Durban - Kings Mswati’s government has reacted strongly to a proposed visit by South African MPs, saying they will be blocked from investigating the political situation in sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarchy.
“It is Swazis who decide how they want to be governed, not a neighbouring state,” said Swazi Foreign Minister Mtiti Fakudze. “We are not governed by South Africa.”
However, at a briefing last week with officials of the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco), MP Bill Elof (DA) was recorded as saying Swaziland was “definitely going to run into trouble”.
“The effect and burden of the unemployment levels in Swaziland are directly affecting South Africa,” he said in the minutes of the meeting.
Swazi government spokes-man, Percy Simelane, said the Swazi government knew nothing about the MPs’ plan to visit.
“There are protocols they have to observe, unless they come here as tourists,” he said.
Last week, Simelane responded to ANC calls for democracy in Swaziland by demanding that South Africa deal with its own problems first.
Fakudze echoed him when he said: “There are a lot of problems they should sort out in South Africa. We won’t allow them to come here on their fact-finding mission.
“That would be taboo.” An emotional Fakudze added: “We engage only with other governments, and not (MPs).”
The Swazi foreign minister’s belief that MPs were not part of government stems from the powerlessness of Swaziland’s parliament, political observer David Dube said.
“One of the things the South African MPs wish to investigate is the reason for the Swaziland parliament when it exists only to rubber-stamp King Mswati’s laws,” he said.
“The cost of Swaziland’s parliament and the huge amount of money budgeted for this year’s parliamentary elections seem a large and unnecessary expense for just window dressing - particularly to South Africa, which financially supports Swaziland.”
The Swazi foreign minister has described South African citizens as “children” of their government, Dube said.
“This is the view of the Swazi monarchy - the ruler is the adult and the governed are children - and they see other countries in that light,” he said.
“They have no use for popularly-elected officials in Swaziland and so the government doesn’t respect foreign MPs.
“Mswati expects to handle bilateral relations with South Africa by sitting down with President Jacob Zuma and engaging in ‘big boy’ talk.”
MP Ian Davidson (DA) told Dirco officials at the briefing: “The Swaziland parliament has no powers, so elections are not the only problem. The constitution has no power.”
The South African MPs grilled Dirco officials on the status of a R2.4 billion loan South Africa had offered Swaziland.
Swaziland’s Finance Minister Majozi Sithole said in January that Swaziland no longer needed the loan because of higher receipts from the South African Customs Union (Sacu), on which the government depended.
Sithole said there was no longer any question of Swaziland’s needing to comply with loan requirements that the country follow International Monetary Fund guidelines on fiscal reform and institute meaningful democratic change.
Edward Xolisa Makaya, Dirco’s chief director in southern Africa, told MPs the loan remained on the table and Dirco was using it as leverage to achieve democratic reform in Swaziland. He said Swaziland had no capacity to deal with its political and financial problems.
Reopening the loan matter last week, Fakudze said Swaziland had met all requirements to receive the South African loan and only technical matters at the two countries’ finance ministries were holding up delivery of the money to the Swazi government.
“We fulfilled the agreements… and we are still looking forward to the loan,” Fakudze said.
The Swaziland government’s renewed interest in the loan stems from mismanagement of Sacu funds, a problem that was brought up at the Dirco briefing with MPs.
Davidson noted that higher Sacu receipts had failed to improve Swaziland’s financial position.
The Dirco briefing concluded with the establishment of a four-member parliamentary committee to embark on a fact-finding mission to Swaziland.
When informed that the MPs’ mission had been described as “taboo” by Swaziland’s foreign minister, Hargreaves Tisetso Magama (ANC), chairman of the portfolio committee on foreign affairs, told the Swazi media: “Our country has always fought to defend the independence of territories, but our Freedom Charter also states that we shall fight for democracy in the region.”
Noting that the two countries are linked by blood relations and economies, Magama said: “It is inevitable that what happens in Swaziland will have an effect in South Africa.
“If we are stopped from coming to Swaziland, that might create the impression that there is something they do not want us to see.”
King Mswati’s government has responded to calls for democratic reform with a crackdown on dissent, according to Amnesty International’s annual report on Swaziland, released last week.
“The rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly continue to be violated, with arbitrary arrests and excessive force used to crush political protests.
“Torture and other ill treatment remain a persistent concern,” the report said.
Daily News