Organisations share their stance on eSwatini
Fear of the unknown is now a part of daily life for eSwatini residents. They are still waiting for an intervention and a way forward from the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
“I ran for my dear life to hide from a truck carrying people and beating drums, calling people to attend a recent meeting of the king.” These were the words of Tselani Mlilo (58) during a telephonic interview with Mpumalanga News.
“I made a point to hide so they don’t see me,” she added. This happened amid the ongoing violent pro-democracy protests in the Kingdom of eSwatini. Brian Singwane, the secretary of the People’s United Democratic Movement, reported that more than 60 people had been killed while hundreds more were injured and some left paralysed during the riots in which civilians, mostly the youth, are calling for democratic change.
READ: DA calls on South African Development Community to initiate pro-democracy talks with eSwatini
On Monday Singwane said a decision was taken to stop the protests. He urged members of the public to remain indoors.
“We will hold back until further notice to ensure the people’s safety,” he said.
Political parties from outside the kingdom called for an intervention regarding eSwatini’s situation. The Botswana Patriotic Front said the situation has reached a crisis point.
“This calls for a prompt and serious intervention from the SADC,” said Lauwrence Ookeditse, the publicity secretary of BPF, in a media statement.
South Africa’s EFF, DA and ANC made their voices heard in solidarity with the people of eSwatini.
READ: EFF pickets at border posts in solidarity with citizens of eSwatini’s protests
“We call for an immediate intervention and mediation in eSwatini that is guided primarily by the need to meet the demands for democracy and an equal redistribution of the country’s wealth. All efforts to bring calm to this nation must be based on ensuring that the status quo of the abuse of power, corruption and controlling of state resources by one individual is permanently done away with and a people’s government is established,” said the EFF on Twitter.
On July 2 the chairperson of the SADC organ responsible for politics, defence and security, President Mokgweetsi Masisi, said, “The SADC calls upon all stakeholders, individuals, groups and organisations that have grievances to desist from acts of violence. It also urges the security services to exercise restraint in their response to restore order and normalcy.”
