Mandla ready to take over PUDEMO
MBABANE – Available! People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) founding member Mandla Hlatshwayo has declared that he will make himself available for a leadership position during the political party’s elective Congress next month.
Hlatshwayo was responding to questions emanating from information gathered that some members of the organisation had requested that the leadership be reinforce in preparation for the national dialogue and to counter alliances of convenience by other political parties.
Sources close to the matter revealed that the move to replace incumbent President, Mlungisi Makhanya with Hlatshwayo was orchestrated internally as an attempt to reinforce the political party. The sources revealed that a secret clique of influential members in the organisation, mostly founding members, agreed that there was a need to reinforce the leadership structure in the face of the growing competition from new formations.
BIGGEST WORRY
It was revealed that their biggest worry was the establishment of new political organisation such as Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane’s Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) and the United Front, which was founded by suspended PUDEMO veteran Bonginkosi IB Dlamini.
“It is good to learn from the mistakes and successes of others. The liberation movements in the region are facing an existential crisis due to failure to implement their good policies and failure to self-correct over the years despite good congress and conference resolutions calling for change or reforms within the political parties. What are we going to do as a party to ensure that our internal processes do not take us on the same pathway as our regional liberation movements? In general, the failure of the State has been led by the failure of the party to reform itself and its structures. This is the typical situation in the region and PUDEMO does not want to fall into the same trap,” said the source.
Responding to questions from this publication, on whether he was aware that his name was being highlighted for presidency, Hlatshwayo said he was not aware but was ready to avail himself to the branches for any leadership position.
He emphasised that the political party was guided by its internal, democratic regulations ahead of the congress and, therefore, the branches were the ones mandated to decide on who holds office in the next year.
“I intend to make myself available to PUDEMO branches to be part of the leadership that can continue to shape PUDEMO to play a leading role in the now international struggle to restore the rights of emaSwati to choose the government that would work for them. Unlike other parties, in PUDEMO, it is the branches that make determination of what skills the organisation want at the party congress. I will be making myself available to build PUDEMO to be the party that not only delivers democracy, but makes good on the promise of good governance and development. PUDEMO leadership under President Mlungisi is calling upon emaSwati to stand up and liberate the country for the betterment of every citizen. Leadership is a collective and it is never a one-man show. A leader with progressive dreams for the country wants unity, wants dialogue, and wants peace, wants investments, and wants to give hope to the youth that challenges will be addressed and that the temporary darkness will pass,” said Hlatshwayo.
He stated that he was hoping that PUDEMO and her leadership would galvanise and unite the society to reclaim collective rights to self-determination.
He added that the organisation was a mature and confident entity which was guided by a Constitution and had accumulated a wealth of internal policy thinking and formulations on how to develop the country. He said the political party had a properly elected NEC and had no confusion regarding the management of its party affairs.
“We also have internal processes that are governed by party rules which are managed by the NEC. I joined PUDEMO almost 40 years ago and remain convinced that it’s a party with tried and tested credentials to wage the struggle for radical democratic reforms in the country. EmaSwati have been very patient and rather too respectful over the years. A new generation has been born and they are very impatient and want their liberation. I am lucky at my advanced age to be part of this movement that wants to build a viable state for the benefit of every liSwati, born and unborn,” he added.
He said he was determined to fight for the people of the country and if PUDEMO branches decide to put him in leadership, he would take the struggle even further. He spoke highly of the Mlungisi Makhanya-led NEC and said the structure was properly in place and had covered much ground work.
SELF-DETERMINATION
“I have chosen to be on the side of the youth and the poor and stand up for our rights to self-determination. Over the past 40 years, I have seen much poorer nations with less opportunities than Eswatini, but determined to do the right thing which is to invest in education, support skills development and empowerment of the youth, invest in basic service delivery, quality education, hospitals, development infrastructure, fight corruption and build security services institutions that are at the service of every citizen. These countries today are far richer than us and their people are living a higher quality of life than we do,” he said.
Hlatshwayo said it was not a matter of choice for him to be active in the fight for democracy, but he wanted his children to live in a better country that guaranteed a better quality of life, better opportunities of development and safe environment.
“We have to organise, mobilise emaSwati in the country and the international community as well as our neighbours in the region to give us a hand to bring multiparty democracy and the rule of law in Eswatini,” he added.
Hlatshwayo further refused to comment on the competition posed by new political formations and said PUDEMO was a party with strong traditions of respecting individuals’ rights.
When contacted for comment, PUDEMO President Mlungisi Makhanya referred all questions regarding the matter to the current SG, Wandile Dludlu. Dludlu confirmed that wheels were already turning towards the elective conference but nothing official was yet communicated to the membership of the organisation.
Dludlu said nominations were not yet open and, therefore, any form of slate or names of people being circulated was not official and they were not aware of it as the NEC of the organisation. He said it was street gossip and should be strongly rebuked.
“PUDEMO is indeed heading to her congress soon; nominations are not even opened so we don’t know all this conspiracy theories you are flagging. PUDEMO is very much focused on consolidating liberation programme and the election of leadership is a prerogative of branches and no-one else. We know not of any lists, PUDEMO has branches that elect leaders. PUDEMO is not obsessed with who leads, but what programme do we have. In our 39 years we’ve never squabbled over positions and stability has been our strength because the party belongs only to the branches who speak on such matters at the opportune time,” said Dludlu.
He stated that the organisation was busy with policy documents which would be presented at the in the General Council Meeting at the end of the month. He said the meeting will further craft a clear road to the congress map, which will be shared officially after the end of the conference.