Following death threat tip-off

Apart from the Maseko case, there have been some incidents of assas sinations or assassination attempts in the country against members of either camp ± progressives and con servatives.

Mu]i Mmema was kidnapped and shot dead by unknown people. Mmema was the deputy secretary of the Swa]is First 'emocratic Front (SF'F). He was killed in 'ecember 2022.

Sibongile Manyika, a member of the Swa]iland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO), survived a hail of bul lets at her home in 1gwenya last year.

=andondo &hief Mahloma, a mem ber of the royal family, was killed at his home. An online publication, Swa]iland 1ews, reported that he was killed by the Swa]iland International Solidarity Forces, an underground military operation.

ASSASSINATED

Some police officers, soldiers and warders were also assassinated. There are suspects who were arrested in connection with these murders.

Asked about the issue, %ishop 1kambule was reluctant to talk about it. He chose to say that he heard of what he described as rumours.

“I have also heard of the same ru mours. I don’t know if they are true or not. I asked myself why anyone would want to assassinate me,´ %ish op 1kambule said.

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He added “These, for me, are issues of conscience. As a bond servant of our Lord -esus &hrist I must stand on the side of truth, speak and defend truth until the end of this, my mortal state.´

Asked if he reported the matter to the police, the bishop said he was God’s child and left everything in His capable hands.

In his budget speech on Friday, 1eal 5ijkenberg, the Minister of Finance, set aside (30 million for the national dialogue. This money will be accessi ble in the 2023/2024 fiscal year.

However, it must be said that he had announced an allocation of (22 million for the same exercise in the current financial year.

DIALOGUE

He pointed out that His Majesty the .ing wanted all emaSwati to construc tively engage in dialogue, within the framework of the &onstitution of the .ingdom of (swatini and Sibaya ± the people’s 3arliament, where emaSwati express themselves on national issues at Lud]id]ini 5oyal 5esidence’s cattle byre.

Meanwhile, on Friday, he said the nation experienced unrest and polit ically motivated acts of violence re sulting in the loss of lives and damage to property.

He mentioned that government responded appropriately and propor tionately to these threats and called upon all stakeholders to denounce vio lence, constructively engage and work collectively to establish a framework for dialogue.

He said such engagement required the immediate end to violence and an uninterrupted period of peace and stability to ensure all emaSwati could safely and meaningfully contribute to this process.

He pointed to the fact that emaSwati would fail to thrive as a nation and as an economy if there was no end to violence and uninterrupted period of peace and stability.

“Simply put, unless the violence stops, we cannot rebuild our economy, create jobs, and deliver services,´ said the minister of Finance.

“In this regard the budget is pro viding (30 million to facilitate the national dialogue.´

Government also allocated a sum of ( . billion to the 5oyal (swatini 3olice Service to beef up national security.

PEACE AND STABILITY

He said (swatini had always been renowned for its reputation for peace and stability.

The minister said the country’s State security forces were not sufficiently equipped to adequately respond to the coordinated and widespread looting, rioting, arson and assassinations that (swatini has witnessed over the past two years.

He said His Majesty the .ing re minded the nation again that emaSwati could only succeed as a nation if their development aspirations were firmly grounded in peace and that no one wanted to live in a country where gov ernment structures were continuously destroyed, homes being burnt down, and people losing their lives.