SAY A LITTLE PRAYER FOR SWAZILAND

Swaziland’s leaders are so inept that they have to urge Swazi people to pray for God to save the kingdom, because they don’t know how to do it themselves.

The kingdom’s leaders, who have King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch as their head, have perpetrated a belief that God can save Swaziland by ‘invariably saying we need to pray for serious challenges like poverty, HIV/AIDS, economic woes, crime, abuse of women and children, road accidents and corruption’.

That’s the verdict of Innocent Maphalala, editor of the Times Sunday, an independent newspaper in Swaziland.

In a scathing attack on the leadership in Swaziland, Maphalala writes in his own newspaper today (5 December 2010), ‘We believe we can do anything to anyone and only pray for whatever consequence to evaporate into thin air.’

He goes on, ‘I am sure it is only in Swaziland where authorities advise the nation to pray when confronted with such critical issues as those listed above.

‘Elsewhere, such challenges are confronted head on with sensible policies and clear, decisive action.

‘Laws are enacted and amended on a regular basis to be in line with the times and tackle problems as they come.

‘Not here!

‘Just this past Thursday, Prime Minister [Barnabas] Sibusiso Dlamini used the prayer card when a reporter from this newspaper asked him hard questions about the Mbabane land allocation scandal.

‘He had been asked to comment on the flagrant disregard of the Crown Lands Disposal Act, 1911 when large plots were allocated to ministers and some Municipal Council of Mbabane officials – at undeserved discounts.

‘As he always does when pushed to a corner, the head of government launched into some long treatise about angels, the devil, his ministers’ right to a decent lifestyle and finally…prayer.

‘This is what he said: “The allocation was done in an angelic manner. The devil was not involved. When we got into office, we found that ministers were scattered all over the country or living in their spouses’ houses or flats. A minister needs to maintain certain standards regarding the house they live in, the location of the house and the cars they drive. We prayed when tackling this matter.”

‘Jesus Christ!’

Maphalala goes on, ‘How can anyone even think of using words like ‘angelic’ to describe this controversial and definitely illegal land sale?

‘The angels in heaven should be preparing to turn their backs on Swaziland for good after this.’

To read the full article click here.

SWAZI GVT SILENT ON EXILED ACTIVIST

The Swazi Government has denied forcing a human rights advocate to leave Swaziland.

James Mania, a political refugee from Kenya left Swaziland last week after being given an ultimatum to leave or be deported back to his home country.

According to the Times of Swaziland today (19 December 2008), when sought to comment on the circumstances leading to Mania’s leaving, ‘all the senior government officers who were implicated in the matter claimed ignorance of the issue’.

Mania was thrown out of Swaziland because he was involved in informing the international human rights watchdog Observatory for Human Rights Defenders about the violation of human rights and freedoms in the kingdom.

The Observatory alerted the international community about this and asked it to intervene in the prevailing situation in Swaziland.

Copies of the letter were also sent to the king’s office, the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Justice, the Attorney General as well as the country’s Permanent Representative to the UN.

According to the Times, police are said to have called Mania and informed him that he would be deported should he pursue this matter any further.

‘He was then forced to leave the country a few days later when the police allegedly gave him seven days to voluntarily leave the country or be deported. This was after it was alleged that the Attorney General’s office had been contacted by the United Nations (UN) Rapporteur on Human Rights about human rights violations in the country.

‘Secretary to Cabinet Sandile Ceko denied knowledge of the matter. He said he never received a letter about the issue. Ceko said if it was sent to the PM through his office, he might have sent it through without reading its contents. He stated, though that matters of human rights were normally dealt with by the Justice Ministry.

‘Justice Ministry Principal Secretary Sicelo Dlamini also said he could not recall the letter.

‘It was the same thing with Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini, who denied knowledge of the matter.’

JOURNALISTS BEG FOR MINISTRY JOBS

Journalists in Swaziland are not against getting their own snouts in the trough when they can.

It is reported that many have been calling on newly appointed government ministers to offer their services as personal secretaries.

According to yesterday’s (27 October 2008) Swazi Observer – the newspaper that is the voice of power in Swaziland and is in effect owned by the king – journalists are ‘begging’ for jobs with ministers.

‘Journalists earn around E3000 (about 375 US dollars) to E5000 per month on average, and are queuing for the “plum job” of being private secretary, which is about three times what the newsrooms are paying.

‘New ministers have confirmed that they have been inundated with job applications from journalists and drivers.

‘Each minister said he had not received less than 50 calls from people who want jobs or favours.

‘Each of the ministers will have to hire own private secretary and their driver. Usually, the country’s media is the fishing pond for the new ministers’ private secretaries job,’ the Observer reports.

The newspaper doesn’t say whether the journalists are from all sectors of the media industry or only from the Observer.

You can’t really be surprised by the journalists. Most of them in Swaziland are propaganda mouthpieces for the king, the government and those in power, so why shouldn’t they come clean about this and move right into the government offices?