‘Mswati not welcome in Zimbabwe’-Crisis Coalition
By Political Editor
The Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition has said Eswatini traditional leader, King Mswati III is an unwelcome guest in the country, before adding his invitation to officially open the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair must be condemned.
King Mswati who was officially invited by the government is set to open the trade fair which is running from the 25th of April to the 29th of April in Bulawayo.
The Coalition’s spokesperson Obert Masaraure who described King Mswati as, “authoritarian” said the traditional leader is not welcome in the country and disproves the government’s move of inviting him to, “officially open Zimbabwe’s premium business show.”
“King Mswati iii is a soiled leader with the blood of innocent citizens killed for legitimately demanding elections based on one person one vote, and not selections in the Ngwane Kingdom,” he said.
Masaraure said King Mswati’s government is standing accused of deploying the military to, “soot at civilians, jailing hundreds, injuring thousands and killing many including the most recent victim of state sponsored terror, Advocate Thulani Maseko.”
The outspoken Masaraure said the presence of Mswati in the country is not only an affront to the values of democracy and human rights but will also make President Emmerson Mnangagwa, “complicit in the continued violence and oppression in Eswatini.”
The Coalition added that leaders in the Southern African region have a responsibility of upholiding democratic values and human rights for all citizens.
“It is sad to note that Zimbabwe and Eswatini have been identified as countries of specific concern due to serious human rights abuses. We continue to urge SADC leaders to take concrete steps to improve the situation and uphold democratic values and fundamental human rights for all citizens in the region,” he said.
Masaraure said the presence of King Mswati in Bulawayo does not bode well for the country as it is a reminder into the country’s dark past where at least 20 000 were killed in the Southern parts of the country in gukurahundi massacres.
“We stand in solidarity with the people of Swaziland demanding political and economic justice, particularly economic reforms where the Monarchy controls all economic facets and the ordinary citizens are reduced to beggars.
“What saddens us most is welcoming a ruthless and unaccountable leader to Bulawayo, itself a hub of unsolved injustices where an estimated 20 000 civilians were killed by a similarly unaccountable and unapologetic government in the 1980s,” he said.
Masaraure added, “As a country also wallowing in deep poverty aggravated by a coup regime focusing more on stripping the state through mineral cartels for gold, lithium, platinum among others, we join hands with fellow citizens of Africa in calling for reforms in both Eswatini and Zimbabwe,” he said.
