Nowcfoignhcetirnge†eaechaotwhaetri
FULL NAME
Sikhumbuzo Luis Gamedze
Celucolo Victor Makwakwa
Wiseman Manciba Shabangu
Celani Nhlanhla Dlamini
Cynthia Cebile Mabuza
Patience Ncobile Mkhatjwa
Khanyisile Mamba
Hlonophile Siphiwe Myeni
Ansley Sandile Maseko
Mphikeleli Duma Zwane
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EZULWINI – Council of Swaziland Churches (CSC) Head of Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Department Vusi Kunene, says what is currently happening in Eswatini is unfortunate, as now liSwati is getting violent against another.
Kunene spoke during the commemoration of the World Day of Peace event, which was held at the Eswatini Water Service Corporation (EWSC) auditorium yesterday.
Kunene was giving a key note address in the event which had peace stakeholders drawn from women’s groups, government ministries, and civil society including faith based organisations as well as international community representatives based in Eswatini were in attendance.
The International Day of Peace is commemorated at a time when violence and conflict is on the rise in the country, both on the domestic family front, as well as nationally, with the ongoing spate of arson, suicides; and gender-based violence (GBV) incidents, as well as violent killings.
Although the global theme for the year is ‘End Racism, Build Peace’ but the local celebration hosted by AWPDF had selected the theme, ‘End Violence, Build Peace’. When delivering his remarks, Kunene noted that peace in Eswatini had been compromised, more especially after last year’s unrest, which saw a number of people die and some crippled. He said as Wednesday was for the celebration of peace, it was important to reflect on how the nation could develop positive peace. He said without peace, the country would never develop. He further said it was important for the nation to ask on what was done to maintain peace.
Restoration
Kunene said positive peace was filled with positive content, such as restoration of relationships, creation of social systems that serve the needs of the whole population and the constructive resolution of conflicts.
He said positive peace worked towards putting out the fire completely and not only the flames. He said positive peace had certain characteristics which were systematic and complex, virtuous or vicious, preventative, underpins resilience and non-violence, informal and formal, and supports development goals.
Kunene added that for there to be positive peace, one would realise that it needed resilience and dedication on those who were seeking the peace. He said it needed patience since it was not an event but a process that took time to nurture. Kunene highlighted that no one would forget the experience of June/July 2021, in the country where there was a wakeup call to everyone to work on peace. He said the security forces that everyone relied on were not institutions for peace, because they forced peace on people, which was negative peace. “The country needs positive peace,” he reiterated. He said if the nation did not work on institutions that would keep peace in the country; it would experience worse than what happened in June/July 2021.
The event was ended with the lighting of candles to mark the commitment of participants to ending violence and building peace. A peace charter was also signed by the several participants.