Mfomfo on Monday 5 October 09

About three events unfolded in the past two weeks in Swaziland which show that this country is without a leadership for those concerned to see without the need of special glasses.

Firstly it was the release of Mario Masuku from prison. I think the authorities of the land have finally shown their bad side in as far as the treatment of suspects is concerned. I used to be of the view that people in Swaziland were given positions because they would be seen making an attempt to do the right things not because they were better qualified than other Swazis because interviews in this part of the world are always done outside the scope of known interviews.

I just could not believe that for all of this period this Mario was placed in prison to rot, I mean literally to rot, because the trial never occurred as the presiding judge took less than 2 minutes to preside over the matter. The authorities of the land just do not value human life. As to why the matter was brought before a normal court in the first place when it is known and well understood by any police officer that courts scrutinize the validity of any evidence brought before it, is a mystery.

I can only deduce that this is not different from a wounded tiger that is out to get anything in its way following an attack by a stray dog. I hope there will never be a Swazi who will go through this ordeal of having to spend so many days behind bars and then appear for two minutes before a presiding judge. I do not understand His Majesty’s PM to tell His Majesty’s subjects that the DPP did a wonderful job in handling this matter. I think the best part that the DPP played was in carrying out the orders of those who wanted to see this fellow Swazi behind bars, one way or the other.

The DPP is a learned somebody who could see that there was no case in this matter but because she was under pressure to comply with the orders to have this man behind bars, she had to carry out those orders and she did that job very well and this is why she got the PM’s approval.

In this country it is not common sense that guides those that are in authority nor is it wisdom, but it is about carrying out the orders of those above you. The DPP is still to do a number of assignments for the authorities of the land.

The second event which was hurting to a majority of Swazis was the use of Swazi school children by the government of the King in finding the reactions to certain Bilharzias tablets when administered by Swazi teachers.

The experiment went terribly wrong and all that the Swazis could get was a halting of the exercise by the PM. The sad part is that this is His Majesty’s government can do as it pleases with the lives of the Swazis because the Swazis are neither here nor there when it comes to important decisions in this country.

If the King appreciated our presence in this country and valued our lives he should have dissolved this cabinet early last week because it has really shown him that it cares less about the children of his people/subjects. We are a people without sound leadership indeed and we need to help ourselves as it has become clear that the so called leaders have abandoned us in a bus to RFM Hospital where we are told doctors are packing their bags ready for the next plane out of Matsapha Airport.

Why are we being pushed to the limit? Is it a big task for the King to do what is right for the survival of His subjects? What more do his messengers have to do to get the King to come to the side of His people? If the King has good leadership skills, let him take the first right step in the right direction or else the people will move first and there is no telling where they will go if they take the first step to free themselves from the bondage.

Thirdly, last week Friday, His Majesty King Mswati lll announced some changes in the top brass of the Royal Swaziland Police Services. He told the Swazi people that there will now be two Deputy Police Commissioners instead of one. This was received with joy from those who attended the function. What is going to be the job of these new commissioners? The RSP Act does not allow for the creation of new offices by the King. What would have been wrong with amending the act and then making the pronouncement?

This should tell you that in this country, the King is above the law. The law has to conform to the dictates of the King. Do you now realise why his messengers will always have a problem with upholding the rule of law.

Inhlava will have to change a lot of things when it comes to power to serve the interests of the people of Swaziland.

Mfomfo on Monday 28 September 09

In the month of September 09, a number of appointments have been made by the King for reasons best known to him but I know for a fact that those that have been appointed are to serve the interests of the King and nobody else. The majority of the Swazis are left guessing as to the reasons the King has appointed these individuals into His Majesty’s committees/commissions. What should be clear to the majority of the Swazis is that their aspirations shall never matter as long as the current political set-up is maintained.

Early last week we were told that the King had appointed a Former Prime Minister, Obed Dlamini, into one of His Majesty’s Council that only deals with issues that the King deems fit for referral to the council. I do not know what impact Obed will have on this council. If he hopes to bring about some change in the way the King looks at things in general, then he might as well go and jump.

I have worked with this former PM as a backbencher (2003-2008) and if his contribution in parliament is anything to go by, then we might as well congratulate him for getting a job that will make him very active in terms of visiting the ATM/bank on pay days. I used to engage him on serious issues in parliament, especially political ones and he would tell me “My brother-in-law, I am now too old to be engaged in serious politics, please try and engage the other members”.

A former member of this council once told me that the council only becomes useful when it endorses what the king wants to hear. This former PM will do himself good by keeping quiet and join the line to the bank or ATM.

I do find it a bit strange that a political party to which the former PM belonged has suddenly woken up and expelled him from the party. I wonder what his role was as a member. I also wonder what he told his executive when he became a member of parliament. It does appear to me that when a person joins a party, he/she surrenders so many things to the party even his/her conscience. Where is the diversity of opinions and thoughts in such situations?

I am not trying to influence members of NNLC but I am just trying to help Swazis learn a thing or two about political parties. Swazis have to look for a home (political) where they have to speak their mind, scrutinize decisions of the party without fearing the executive or fearing being kicked out of the party. An individual cannot be productive in terms of contributing ideas if he finds himself in an environment that is hostile to his ideas or independence of mind.

There are those who will be so quick to congratulate the King on the appointment of the former PM because they have made it their job to congratulate the King on anything he does whether it is for the good of the country or not. I cannot imagine the King doing anything for the good of the country because he has not put in place any structure that the people of Swaziland can use to bring the King closer to the people than keeping them away at all cost. Someone will argue that he has introduced a number of funds for the benefit of rural Swaziland as well as the youth and the elders.

My friend, let me tell you that these are desperate measures employed by the King to get the Swazis to rally behind him. The King is aware of the fact that the majority of the people he rules are poverty stricken. Poverty stricken people are easy to manipulate because they are not used to reasoning. A simple meal goes a long way into blurring the vision of those that are threatened by hunger and poverty.

The creation of Philani MaSwati Charity Organisation was to employ a strategy of manipulation of the politically ignorant Swazis so that they could only think of the hand that gives them something once in a blue moon.

The solution to the country’s social challenges is found in job creation. There is no Swazi who wants to live on a hand-out. We all want to look after our families. We all want to work for our children. We all want our children growing up knowing that a man or woman has to earn a living by getting a decent job. In the absence of a decent job, our young people have to know that a government of their choice is one that facilitates self employment so that no other person can strip the dignity of another by imposing himself on him as a bread provider.

Inhlava shall lead with honesty and integrity my friend.

Mfomfo on Monday 24 August 09

The year was 1996 when three men left Swaziland (Matsapha airport) for the UK on a mission known to themselves and their friends. When they landed in London they went through the immigration procedures and raised a number of eyebrows when quizzed on their nationalities. Two of these men were from South African (one black and the other white) whilst the third one was a black Swazi who hailed from the City of Manzini. The immigration official asked the black South African, just out of curiosity, “Why do you say you are a South African”? The response to this question was “I am a veteran of the struggle for a democratic South Africa”. When the very same question was given to the white South African, his response was “I was part of those who kept them (pointing to his friend) out in the cold”. Then, when their friend from Swaziland was given the same question, he gazed at the ceiling and finally said “I am poor”. The immigration official followed this with another question, ”How are you going to survive in the UK for the next forty days”? The Swazi said to the official “The South Africans will be paying for my expenses”. When the Swazi was quizzed outside the immigration department about his responses he said that he had thought carefully about his responses.

I am sure that if it had been you, you would have given different responses to the ones given by your fellow country man. Come to think of it, there was a lot of truth in what the Swazi man told the UK immigration official. Being a Swazi national does not give any of His Majesty’s subjects a right to life, happiness, education, shelter, land, etc.

If you are ignorant about Swazi politics then you will want to tell me quickly about the country’s constitution. You should know by now that you are His Majesty’s subjects and it ends there. If you are dreaming about something better to come then that is a good start.

Please help others to dream because it can only get better than this, not worse.

I am sure you are aware that a Swazi or His Majesty’s subject cannot have anything that he can claim as permanent his because any right that is guaranteed (if any at all) exists on paper. The only thing that the Swazi can claim as a birth right is nothing more than poverty. I can assure you that nobody can ever take that away from you. Anything else is temporary. The land can be taken away from you. Life can also be taken away from you because your health and personal wellbeing is not a priority to the one who makes things happen. If the King cared a lot about you he would easily direct his messengers to get things moving for the common good. The sad thing about our situation is that the messengers, who are a link between the King and His Majesty’s subjects, are chosen from the collection of wise fools whose duty is not to advise the King on the aspirations of the masses but on how to have the King get what he wants at whatever cost. I have had a chat with my dad on some of the initiatives that were undertaken by King Sobhuza ll on behalf of the Swazis. Let me tell you that when I engage my dad on some of the political issues, it is because I want to find the views of those that were under the reign of King Sobhuza ll. These are the people who installed King Mswati lll. They told him so many things and I am sure that he is still holding on to some of those teachings which have made this Kingdom take so many years back.

There is one man who can remain indifferent to intelligent persuasion to do the right thing. The King is remaining indifferent to sound expectations because he is not being bombarded with intelligent opinions from the messengers. You are aware that he cannot be expected to be ahead of the thinking of most of those that may be intelligent in as far as Swazi politics because to be ahead of them is not what the King wants. If he wanted to be ahead of them he would have been very transparent on the qualifications of those to give him guidance on national matters especially politics and economy.

We have reached a situation where our neighbour RSA is concerned about job creation and retention and is seen making strides to help those companies that are vital to the economy of the country whilst we are busy paying attention to the things that are not of interest to the masses of this country.

When I call upon you to stand up and be counted amongst those who believe in a Swaziland far better than this one, it is because I know that with you standing up for a better Swaziland, there is hope for ourselves and children.

The present political set-up is making you a beggar in the land of your birth. Is this what you really want?

Mfomfo on Monday perceived to be biased against the King

I am a Swazi man. I am a subject of His Majesty King Mswati lll. I am a loyal subject of the King but not blind to facts on the ground. I have great respect for all of my countrymen and women. I have the greatest fear for the creator of heaven and earth who made man in his own image. I have studied the political system that operates in this kingdom. It does not have a name but it is perceived to be what the king wants. I have worked for this country as a Member of Parliament appointed by the King and also as a constituency representative. I have also had a rare opportunity of studying what goes on in the mind of the King. I have seen him being taken advantage of by the people he would hate to oppose. I have also seen some people moving from the ground to the highest position of power in a manner that cannot be explained. I have seen sound business people packing up their bags and leaving Swaziland without having invested in this country because they have not had an opportunity to see the King and conclude business dealings in this country because in the unavailability of the King, nobody makes a decision.

This is His Majesty’s country and when the king is not thinking, nobody else thinks in Swaziland. In this Country the King appoints every body in senior position, from Chief Justice to all judges of the Supreme court and High court, PM, Cabinet ministers, Army commander, Police Commissioner and other commissioners.

It is not good to bark at the wrong tree. The Swazis who are in authority only speak sense in the absence of the King or in the absence of His messengers. My objective in the Monday articles is to give fellow Swazis and those who would like to help this nice nation, an insight into the challenges faced by those who end up being messengers.

It is only when the Swazi people are aware of the set-up in the palace that they will be able to think of strategies to take themselves forward.

Please join me on every Monday when we look at events happening in Swaziland and those in the neighbouring RSA.

We have to talk about these developments as the events unfold.

Mfomfo on Monday 17 August 09

All over the world we have both normal and abnormal people. A normal society is defined by having a greater proportion of normal people than those that are not normal. I think I am not far from the truth when I say that those that are in authority and those that are being led have one thing in common which defines the behaviour of this nation. The people that are being led have agreed that they shall shelve what the Lord gave them at birth to use (brains) to tackle life challenging tasks. The led seem to agree with everything that their leaders say even when it is against common sense.

I think I am telling the truth when I say since around the year 2000 the IMF has been warning the authorities of the land that the revenue of this country is being spent unwisely and a lot of it is going towards paying the salaries of civil servants and other committees but the authorities have been ignoring this call by the IMF for reasons best known to the authorities.

This could have a number of meanings from which we can deduce a number of conclusions:

The authorities have decided not to listen to those who know best on the utilization of resources efficiently for the common good.

The authorities will not listen to anyone who has no understanding of Swazi custom and cultural practices.

The authorities are afraid that if they were to heed the advice of the IMF then they would not cope with so many people out of employment.

The King has never embraced the idea of cutting down the size of the civil service as many of those that are in certain key positions are a result of special favours for the king and the king would not tolerate seeing long faces hanging around the palace.

This idea of not heeding the IMF advice over these number of years has gotten the workers believing that the IMF is not making any sense at all and this is why the workers are telling the IMF to go and jump. Lastly it could be that the King has a lot of money stashed somewhere and it could easily be accessed when there is a need therefore, there is no need to press the panic button for now.

Are we really a stupid people who do not care about challenges that countries of the world are facing? Is it the money and the power which the king has, that is making our so called intelligent folks appear indifferent to sound advice from respected institutions?

Let us take a look at the so called National dialogue that was held last week. Those that were invited do not know why they were invited. They never bothered to find out why they were invited because in this part of the world one never asks any relevant questions pertaining to any instruction given.

It is as simple as being in an army where the officers in charge are as good as going bananas. Any private has to carry out the instruction as given then raise his concerns afterwards.

The participants were first told that they had been identified using their professional expertise, various roles they were playing in Swazi communities as well as the leadership roles they were familiar with in their respective positions. Interestingly the participants were later told they were attending the national dialogue in their own capacity as His Majesty’s subjects and not as representatives of various organizations and parastatals. This was all acceptable to all those that had been invited. Some of the invitees who had the guts to stand their ground like those from the organized labour, decided to stay away from the dialogue and they were told that they had missed a great opportunity to be heard and influence the course of action this country was about to take.

In 2003 Swaziland had a national dialogue and nothing came out of it. We had Dr Sibusiso B. Dlamini as Prime Minister of Swaziland. Then there was a Job Creation Summit on the instruction of The King under a Prime Minister called A.T. Dlamini and again nothing came out of that meeting.

The environment in this country is not conducive for His Majesty to expect any of his subjects to say anything sensible. The King has a lot of money and power and this is very intimidating to his subjects.

Everyone’s survival in this Kingdom is to a certain extent dependent on the generosity of the King. If the King were to like any of his subjects he would give him a job at anytime and the man’s fortunes would change instantly. This makes the Swazi people lose their natural intelligence whenever they are in front of the king. A Swazi would rather keep quiet than say anything that would be against the wishes of the king even if it is for the detriment of the majority.

The conclusions that were drawn from this dialogue are not different from those that were drawn in 2003. What makes Swazis, who were invited to this dialogue, believe His Majesty will carry out their wishes?

His Majesty has a priority list that does not have the wishes of the Swazi people in the top five. In the first place is His safety, followed by that of the Queen mother, His family, His Majesty’s financial interests and the financial interests of his family. If the King does not change his priority lists then we are far from being who we want to be.

Are we getting close to a state of lawlessness for the love of money and power?

If you were honest to your King what would you advise him to do?