Concerns seclusion, elections could delay dialogue

MBABANE – The Catholic Church is concerned the impending seclusion by His Majesty King Mswati III and the 2023 elections will result in further postponement of the national dialogue.

This is according to an interview of Father Jose Luis Gerardo Ponce de Leon, Consolota Missionary and Bishop of Manzini, the only diocese of Eswatini.

The bishop had recently attended a session of the SouthernAfrican Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) in Johannesburg, where he was interviewed on the situation in Eswatini by Agenzia Fides, a news agency of the Vatican City in Rome, Italy.

Uncertainty.

When questioned on the current state of the country, the bishop stated that the road to dialogue was marked by uncertainty.

“If I had to summarise the situation Eswatini is experiencing, I would use the term ‘uncertainty’. This is the state of mind that best represents and characterises the situation for some time and I have been talking about this for a long time by posting messages on social media.

“We don’t really know which way to go at the moment and nobody is talking about it much. When the violence broke out in June 2021, we as the Council of Christian Churches spoke directly to the prime minister in charge and were told him that the best response to the tense situation was national dialogue,” detailed the bishop. He continued by saying months had passed and in February, the Finance Minister, Neal Rijkenberg, allocated a budget for the dialogue.

“Finally, we recently learnt that a team had been selected to shape this dialogue. We are now in August and we are still waiting for news,” said the Father.

Agenda

The prelate noted that twice the situation in Eswatini was supposed to be on the agenda of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and both times he purported it disappeared from the agenda.

“The meeting scheduled for July 19 with our authorities was cancelled, and a few days earlier, we learned that Eswatini was not yet ready. On the contrary, the government claimed that they were ready and that the non-participation was not due to Eswatini’s readiness. Again, there was no clear communication and people remain in the dark.”

According to the bishop, in the year that passed since violence and clashes erupted, tensions remained latent.

“There is still social unrest in the country. We can say that we are in a situation of low intensity violence, which reminds us that nothing has yet been resolved,” he further said. He highlighted that a number of police officers were killed, including one in broad daylight in Matsapha.

“In March someone burnt the library of a school at KaShewula, in one of the poorest areas of the country, and there are frequent reports in the media of arson attacks. This seems to be a way of telling us that the matter is still unresolved. The perpetrators of the various attacks that have been carried out in the country in recent months are also unclear,” he said.

The bishop added: “When I was in Colombia, I took part in efforts to create a national dialogue. The most important thing was to get to know the interlocutors; it was clear who the leaders with whom to have a dialogue were. Yes, if the interlocutors do not agree, it is difficult to start a dialogue process.

Government

“For it is part, the government, since the riots broke out, has wanted to appear to be taking care of social problems and has tried to improve basic services and roads. But there is a political cry that goes beyond the social cry and will not be heard. There is a risk that King Mswati III – who is going into ritual retirement and will not meet the public until at least February, March – in November is not available and everything is further postponed. There are also national elections to be held in 2023, which is a very important time. But even in this case, we do not know if there will be a dialogue before the elections or if elections will decide the future.”

Deputy Government Spokesperson Thabile Mdluli, when reached for comment on the matter, said the issue of the national dialogue had been addressed at length in various forums, including in Parliament.

Threats

“What has, however, been the biggest hindrance is the ongoing violence, threats and intimidation against emaSwati perpetuated by faceless individuals hiding under the banner of pro-democracy. His Majesty and government remain committed to having the dialogue in an environment devoid of threats and intimidation so that all emaSwati can freely express themselves. It would be great to also hear people like the bishop loudly condemning the ongoing senseless killings of emaSwati to balance the narrative,” she said.

The deputy spokesperson was informed by this reporter that the bishop had indeed highlighted the killings of police officers, indicating that these were reason enough to push for dialogue to happen.

“I see. But it is the very same killings that make the environment unconducive though,” said Mdluli.