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MANZINI – Paul Matimela, the SWALIMO Deputy Secretary General (DSG), has become one of the party’s leaders to register, following their slogan for the 2023 National Elections,

‘Ungakhetsi njengayitolo’.

The DSG of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) yesterday registered for the upcoming national elections at the EBC registration centre at The Gables, Ezulwini.

However, his chiefdom is Simunye, under Mhlume Constituency. Matimela is the second member of SWALIMO executive committee to register for the national elections, after the political party’s Spokesperson Thantaza Silolo.

He said he registered because as a political party, they had a position that spoke to participating in the elections so that they could reciprocate what the incarcerated Members of Parliament (MPs); Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza of Hosea Inkhundla and Mthandeni Dube of Ngwempisi Inkhundla together with their former colleague, Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane, who was representing the people of Siphofaneni, did in Parliament.

The DSG was asked if he already had candidates in mind, to vote for and what he thought they (candidates) would do differently from the previous members of his inkhundla council.

Eligible

He said any citizen who had the people’s interests at heart would be eligible to be voted for by the people, including himself. He added that they were hopeful that everyone, given a mandate, would work for emaSwati diligently.

It is worth noting that recently, Matimela, who spoke on behalf of SWALIMO during the commemoration of the International Workers Day, which was

Paul Matimela (L), the SWALIMO Deputy Secretary General, being assisted to register for the 2023 National Elections at Gables Registration Centre in Ezulwini. hosted by the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) at Mayaluka Sports Ground in Big Bend, said as political parties, they might have different political ideologies, wear different colours and have different approaches, but before they fight each other, they should remember that their struggle had a sole goal - democracy.

“We are not enemies among ourselves, but our enemy is the Tinkhundla regime,” Matimela said.

He added that if they continued fighting each other, the arrested MPs and those who were in exile would die there.