Witchcraft albatross haunts emaSwati

I Tis unimaginable that in the face of national imperatives competing for what the nation is routinely told are scarce resources, that a parliamentary delegation was sanctioned to undertake what has been termed a benchmarking trip abroad for the new Parliament building, itself a highly controversial project considering the negative state of the nation. It is hard to imagine any justification for what plainly was a junket for the benefit of the participants.

While the trip came under scrutiny in Parliament, there were no clear answers on the costs involved and the number of officials who participated, let alone its contribution to the new Parliament building.

This is also considering the fact that the project will be financed through a loan sourced from India. In fact, the more one looks at it the more one is convinced that this trip was conjured for all the wrong reasons – to line the pockets of participants while also affording them a free holiday. Imagine the wastage if this were to become a precedence whenever government considered doing anything – requiring a delegation to undertake a benchmarking trip to wherever before the actual work begins. Recklessly wasteful!

Trip

As I see it, the elected representatives of the people, Members of Parliament (MPs), did a shoddy job on probing this trip perhaps to protect their colleagues who formed part of the travelling delegation. When they should have demanded answers, first on the need for the trip and the criteria for selecting the destination(s) and, of course, concomitant expenditure.

But also relevant in this regard would be the criteria used and how and by whom members of the travelling party were selected. Since on face value the benchmarking trip was a manufactured excurse to extort money from the taxpayer for the enjoyment of a few individuals.

Given the foregoing, where is the transparency and accountability that is expected from the Legislature whose other equally important role, besides enacting laws, is to play an oversight role on the employment of public funds? This considering that critical areas such as public health and education are perennially constrained by a lack of resources to effectively serve the nation.

This controversial trip yet again provides empirical evidence that government does not have a problem of funds but rather that of prudent management of the fiscus. Hence it can afford to finance hedonistic and vanity projects of no economic value whatsoever for the pleasure and enjoyment of the political elites.

Exercise

Indeed it would be interesting to undertake a cost-benefit exercise on external travels in general in the public service extending to the political level. Exacerbating matters is the fact that in some instances, delegations would comprise of people with no official rank or role in the public service and in the circumstances are liabilities.

In the majority of cases these trips have neither direct nor indirect benefit to the country and by extension to the people except to line the pockets of the participants with huge allowances. Consequently, some trips are conceived for all the wrong reasons, just for financial benefits, and, therefore, not in the best interests of the nation.

The next issue I wish to ventilate on is that of witchcraft, which received prominent press coverage last week; ‘Ndzingeni chief survives witchcraft’, screamed one headline.

Like the use of traditional medicine, no one would openly associate with witchcraft. Yet while witchcraft is a crime, but it is widespread across the entire spectrum of society – some witchdoctors have publicly claimed this includes so-called Christians and their leaders who have christened themselves with various vanity titles – although people would not freely admit to this for obvious ramifications.

The subject of witchcraft, just like that of traditional medicine, is not openly discussed and practiced but often done under the cloak of darkness and secrecy. As I see it, one of the difficulties of openly discoursing on specific subjects and topics, such as witchcraft, in this country can be blamed on fear in the absence and guarantees of freedom of speech, notwithstanding the fact that a Bill of Rights is enshrined in the national Constitution. Yet those who have prioritised their stomachs over everything else claim democratic credentials for the Tinkhundla Political System.

Feeding on this apparent denialist posture is political and socio-economic patronage lubricated by blind patriotic fervour wherein morals, ethics and principles are sacrificed on the altar of political expediency and materialistic gains.

The question that ought to be asked is: Is witchcraft part and parcel of the culture and traditions of emaSwati? In the face of the Tinkhundla Political System’s inability to put a premium on freedom of expression, it is impossible to hazard responses to this question without offending the senses of the rank and file of the political hegemony – all of whom are allergic to the truth – and not getting in trouble.

Authority

This, in particular, pertains to the role of witchcraft and rituals performed during some cultural events.

No authority has ever taken emaSwati in their confidence, for example, by explaining certain events and practices – often spoken in hushed tones in safe spaces – in respect to some of the cultural activities. If everything was rosy under the Tinkhundla political set-up, as claimed by the leadership and its phalanx of blind loyalists and apologists, why such matters do not form part of the public discourse and properly explained to the nation.

Ritual murders are a lodestar apropos witchcraft that even the perennial denialists of the obtaining order cannot claim to be a figment of imagination. This is very real and to date there are unsolved related murders, such as that of a person of colour (albinism) who some years ago was abducted in broad daylight from among a group of people doing laundry in a river. It is also no coincidence that ritual murders are particularly pronounced during general elections, which can only be attributed to witchcraft.

Hopefully one day the nation shall be free to discourse on such matters without any fear of reprisals.