Catholic Peace Foundation Faults Eswatini Government for Silence amid Growing Upheaval

Pro-democracy organizations in Eswatini are also calling for the withdrawal of charges against one member of parliament who they say has been exiled. They also want the proposed dialogue to be in a free and neutral venue instead of the Royal Kraal; amongst other demands.  

“The government has still not responded to these demands as she continues to conduct her business as usual. She remains mum on the dialogue dates and political activists continue to be harassed and arrested by the security state forces,” officials of the SACBC entity say.

The officials report that due to the political unrest in Eswatini, schools in the country continue to suffer the most.

“There are some sectors in society that feel that the school going children are being used to push the political movement by the pro-democracy organization or activists. The school calendar in the country is now continuously reviewed because it remains unknown what may unfold in days to come,” the leadership of the foundation reports.

According to the organization, schools in Eswatini have also abandoned classes in protest to demand the release of Colani Maseko, the President of the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS) and student at Nazarene University.

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DHPI leadership says that Mr. Maseko who is regarded as “a symbol of resistance to the monarch” was kidnapped on January 31 by over ten police officers.

The University student leader was reportedly charged with sedition and malicious damage to property and has been remanded into custody, DHPI officials say, adding, “Maseko is a powerful student leader who is changing the political landscape in Eswatini.”

The leadership of the SACBC peace entity that researches the evolution of conflict in various African countries reports that Maseko led the “justice for Thabani” protests that subsequently triggered a series of protests seeking to remove King Mswati from power.

He has also reportedly been vocal in calling for democratic reforms and the fall of Mswati’s regime by joining pro-democracy Members of Parliament (MPs) Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube who were charged last year after an order allegedly issued by King Mswati. 

In the update on the social situation in Eswatini, DHPI officials say that the “fear of the unknown” reigns in many parts of the country.

“Organizations, especially NGO’s, continue to do their work in communities cautiously since the State unleashed security forces on every street. Some are uniformed and others are not, hence it is easy for one to be nabbed for saying anything against the State or the system,” the leadership of the charity entity of SACBC says.  

According to DHPI, Eswatini’s economic sphere has been affected by the protests and COVID-19 induced containment measures.

“The interplay of COVID-19 and protests brought the business environment to a total closure for weeks,” officials of the peace entity report, adding that some of Eswatini’s borders, especially with South Africa, were closed, limiting access to goods and services.

Lack of access to South Africa also aggravated the food crisis as Eswatini relies heavily on the neighboring country for food and other basic items, officials of the peace entity of SACBC say in the February 4 report shared with ACI Africa.

They add, “This exacerbates an already dire economic situation, in a country where 70 percent of the population lives below the poverty datum line, a high unemployment rate and an inadequately resourced health system.”

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Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.