By Zweli Martin Dlamini

Senator Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku, the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) thinks it is still politically fashionable in this country to campaign by persecuting members of the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) and as result, he unleashed the police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the children who were seen in a thirty-second(32) rally for the Swaziland Youth Congress(SWAYOCO) at Moneni Chiefdom.

In my own investigation, I uncovered that the children went there because there was food, this is normal in all communities in the country where about 70% of the population lives below the poverty line.

We grew-up visiting night vigils in our communities just to enjoy a decent meal with salads every-weekend, Themba Masuku must not disassociates himself from this reality just to score a political goal using SWAYOCO. 

PUDEMO remains the only or one of the few organizations that has been consistently fighting for our rights, the organization never got tired even when we were still blinded by the regime. 

Mario Masuku, the late PUDEMO President once attended the funeral of  PUDEMO member Moses “Makhweshisa” Mavuso in my community at LaMgabhi eTiyeni, that funeral was also turned into a rally, children were there to enjoy a decent meal. 

Themba Masuku must understand that he can no-longer portray PUDEMO or SWAYOCO members as terrorists, there’s an independent media now and children must rub shoulders with future political leaders like Sakhile Awviva Nxumalo, the SWAYOCO President.

Senator Themba Masuku wants to become the first non-Dlamini Prime Minister and in the process, he wants to campaign before Mswati by persecuting PUDEMO or SWAYOCO members.

Mswati is actually worried about those who pretend to love him but betray him by taking decisions that threaten the existence of his Throne. 

Whether Themba Masuku likes it or not, Sakhile Nxumalo is a future political leader, he cannot use the State controlled media to portray SWAYOCO or PUDEMO as a terrorist entity. 

It was the State controlled media that fed people wrong information suggesting that, PUDEMO is a terrorist organization hence children must stay-away from their members, PUDEMO is actually a very progressive and warm welcoming organization. 

Elderly people like Masuku must just eat a humble pie, if anything happens to Sakhile Awviva Nxumalo, Senator Themba Masuku must know that Nxumalo is a son, a relative and a friend to others, we can no-longer allow this injustice to happen while we watch. 

The police must remember to stay away from politics and concentrate on law enforcement, politics, like weather, changes from time to time.

As a result, the police might persecute PUDEMO, NNLC, SWALIMO, EFFSWA or SWADEPA or Sive Siyinqaba members, but tomorrow they might be saluting those citizens. 

Themba Masuku is very old now, he might not live long, any police officer who understands politics and the future, must refrain from implementing the DPM’s orders particularly during this time where the pro-democracy movement has adopted a tactic of holding police officers personally liable for injustice.