Voices | The SADC is unable to intervene, given its own internal challenges – one might even say unwillingness, writes Sanet Madonsela about the eSwatini crisis
While the king and a few others were in a celebratory mood, a large portion of the population was not. The reality was that 63% of the population lived below the poverty line, 28% were unemployed and 200 000 people were dependent on global food aid to survive.The country has banned political parties since 1973 and has been criticised for the unhealthy working conditions of its sugar industry, poverty wages and violent suppression.
It is worth noting that Mswati III owns 60% of the country’s land in addition to shares in the country’s major luxury hotels, real estate, transport, mining, brewery, as well as sugar and dairy products. He lives in ostentatious luxury with his 15 wives. His personal wealth is estimated at R2.8 billion. This is in stark contrast to the R30 per day that 60% of the population live on daily.
In an effort to quell the uprising, the government has engaged in further violent repression while at the same time shutting down the internet. The latter was deemed to be important since Swazi activists make use of social media to call attention to human rights violations and to mobilise and coordinate their actions.
It is worth stating that southern Africa has failed to learn an obvious lesson regarding conflict. It is much safer, cheaper and more effective to resolve small conflicts before they gain momentum. The lower-level protests in Eswatini should have been resolved before they turned into riots, damaging government buildings, shops, banks and vehicles. The damage is estimated at R3 billion.The crisis is now spiralling out of control.
There is a strong likelihood that refugees will cross the border into South Africa should the conflict dynamics escalate. This is exactly what happened when Pretoria chose to pursue a policy of “quiet diplomacy” in Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, which resulted in millions of its citizens seeking refuge in South Africa.
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