The government of the Kingdom of Eswatini has refuted reports that the SADC Troika plus the Kingdom of Eswatini Summit was cancelled at the instance of Eswatini, a government statement said on Wednesday morning.
Eswatini said that it was ready to participate at the summit.
The government of Eswatini said it had responded to the invitation to the Troika via a diplomatic note dated July 12, 2022, indicating that the kingdom would be participating in the extraordinary summit through a virtual platform.
The government further added that by July 19, the High Commission of the Kingdom of Eswatini to South Africa in Pretoria received an email communication from the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (Dirco), containing the virtual link and password to enable Eswatini to participate in the summit, said the statement.
In October last year Ramaphosa said he had called Eswatini’s King Mswati to convince him to “engage in dialogue” to help bring peace to the troubled country.
Swaziland News reported that King Mswati, who is an absolute monarch is currently unleashing his police and soldiers to shoot and kill dozens of civilians merely for demanding democratic reforms, the Eswatini-based news website wrote.
In June, Eswatini government spokesperson Alpheous Nxumaloa blasted the pro-democracy movements, Political Parties Assembly (PPA) and Swaziland Democratic Party Swadepa, for “misinterpreting” his June 17 statement as an admission that civilians demanding human rights were killed, affirming that government’s statement on the killing of civilians was ‘misinterpreted’.
IOL