MADALA fiRST TO ARRIVE, LAZWIDE THE LAST TO SHOW UP
LOBAMBA – Leading by example. House of Assembly Deputy Speaker Madala Mhlanga yesterday demonstrated why he was elected for this position as he was the first legislator to arrive for the 12th Parliament Official Opening by His Majesty King Mswati III yesterday. On the flip side, Siphofaneni Member of Parliament (MP) Nomalungelo LaZwide Simelane was the last to show up, arriving a few minutes after the King.
Madala, the Mahlangatane Member of Parliament (MP) arrived at 9am and at that time, his colleagues were nowhere to be seen. Notable is that most of the parliamentarians started arriving just after 9am and most of them were accompanied by their spouses. LaZwide was again the centre of attention as she wore a kanga (lihiya) that was different from her Parliament colleagues, prompting murmurs of disbelief from some onlookers. She looked unfazed though as she made her way into the Parliament chambers.
In what was a humid and sweaty day with temperatures soaring up to 34 degrees Celsius, people started arriving as early as 7am. Interesting to note is that thundershowers and rains were predicted for yesterday but this turned out to be a false alarm. This was in sharp contrast to the weather conditions in last year’s event where it was raining cats and dogs from early in the morning.
A number of people yesterday were spotted carrying umbrellas, anticipating showers and this was not to be in the end as the event proceeded smoothly without a single drop of rain.
As per the norm during such national events, especially when the King is expected to attend, the security detail was again on point, with law enforcers visibly in attendance to ensure order. Members of the Eswatini National Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services were also present in their numbers, waiting to attend to any emergencies.
Initial suggestions were that cellphones would not be allowed inside the Parliament premises, but this turned out to be untrue as people were allowed to carry their gadgets but not into Parliament chambers.
Vehicles
The car park was also a show of beauty as those in attendance were driving exquisite motor vehicles, attracting the attention of many people present. All the Members of Parliament were dressed in traditional attire, with two marquees mounted, one of which hosted the gala dinner where His Majesty the King joined the invited guests and legislators.
Just before the gala dinner started, parliamentarians presented the King with three cows while two were reserved for Her Majesty the Indlovukazi, who was also part of the proceedings. The Queen Mother could not attend the same event last year as she was reported to be indisposed. There were a number of notable faces on the gallery section and these included, among others, former House of Assembly Speaker Petros Mavimbela, former National Commissioner of Police (NATCOM) Edgar Hillary, former Correctional Services Commissioner General Mnguni Simelane, former Army Commander Sobantu Dlamini and many others. The King’s Speech lasted for close to two hours and received overwhelming praise from those present.