By Wandile Dludlu.

Lately, there seems to be a confusion, hullabaloo, if not a scherzophenic euphoria around progressive individuals collectively accepting political appointments by the same regime they have sworn to do away with.

Indeed, trade unions, civil society activists and youth leaders have rightly or wrongly been caught in this political fiasco.

Political structures of the Tinkhundla regime could be those Boards in which the core business of that Board or structure would be to advise, support and ensure maximum loyalty not only to the Monarchy as an apex instrument of hegemony for the sustenance of the status quo and its vestiges but, pure political business in the body politics of the regime. 

These could be the Swazi National Council(SNC), Parliament and other key Boards that are at the heart of operations for the strategic pursuit of the Monarchial semi-feudal and neoliberal political tapestry.

They see loyalty than qualifications and meritocracy as a basis for such appointments that are purely political not career based and for instance currently, King Mswati literally appoints his own children more than his brothers and sisters as members of these Boards.

But some of these children have neither qualifications nor experience but, he trust them and the truth is; Mswati has been embarrassed and disappointed many times by people around him such that, he has placed his last hope in his kids.

Political appointments equally serve to enhance the legislative and policy framework of the regime with the objective of maintaining, protection, and defending the Tinkhundla strategic mission and values. 

Elections are but an event that produces individuals whose daily work will be not only giving credence of a people-centered system but, actually attempting to breath life to a dead horse caricature whose relevance and legitimacy in the global multilateral structures is daily being questioned by the modern civilized world. 

Let’s briefly look into the other appointments into boards but, the nature and character is not per se exactly like the one we’ve just enunciated about above.

The current Government no matter it’s nature, remains an accepted Government by some emaSwati but in its pursuit for global acceptance, it has created statutory bodies with specific requirements and standards.

But some of these statutory bodies have been imposed by international treaties, conventions and global professional practices as per the dictates of that field, be it gender, disability inclusivity and/or worker tripartite international labour practice standards. 

This has forced the Tinkhundla Government to accede to the demands of both local and international structures as well as professional practices into statutory compliance by setting such Boards and appointments being stakeholder based not the purely royal headhunt

Having said all this, we very much alive to the fact that some sellouts see these as job opportunities or opportunity to dine with the enemy, worse under our name.

Tinkhundla has an agenda to deploy comrades to these statutory Boards and us we end-up singing Tinkhundla programs and giving the regime more voice than our organizations, we lose both the great cadres and the course suffers too because we go into such spaces flat footed. 

The tendency to avoid politics yet play politics is the worst undoing unions and others have adopted lately to their detriment and weakening of the course for the poor and oppressed emaSwati. 

Tinkhundla is clear and consistent, space is a space for consolidation of their class interests and indeed, there’s no neutral line, the risk is too high when one is appointed into these Boards, don't play or flirt with the enemy, hit it on the head or you will be hit on the head.