Eswatini opposition shoots down plans for King Mswati to chair dialogue

Political parties in Eswatini have rejected plans for a multisectoral stakeholders' forum to be held at the palace of King Mswati III, or for the regent to chair the gathering.

Instead, they want an independent person to facilitate the event and for it to be hosted at a neutral venue — or they will not attend.

According to a joint media statement, the parties said that if the king genuinely wants dialogue, he should task his cabinet or team of experts to help facilitate it. They said they believed that since the king was the commander of security forces who are accused of killing dozens of Swazis, he was not fit to preside over the much talked about dialogue.  

“The traditional structures have failed to moderate or to call the king to order since the political crisis ensued. Instead they have been helplessly watching national peace and social fibre torn apart in recent months. It will therefore be futile to resort to these weak structures to manage national dialogue under the chairmanship of the king,” read the statement.

The parties said they believed the relationship between the king and Swazi society had broken down. They added that they believed the regional bloc, Sadc, could do better by being an independent mediator as opposed to a distant observer.

In a bid to ensure a smooth transition and healing process, the group recommended that Sadc should deploy a peacekeeping mission to ensure that civilians were protected from security organs.

“The Sadc intervention effort is indecisive and instead of breaking the political impasse, it emboldened the king as state security apparatus to continue the mass abuse of power and violence. It was setting our country on a path of civil war and not peace. Swaziland needs an urgently mediated process and the validation of the king’s preferred platform,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, Eswatini Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini on Wednesday afternoon told local media that it was disappointing that some sections of society were already against the dialogue before the process had even started.

“Eswatini is a sovereign state, with a legally constituted governance structure headed by His Majesty and assisted by the three arms of government ... These structures are legally and constitutionally constituted and will remain functional for dialogue to take place unconditionally,” Dlamini said.

The king’s office communications director, Percy Simelane, also shot down criticism of the meeting being held at the Sibaya (the people's parliament).

“We have always had this platform and it works for the country,” he said.

The king’s spokesperson said any reforms outside the constitutionally laid down guidelines will be null and void.

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