President Ramaphosa,when speaking during the African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee (NEC) Leklotja on Monday, openly declared solidarity with the people of eSwatini who are fighting for democratic reforms.

“We also pledge solidarity with the people of Eswatini as they grapple with the challenge of making sure there is democracy in their country,” said the South African President.

This statement is very deep, considering that it came from a Head of State whose country is a superpower within the SADC region.

Maybe others would claim he was speaking in his capacity as ANC President, but the fact is, no Head of State has ever issued such a statement since the unrest erupted two years ago.

Such sentiments might indicate that other regional leaders are tired of being diplomatic when engaging Mswati, whose conduct is threatening peace and stability within the SADC region.

Then,we have Dr. Hage Gottfried Geingob, the President of Namibia,who,for now, is diplomatic but eager to see the eSwatini political crisis resolved.

The Namibian President hardly concludes his speech without uttering these sentiments:

“When diplomacy fails, people go to war.”

This statement is also profound considering the fact that the government is trying hard to convince the world that citizens who defend themselves with firearms are terrorists. 

Mswati and his government want to kill citizens, and they expect those civilians to shout “Bayethe kill us your Majesty”!

Others fail to realise that this journalist and other political leaders would have been detained and extradited for a long time if it wasn’t for South Africa's political covert backing.

The mere fact that South Africans allows those fighting for democracy to hide in their country and strategize how to remove Mswati is a huge support.

King Mswati’s government wrote a series of letters urging South Africa to shut down this online publication and extradite this editor; some of those letters were ignored because King Mswati has blood on his hands and cannot be trusted with justice.

As Swazis, we must therefore appreciate what South Africa is doing for the oppressed Swazis. 

Some political leaders, particularly the PUDEMOs, have been in exile for more than thirty (30) years, pushing the struggle on a global scale.

Even the media in South Africa is prioritising the plight of the Swazi people.

In conclusion, let me thank those who have been pushing the struggle for the past forty (40) years. 

I was one of those who thought they were crazy while I was still a Mangololo (Mswati’s loyalist).

But the truth is,these men and women worked hard to intensify the struggle at the international level, and now, a Head of State has expressed support for the oppressed people of Swaziland.

Those who pushed the struggle when there was no social media and independent online publications must be proud of themselves; democracy is nearer, and Mswati will be defeated.

As the independent media,we wholeheartedly support calls for democracy, as our freedom as journalists is inextricable from it.