EmaSwati living in fear
“The problem with ruling by fear is that eventually when the fear fades, fury replaces it” - Rachel Caine
W Ea r e s c a r e d . . . l i v i n g i n fear... The a bove, best des c r i b e s t h e m o o d o f s c a r y u n - certainty currently engulfing t he whole country.
Fear i s described by as,
“A natural emotion and a survival mechanism. When we confront a p e r c e i v e d t h r e a t , o u r b o d i e s respond in specific ways. Physical reactions to fear include sweating, i n c r e a s e d h e a r t r a t e , a n d h i g h a d r e n a l i n e l e v e l s t h a t ma k e u s extremely alert”
For the first time in my wretched l i fe, and ever since I had l i ved i n t his country, I am alert, but pretty scared. I can also bet you, my dear reader, t hat I am not t he only one, t hough, who i s going t hrough t his f e e l i n g . F r o m e m a j a h a , b o g o - go, bomkhulu, to mothers, fathers, politicians, and t he ordinary man on t he street, respectively, everyone i s scared.
EVENTS
t he
GUARANTEE
l earned
Fr i g h t e n i n g e v e n t s h a v e t a k e n place i n our beautiful kingdom i n t he past few weeks and continue to take place, albeit, at a subdued, but t ense state, have brought unt old awe, and fear t o a majority of t he country’s citizens.
Almost everyone I have met, and conversed with, has conveyed his or her fears about what i s currently happening in a country many of u s h a d p r e v i o u s l y v i e wed more or l ess, as a safe haven of peace, and tranquillity; except of course, wit h t he e xcept i on of t he us ual , a n d i n t e r mit t e n t , s o c i a l i l l s l i k e high crime rates, police brutality, hunger, poverty, kushayeka, and other i l l s.
Ne v e r i n o u r wi l d e s t d r e a ms , had we ever t hought t here would come a t i me when we would walk t hrough t he st r eets of our neighb o u r h o o d , i n r u r a l , a n d u r b a n areas, respectively - t read i n fear, as a r esult of, and consequences o f t h e c h a o s t h a t e r u p t e d i n o u r country, recently.
T h e c o u n t r y e x p e r i e n c e d s o many hor r i f i c i nci dences of unprecedented brutality, culminating i n t h e l o s s o f s a c r e d l i v e s , a n d h o r r i f i c i n j u r i e s t o s o me o f o u r p e o p l e ; l o o t i n g o f b u s i n e s s e s ; vandalising of property, etc. Loss o f l i v e s a l l e g e d l y t h r o u g h t h e hands of our s ecuri t y agencies - most notably, t he army. This has struck f ear i n t he hearts of many of us.
We a r e f e a r f u l o f e v e n s t e p - ping outside t he four walls of our pl a c e s of a bode. I magine! Even i n s i d e t h o s e w a l l s , n o n e o f u s f eels safe. Any f ootsteps, and/ or t hat l oud knock at t he door, does not entirely guarantee one t hat i t could be t he next door neighbour, or a friendly, social call... We are s c a r e d of goi ng t o our pl a c e s of e mployment. We d r e a d s e n d i n g our young children t o t he neighbourhood shops... We are scared of cri t i ci s i ng i njustices perpetrated by our authorities.. Is t hat normal l i fe, I ask.. we ask?
The mi l l i o n Dol l a r q u e s t i o n we r e l e n t l e s s l y p o s e t o o u r s e l v e s o n a daily basis, i s: What has become o f o u r c o u n t r y ? Wh e r e h a v e w e l o s t i t ? Why s o mu c h b r u t a l i t y ? Why t h e u n p r e c e d e n t e d s p a t e o f i nt ol er ance, l at el y? What wrongs have we committed to deserve such inhumane treatment from people we l ook up t o, t rusting t hem t o protect, a n d l e a d u s e t h i c a l l y, wi t h l o v e , i ntegrity, etc?
It i s without any shadow of doubt t hat we l i ve i n a country embroiled i n s o m a n y i l l s - b o t h p o l i t i c a l , and socioeconomic. We cannot run a way f r o m t h e g l a r i n g t r u t h s t h a t w e l i v e u n d e r a d e e p l y d i v i d e d , political hegemony.
GOVERNANCE
For as l ong as one can remember, i t i s n o s e c r e t t h a t i f o n e i s n o t pro- s t at us quo, or pro- Tinkhundla s y s t e m o f g o v e r n a n c e , t o b e p r e - ci s e - you are bound t o be viewed a s e n e my o f t h e s t a t e . Lat e l y, t h e reverse i s also t rue.
Progressives are fiercely at odds, and critical of anything t o do with g o v e r n men t . S a d l y, t h e f o r mer ’s i nt ol e r a nt a t t i t ude t o pr o- democr a c y ’s p r o p o n e n t s , h a s r e s u l t e d l a t e l y, i n s o m e o f t h e m e m b e r s of t he country’s s ecurit y agencies not t a ki ng ki ndl y t o a ny one who critiques t he status quo.
Consider t he r ecent, s pi ne chi l l - i n g , i n c i d e n t w h i c h t o o k p l a c e i n t h e s mal l t o wn o f Lomahasha, where an off duty police officer i s alleged t o have gunned down t wo, young men i n cold blood, l ast week during a funeral.
The bone of contention? I t i s al - l eged t hat t he f eud started at a bar a r ound t he a r e a , where t he pol i c e o f f i c e r, a n d t h e t wo , y o u n g me n we r e e n j o y i n g a l c o h o l i c d r i n k s . The duo a l l e gedl y quest i oned t he p o l i c e o f f i c e r , a s k i n g h i m w h a t had prompted him t o shoot another y o u n g ma n f r o m t h e a r e a , ( w h o i s now confined t o a wheelchair), during t he recent protests t hat were marred by looting, vandalising, and burning of some business establishments. The rest i s history...
T h e i n c e n s e d p o l i c e o f f i c e r a l - l e g e d l y went t o c o l l e c t a s e r v i c e f i r e a r m a t h i s wor k p l a c e , h u n t e d down the duo, drew his service rifle, and shot them down - in cold blood.
T h o u g h w e w e l c o m e t h e s w i f t arrest, and suspension of t he i mplicated police officer, questions still l i nger i n t he minds of many of us, as t o what has gone wrong with our security officers t o descend t o such base levels of brutality, culminating i n t he alleged shooting of defenceless people, especially the young of t he country?
T h e c o u n t r y i s s t i l l f r e s h , a n d b l e e d i n g f r o m t h e s p i n e - c h i l l i n g allegations of t he massacre of over 60 civilians, mostly t he youth, ( as well as t he l ooting, and destruction of property) allegedly at t he hands of security forces.
L i k e a n a r r a t i v e f r o m a m o v i e script - members of the SADC Troika technical team, who were recentl y i n t he country i n a f act - f i nding mission related t o t he recent unrest - w e r e t o l d b y o n e o f t h e t h r e e ‘ c h a n g e ’ Members o f P a r l i a ment ( MPs), who a r e l e a d i n g t h e c a l l s for political reforms, spine- chilling a c c o u n t s o f b r u t a l i t y a l l e g e d l y a t t he hands of security forces.
The MPs are alleged to have blasted t he t hen Acting Prime Minister, Themba Masuku, accusing him of “avoiding the blame that was directed at t he security forces, especially t h e Ar my, a n d b y e x t e n s i o n , t h e government, since i t had l ed t o t he onslaught, and massacre of over 60 civilians”.
I t did not make a very good r ead t o l e a r n a b o u t h e a r t - w r e n c h i n g allegations by t he MPs, t hat , “bodi es were l eft sprawled all over f or r el at i ves t o collect; and t hat s ome c i v i l i a n s we r e t h r o wn i n t o f i r e s , live, and that what they ( MPs) were s a y i n g h a d n o t b e e n t a k e n f r o m t h e movi e s , b u t , ‘ wer e t h i n g s we witnessed’
MISSION
“The nation eagerly awaits with unabated breath, t he next steps t hat will be t aken by t he SADC Troika mission.
I n t h e meant i me, what d o e s t h e future holds for a country so divided - a country i n mourning, engulfed i n hatred for authority?
I a m no s oot hs a yer, nor pr ophet o f d o o m . B u t w h a t I e n v i s a g e , r i g h t n o w, i s t h a t a n i r r e v o c a b l e b r e a k d o w n o f t r u s t , a w i d e n i n g chasm between t he people, and our l eadership continues t o be created a t a n a l a r mi n g s c a l e . I t d o e s n o t b o d e we l l f o r u n i t y t h a t t h e r e i s a n a l l e g e d l a c k o f a c c o u n t a b i l i t y f r om our authorities f or t he r ecent mas s a c r e o f s o me o f t h e p e o p l e . Our l e a d e r s h i p i s i mpl o r e d t o b e bold, and discard apparent si gnals of a nonchalant attitude towards the massacre of t he people.
We a r e a n a n g r y n a t i o n - a v e r y aggrieved people. It i s no easy feat t o c ome t o t e r ms with, a nd f orget overnight, what had recently t aken place. It i s a first of i t s kind t o occ ur i n t he c ountr y. I n s pi t e of our p o l i t i c a l d i f f e r e n c e s , wh i c h h a d p u t a s t r a n g l e h o l d o n f r e e d o m i n t he country for decades, i t i s about t i me we put aside our differences, d i s c a r d a t t i t u d e s o f h a u g h t i n e s s , and r esolve our i nt er nal problems - amicably, and not through the barr el of a gun. Our l eadership needs t o c l o s e t h e c h a s m t h a t h a d b e e n widening at an alarming rate for as l ong as one can remember.
UNIT Y
We cannot achieve unity, and build a united country by using f oundat i o n s b a s e d o n h a t r e d , a r r o g a n c e , l ooking down upon t he l ess pri vil eged - and... t hrough blood.
I t i s a t r a v e s t y o f j u s t i c e , a n d g r o s s l y i n h u mane f o r o u r l e a d e r s t o unleash s ecurit y agencies, who had been long itching for action, on defenceless members of our society. We wer e u s e d t o b a r r i c a d i n g o u r homes, and businesses from criminal elements - but now, even f r om t he alleged, systematic elimination of s ome of our people by s ecurity agencies.?
For God’s sake!, we cannot afford t o be s ubject e d t o a witch- hunt, a d o o r - t o - d o o r d e a d l y, s e a r c h mi s - s i o n , b y s e c u r i t y f o r c e s wh o a l - l e g e d l y b r u t a l l y a s s a u l t i n n o c e n t member s o f s o c i e t y j u s t b e c a u s e t hey exercise t heir f r eedom of expression, or assembly.
O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , w e c a n n o t c o n d o n e t h e l o o t i n g , v a n d a l i s i n g of i nnocent, and businesspeople’s properties by some members of our society. Burning down business establishments which bring us crucial commodities t hat enable us t o put food on the table for our families, is grossly stupid. This has resulted i n some businesses not opening t heir businesses i n fear of t he unknown. I n s o me b u s i n e s s e s t a b l i s h ments, food prices have skyrocketed, with basic, food commodities not available.
We must not l ose sight of t he fact t hat we have a Constitution which guarantees, “respect for life, liberty, right to fair hearing, equality before t h e l a w, a n d e q u a l p r o t e c t i o n o f t h e l a w. . . f r e e d o m o f c o n s c i e n c e , o f e x p r e s s i o n ; a n d o f p e a c e f u l as s embly, and as s oci at i on; and of movement...” I t i s i mperative t hat n o n e o f u s s h o u l d d i s r e s p e c t t h e Const i t u t i o n , o n l y s u b s c r i b i n g t o i t s dict at es only when him or her.
We had, until recently, only read a bout a nar c hy t a ki ng pl a c e , a nd watched news about occurrences l i ke s t r i f e, and blood being s pil t i n n e i g h b o u r i n g , a n d c o u n t r i e s abroad, only i n electronic media. I t i s f r i ghtening t hat we are now partakers i n, and victims of such i n h u m a n e a c t s . A k u s i l o l i c h i - l o l elo maSwati akitsi?
Above al l , l et us not l ose s i ght of the fact that our leadership who a r e i n a u t h o r i t y, l i v e p r i v i l e g e d l i ves because of t he t axes people pay. They need t o be exemplary. Leaders are i n power because of t he people. They cannot rule over a people- l ess country. That i s an i ndisputable fact.
Our l eaders are not deiti es. We are all human, created i n t he l i ken e s s , a n d i m a g e o f t h e L i v i n g God. God i s f i e r c e l y p r o t e c t i v e o f t h e o p p r e s s e d , a n d w i l l n o t l eave t he guilty unpublished. He w i l l c a l l i n t o a c c o u n t t h o s e i n l e a d e r s h i p p o s i t i o n s who a b u s e t heir authority.
On t h e o t h e r h a n d , r e s p e c t f o r leadership from the people, is also i mperati v e . Respect i s e a r n e d . . . not enforced.
Finally, may I t ake t his opportunity to congratulate, and welcome the new kid on the block - our new Prime Minister ( PM), His Excellency Cleopas Dlamini. Eish, your Excellency, in spite of myself, and with due r espect, I can only say, “Welcome, baba, t o. . . hel l . ” You b e g i n y o u r t e n u r e i n o f f i c e a t a v e r y c r u c i a l a n d v o l a t i l e p e r i o d i n o u r c o u n t r y. I n s p i t e o f t h e h u l l a b a l o o o v e r y o u r a p p o i n t - ment, decency cal l s f or s ome of us t o wish you good l uck i n your difficult j ob. i t f avours
My t wo cents worth of advice? As a s eni or ci t i zen, ngiyi mfucut a n g i n j e , wh o h a s b e e n t h e r e , seen i t , done i t , but failed t o make i n r o a d s i n t o a s u c c e s s f u l l i f e , a n o l d ma d a l a , f u l l o f w o r l d l y wisdom, t hough.. all I can say, i s: Please be humble, Sir. Endeavour t o n o w a n d a g a i n , b r i n g y o u r - self t o t he l evel of t he grassroots people.
Avoid t he pitfalls made by your predecessors, who were haughty, a n d c o n f r o n t a t i o n a l w h e n a d - dressing national i ssues. Employ t act, and give an ear t o t he l owest of our people. You are accountable first, and foremost, to the Livi ng God.. and next, t o t he people.
Pl e a s e , a c c e p t c r i t i c i s m, e s p e - ciall y f r om us t he Media. As t he F o u r t h E s t a t e , we wi l l s u p p o r t y o u i f y o u t r a v e l e t h i c a l l y, t h e d e mocr a t i c r o a d . I f n o t , e x p e c t us t o criticize you without fear or favour - but with respect.
As a parting shot t o all our l eadership - be it those in government, i n t h e c h u r c h o f Go d , o r t h o s e i n p o l i t i c a l f o r mat i o n s - p l e a s e hear what t he avenging God says i n Pro v e r b s 1 6 : 5 : “Th e LORD d e t e s t s a l l t h e p r o u d o f h e a r t . Be sure of t his: They will not go unpunished...” Scary? You bet!
Q u o t i n g a n e x t r a c t f r o m o n e of t he speeches of t he l ate, great s t a t e s man, Nels on Mandela, di - r e c t e d t o l e a d e r s : “I f y o u wa n t the cooperation of humans around y o u , y o u mu s t ma k e t h e m f e e l t hey ar e i mportant – and you do t hat by bei ng genuine a nd humbl e . ” – s a i d duri ng a n i nt e r vi e w with Oprah for O Magazine, April 2001. Need I say more?
Shalom!
ADVICE