DPM commits to Britons on GBV collaboration
EZULWINI – Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Thulisile Dladla has promised to support the British Embassy in Eswatini initiative.
The DPM’s commitment was declared by Simon Boyden, the British High Commissioner to Eswatini during King Charles’s 75th Birthday Celebration held at Royal Villas in Ezulwini.
The initiative focuses on building and equipping a refuge for women and girls who have suffered the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV).
“Phumelela Project has been supported to build and equip a refuge for women and girls who have suffered the scourge of gender-based violence. I am grateful for the Honourable Deputy Prime Minister’s commitment to addressing this issue in her new role,” Boyden said.
It must be said that the Prime Minister (PM) Russell Dlamini was among the special guests during the event, which included the DPM, along with a number of legislators.
PREVIOUSLY
The PM was warmly welcomed to the event by Boyden who previously held the same position to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania before his re-deployment to Eswatini in May 2021.
He said he was delighted to have representatives during the function from three organisations that have been supported this year, encouraging guests to visit their stands which were visible at the event.
These representatives were from All Out Africa, Savannah Research Centre, Kwakha Indvondza and the Phumelela Project.
“All Out Africa has been funded to install solar panels in neighbourhood care points (NCPs), to increase energy and internet access and the utility of the NCPs for their local communities, as well as in the Savannah Research at Mbuluzi Game Reserve, to support the important work by scientists specialising in biodiversity and conservation. Kwakha Indvodza is developing with our assistance of a mobile unit to enable them to provide their training, educational and social services to young people beyond the main urban centres,” he said.
Boyden said these were all important challenges, many of which His Majesty King Mswati III highlighted in his concluding speech at the recent Sibaya, where he tasked the new PM to address.
“Notwithstanding the challenging agenda facing politicians here and in the wider world, however, this is a birthday party and as such, I felt obliged to provide some entertainment (not just my own curated cocktails). Last year, we offered you a fashion show featuring young emaSwati designers. May I thank Standard Bank for their generous sponsorship, as the successor to Barclays Bank in the country, it is fitting that we maintain a close relationship and their support for a range of important initiatives is admirable,” he said.
CONTEMPORARY
Boyden stated that the event was celebrating not only King Charles III’s birthday, but the many historic and contemporary links between the United Kingdom and Eswatini. He said as members of the Commonwealth family of nations, the two kingdoms have shared an interest in supporting progress towards a stable, secure and prosperous society based on good governance and the rule of law, creating opportunities for all.
He recounted the Prince of Wales being criticised in the 1970s and 1980s for his supposedly unorthodox or ‘wacky’ views on nature, the environment and biodiversity.
Boyden pointed out that the Prince of Wales was an environmentalist and ecologist before some knew how to spell the words, let alone did they recognise at the time how important it was to limit impact on the environment and live in harmony with nature.
“Of course, much still remains to be done to address global warming and climate change. But later this month, King Charles will attend COP28 in the United Arab Emirates as an advocate of commonly accepted views (except perhaps on the fringes of the internet among the more extreme conspiracy theorists). As founder of the Prince Charles’ Trust (renamed this week the King’s Trust), King Charles has learnt his energy and considerable convening power to addressing youth unemployment at home and overseas. He has also used the Duchy of Cornwall estate to pilot innovative farming methods and youth training schemes. On overseas trips (including on his recent visit to Kenya), he has sought to acknowledge and respond to the profound feelings of pain and resentment in some parts of the Commonwealth.”
Flashing a big smile and freely mingling with the invited guests, the PM did not, however, make any speech throughout the ceremony.
Worth noting is that some members of the local political formations including People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) Wandile Dludlu, National Liberatory Congress President Sibongile Mazibuko and others.