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Mswati indicates willingness to talk, says Radebe

Hajra Omarjee Political Editor

Former energy minister Jeff Radebe, who was sent to Eswatini by President Cyril Ramaphosa as a special envoy on the escalating political violence and crisis there, said the country’s absolute monarch has indicated a willingness to talk to political opponents.

“There has to be a dialogue, that was agreed in principle,” Radebe told Business Day on Thursday, before travelling to Eswatini in a bid to facilitate a solution to a crisis that has left 28 people dead and shut down schools, telecoms and movement at intervals since June.

Radebe was sent by Ramaphosa in his capacity as head of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) politics and defence organ.

In addition to seeking a way to quell the violence during protests against the monarchy, he was given a brief to seek answers from King Mswati III on whether he is willing to meet protesters and start negotiations on a possible democratic

transition. Radebe said the whole region is concerned about the situation in Eswatini, which may have the potential to spill over.

But on Thursday, in a sign things are getting worse, not better, the country ordered MTN to cut access to Facebook, a directive the company complied with. SA’s biggest cellular phone company has previously found itself under fire from prodemocracy activists for complying with measures aimed at silencing dissenting voices.

“It’s very simple. Sadc is very concerned about the deteriorating political situation in Eswatini. The calamity that may ensue will spill over. As a good neighbour, we need to assist. But the solution must come from the Swazi,” Radebe said.

He will try to meet those opposing the monarchy.

“A solution must come from the king and the people,” he said, describing images coming out of the country as “devastating”. The intention is “to meet not just the king, but all stakeholders”.

Mswati, whose reign started in 1986 when he was 18, has previously rejected any attempts to engineer a move towards a more democratic inclusive system, in a country that has even banned the circulation of petitions. It has been in turmoil since June when police reportedly killed dozens of protesters.

MTN confirmed on Thursday that it had implemented a directive from the government to block access to Facebook, which on top of being the world’s biggest social media platform owns WhatsApp, the biggest instant messaging system.

Business Day understands the ban was lifted at about 3pm on Thursday.

“After assessing the directive, and in line with its licence conditions, the business has implemented the directive, and access to Facebook and Facebook Messenger has been suspended,” MTN said.

Leading one of the most impoverished countries in the world, Mswati has attracted criticism for his lavish lifestyle funded through public funds.

In 2019, he was reported to have bought 15 Rolls-Royces and other luxury vehicles for his 15 wives. That was in a country where 58% of the population lived below the poverty line, according to the UN Human Development index of 2019. Eswatini was ranked 138 out of 189 countries in the index.

Radebe met officials in the presidency and department of international relations before his departure to Eswatini. He was accompanied by delegations from Botswana and Namibia, and from the Sadc secretariat.

Ramaphosa had in his Sadc capacity appointed special envoys to engage with Mswati “on security and political developments in the kingdom”, the presidency said in a statement on Thursday. Business Day reported on the deployment of envoys on Wednesday evening.

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2021-10-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-10-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

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