SOLUTION FOR UNESWA

CALLS FOR SANCTIONS

29(510(17 Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo is well known for pulling out all stops and firing on all cylinders while defending his employer.

He has once again rubbished reports that some senators in the United States (US) were calling for sanctions against Eswatini.

)our senators in the US Parliament, known as &ongress, recently introduced a resolution to the Senate, seeking to facilitate targeted sanctions against anyone found to have grossly violated human rights in Eswatini. The resolution urges Secretary of State Anthony %linken and Secretary of the Treasury -anet

The lawmakers also want the *overnment of Eswatini to conduct a transparent and thorough investigation into the murder of Human Rights /awyer Thulani 0aseko in -anuary this year.They say the bipartisan resolution is a reminder that they have not forgotten the assassination of 0aseko and the dire human rights situation in Eswatini.

%ipartisan, in this case, would mean that both 'emocrats and Republicans in the American congress would come together in agreement.

2n his return from a trip abroad, Nxumalo called a press conference where he reminded Mournalists that this was not the first time a call for sanctions against Eswatini was made.

He said some politicians from South Africa (SA) and the United .ingdom (U.) had previously made similar calls but their attempts fell flat.

,t is his belief that the calls by the US senators will not succeed because such decisions are not taken by Parliaments but by the heads of State.

The possibility exists that these heads of State make such announcements after debates and resolutions in Parliament. However, the important thing is that the government of Eswatini should not bask in the glory of seeing such calls fail.

,t should worry that they are growing. ,t should identify the reasons behind such calls and resolve them.

+( University of Eswatini (UNESWA) has been finally reopened, after close to two months of closure.

The institution, which has three campuses in 0babane, .waluseni and /uyengo, was closed after academic and non-academic staff went on strike in protest over performance awards, known as notching.

A certificate of unresolved dispute was issued by the &onciliation, 0ediation and Arbitration &ommission (&0A&) in )ebruary this year.

Since then, normal operations at the institution have been affected. Suspension of the strike was announced on Wednesday after workers and management reached compromises on the issues in dispute. ,t goes without saying, however, that the protracted strike will affect the institution’s ability to impart Tuality education.

Strikes by employees are rare but boycotts by students, usually over allowances, are common. Political will is reTuired to bring all the challenges faced by the institution to an end. This should result in a complete overhaul of how the university is administered.