
“I want to inform you president that it is just a few individuals who are saying they were not present when the current Constitution was crafted and, therefore, they do not want it. We are not at war against one another, but thugs have seized the opportunity and started killing innocent people. Our biggest worry is that what kind of precedent we would be setting if we allow people to kill each other if they want something changed in the Constitution?” he asked.
Dlamini said the country was committed to a dialogue process but the killings were making it difficult for such a process to start.