King applauds church for assisting in fight against GBV

MANZINI – His Majesty King Mswati III has applauded the Seventh Day Adventist World Church for assisting the country in the fight against gender-based-violence (GBV).

The King, through Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF) Chief Executive Officer Prince Lonkhokhela informed the Seventh Day Adventist World Church President, Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson, that the country appreciated the great initiatives the church had to end GBV.

He said one of the church’s programmes was the ‘GBV must end now campaign’. The King also expressed delight that the church was assisting in eradicating poverty through catering for the impoverished.

“The church assists periodically people with disabilities and the elderly. I was speaking with the pastor that the church should also look into its schools and clinics,” he said.

The monarch further said the church was the living testimony of the teachings of God as it had programmes that assisted during periods of calamity. He said their agency - Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) – which assisted at the height of COVID-19, was also of great help when there were floods and other disasters such as drought.

Commended

The King commended the harmonious co-existence of the church and government. He said: “The Bible says there should be no person who is hungry or struggling while the house of the Lord is available.”

Also, the King said the country prides itself on the liberty enjoyed by the populace to partake in any religion of their choice. He said all groupings of society in the country were worshipping freely without the interference of government. He said since the church arrived in the country in 1920 through Pastor Hlubi, who donated land for the construction of a school and church, they would attest that there was no dictating to them on any of their religious beliefs.

He said due to the relations between His Majesty King Sobhuza II and Pastor Hlubi, there were many members of the royal family who were members of the church. The King said this also extended to the KwaZulu Royal Household.

“We appreciate that since the church was established, we’ve heard no negative reports about it. As such, many leaders in government and the private sector were members of the church,” he said.

One of the members acknowledged was former Governor of the Central Bank of Eswatini Majozi Sithole. He said this depicted the good relations between government and the church.

He expressed regret that the president of the Seventh Day Adventist World Church’s visit was short and he did not enjoy the tranquillity of the kingdom. However, the King expressed hope that Wilson had enjoyed great views of the kingdom’s mountains when his plane landed in the morning.