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Swaziland’s absolute monarch, Mswati III, has resorted to his failed feudalist method by summarily summoning the people to his royal kraal, known as Sibaya, today – Wednesday 20 June 2018. As in previous royal occasions, no one knows why Mswati has summoned the people, though speculations suggest that he will dissolve his parliament so as to create space for a new puppet parliament to be elected in September this year.

The royal kraal gathering may, at first sight, appear to an ignorant observer as a real consultative session or a people’s dialogue. However, it is merely an event meant to satisfy Mswati’s royal appetite to be worshipped by the poverty-stricken population. It is not people-centred at all. As his official propaganda mouthpiece, the Swazi Observer newspaper, reported on Tuesday 18 June 2018, “Sibaya, which its agenda is only known during the King’s speech, always comes with surprises to the nation.” Mswati decides when the people must arrive, and he also decides what should be discussed and how it should be discussed.

The Sibaya gathering also has no effect on people’s lives as anything said there, unless it satisfies Mswati’s interests, is never implemented. In the 2016 Sibaya, then 82-year old Mr William Mkhaliphi complained about the colonial-style land dispossession spearheaded by the monarch. Mr Mkhaliphi has been subjected to merciless attacks by the royal police for sharply raising these issues and pointing to the absolute monarch as the root of the problems of Swaziland.

The least said about Mswati’s parliament, whose term comes to an end this year, the better. Mswati and his parliament have only helped to suppress and oppress the people of Swaziland, whilst embezzling public funds. The latest biggest act of such waste is the extravagant celebration of Mswati’s 50th birthday which cost the country over E1 billion (about US$75 million). Mswati used public funds to present himself with birthday gifts which included a wrist watch worth about E21 million (US$1.6 million), a suit beaded with diamonds.

Along with these was a second private jet worth over E500 million (US$40.3 million), with an extra cost of E200 million (US$16.6 million) as a special hangar for the plane. These were among a string of other expensive items bought by Mswati using public funds, including expensive gifts for his children, wives, mother and friends.

Thus, the Sibaya, just like all the previous ones he has called, is another ploy to give the illusion that there is some sort of dialogue in Swaziland. The Communist Party of Swaziland, together with other progressive people and organisations, will not be part of this charade. Instead, we will work to expose the corruption of the system. To be part of the Sibaya event is to legitimise the continued oppression of the people.

The Communist Party of Swaziland will also work with progressive organisations and the oppressed to mobilise against the sham tinkhundla elections and the tinkhundla system as a whole. We will work to ensure that this becomes the last meeting Mswati calls to his kraal, and that the current parliament becomes the last one under the tinkhundla system, making our contribution for the democratisation of the country. Part of the journey towards the democratisation of Swaziland is the boycott of the 2018 tinkhundla.

Down with absolute monarch!

Down with the tinkhundla regime!

Down with the Mswati autocracy!

Issued by the Communist Party of Swaziland