GABORONE, Botswana – The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is says it will urgently dispatch a team of ministers to the kingdom of eSwatini to defuse a developing political crisis.
The announcement was made on Saturday by Mokgweetsi Masisi, chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security and president of Botswana.
Africa’s last absolute monarchy has for days been rocked by the largest pro-democracy protests in years.
“The disturbances have resulted in widespread destruction of property and injuries to people with at least one death reported,” said Masisi, further noting the disruption to normal personal, community and daily economic activities including disruptions to Covid-19 management.
Critical Covid-19 response strategies are essential for the health and safety of the people of eSwatini and the entire humanity, he said.
Masisi called upon all individuals, groups and organisations to desist from acts of violence and urged the security services to exercise restraint in restoring order and normalcy.
Following several days of demonstrations in eSwatini, protests spiraled out of control early this week with the situation on the ground becoming extremely volatile where public and private properties were set on fire, and security forces were accused of mounting a violent response.
Tensions have been brewing for months in the mountainous kingdom, where the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated socioeconomic grievances and whose monarch King Mswati III and his close circles have been criticised for living opulent lives while most of the country’s population live in grinding poverty.
The current protests were sparked by a June 24 decree by the king banning citizens from sending petitions to parliamentarians to demand democratic reforms. It followed a public outcry against the alleged killing by the police of a law student, Thabani Nkomonye, in May.
Businesses in Matsapha have been looted and torched by protesters, but the presence of security forces on the streets have made citizens vulnerable to the use of force.
“Dangerous civil unrest continues in Eswatini, including the use of deadly force by security forces,” the United States embassy in the country said in a statement last Friday, noting communications disruptions.
A strict night curfew, meanwhile, has emptied the streets, while the airport and the public transport system have been shut down.
The Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) and People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) claimerd at least 40 people have been killed during the crackdown.
“We are not surprised by the heavy response of the regime,” Mlungisi Makhanya, leader of PUDEMO, said. “We, the people, are saying we need to open up the constitutional space … for people to make their own choices on how they want to be governed.
“We need to transition to a new dispensation where there is political plurality and a leadership that is accountable to its people, not one that hardens hearts against the monarchy.” – Xinhua
