By Zweli Martin Dlamini

During one of our meetings with Lin Songtian, the then Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China(PRC), he disclosed that Taiwan would be presenting helicopters to King Mswati that following week and indeed, the helicopters arrived.

The Ambassador demonstrated how State Intelligence operated, Eswatini Government Spokesperson is exposing the weakeness of Mswati’s intelligence by reacting to media reports suggesting that former Siphofaneni Member of Parliament(MP) was in London.

It is eSwatini Government State Intelligence Department that was supposed to know that the President of the Swaziland Liberation Movement(SWALIMO)was about to fly to London and if indeed, he remains a wanted man, Interpol could have arrested him.

The truth is, the SWALIMO President is wanted within eSwatini where citizens with a different political view are arrested tortured and killed, within the global community Magawugawu remains a highly respected politician.

Alpheous Nxumalo must know that some of us speak to Ambassadors and other high profile people within the governing bodies of the world, a very few countries take Mswati seriously now.

Magawugawu never ‘conned’ Swazis  thousands of Rands, promising them jobs in the army like Alpheous, he was elected into Parliament by the people of Siphofaneni and was subsequently removed by a dictator who was never elected by the people.

It is therefore absurd and or cowardice of the highest order for a criminal with borrowed robs like Alpheous Nxumalo to label Magawugawu a fugitive.

What about the criminal cases opened against Nxumalo by aspiring soldiers who are demanding their monies?

We know the high profile people in London contacted by Government agents trying to gather information on how Magawugawu reached London and who facilitated his meeting with British MPs.

As an internationally recognized journalist, I can pick a phone and call  journalists from the BBC, SABC, eNCA, NewsRoom or any media organization, these are my colleagues and we engage on that level.

International journalists know that dictators fight independent journalists and a journalist who is hated by an illegitimate Government is normally respected by the international community.

The same applies to Mduduzi ‘Magawugawu' Simelane who is still regarded as an MP by Swazis and the world, he engaged the British MPs on that level and Nxumalo will never understand global politics because such is far above the thinking capacity of Sibaya.

It’s very disturbing to note that Nxumalo went on to attack TimesLive in a public statement saying Government was supposed to be contacted to balance a story after SADC through the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation(DIRCO) confirmed that a Summit has been cancelled or postponed.

So Nxumalo, who uses the State owned radio where those opposed to this regime are attacked without being given any opportunity to respond knows that in terms of journalism principles, a story must be balanced?.

But then, let me give Nxumalo a brief lecture on how issues of the Southern African Development Community(SADC) are handled or communicated to the media.

Firstly, Nxumalo must understand that SADC is not an independent State but a collective regional organization for countries in Southern Africa, there’s a difference between ‘South Africa’ and ‘Southern Africa’.

Now, when the communication department of the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation(DIRCO) released a confirmation suggesting that the Summit has been cancelled, that confirmation was released on behalf of SADC member States including eSwatini and therefore, the TimesLive journalist was not obligated to contact eSwatini.

Even if the journalist could have decided to contact eSwatini Government, she could have done that to enhance the plurality of views in her story, otherwise, the story was already balanced because the confirmation came from the DIRCO on behalf of SADC Troika not South Africa.

Alpheous Nxumalo is not a media expert hence he cannot understand the technicalities of these issues particularly in the dissemination of information, he wants eSwatini to be excluded and be contacted separately in a statement released by the highest regional body that was binding to all member States?.

The Government Spokesperson is questioning how Magawugawu reached London because he doesn’t understand diplomatic issues, he thinks when Ambassadors pose with Mswati, that means they support this regime and will assist this Government in persecuting dissenting voices.

No, Mr Nxumalo, countries understand that dictatorship regimes eventually fall, that is why in one way or the other, they give support silently to the opposition to maintain future diplomatic relations with that country, in the event the opposition takes over power.

I hope now you understand Mr Government Spokesperson how SWALIMO President Mduduzi ‘Magawugawu’ Simelane reached London and engaged with British Members of Parliament(MP).