By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:King Mswati has reminded Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi about the principles of diplomacy, as means to address or resolve complaints between two(2)countries.

This comes after the Botswana President as quoted by the Botswana Mnegi newspaper, came hard on the eSwatini King, accusing him of hiding and aiding former President Lieutenant General Ian Khama, who is wanted in his home country for alleged illegal possession of firearms.

President Masisi accused the King of colluding with Khama to overthrow the Botswana Government and introduce an absolute Monarchy in the Southern African country like eSwatini.

The Botswana Head of State who was addressing Heads of Foreign Missions said, Khama has been hiding in South Africa with an alternative home in eSwatini.

“His other home is at the absolute Kingdom,the absolute Monarch,the Monarchy of Eswatini. And it is not a surprise because you know as they say with magnetism,like attract and in his desires of Botswana and in the way that he has conducted his affairs in Botswana, when we look back now.He deeply yearns for an absolute Monarchy for here. And that is why there is such attraction to Eswatini, the only absolute Monarchy fundamentally different from our republic.I say this because I told the King that we are not the same.We will never be the same and that is why we do not tolerate tendencies of absolute Monarchy”, said the Botswana President when addressing the Heads of Missions this week.

But King Mswati,when responding to this Swaziland News through his Spokesperson Percy Simelane,ruled the Botswana President out of order for ignoring the United Nations(UN) Protocols on settling disputes and complaints between two(2) countries.

The King’s Spokesperson clarified that, Lieutenant General Ian Khama does not reside in eSwatini but, comes as a tourist or King’s Guest during National events. 

“He appears to be out of order in that he has ignored the UN Protocols on settling disputes and complaints between two countries, particularly clause 1 of the Vienna  Convention of 1961 which militates against mudslinging between two countries if there is an issue to be attended to.SADC too has similar Protocols so is the African Union.If he observed any one of these Protocols,we would have been ready to engage Botswana and explain that Eswatini has no record of any aid to their former president Ian Khama.He does not reside in Eswatini either but comes as a tourist,mostly for national events.He is not the only former Head of State who has found time to visit Eswatini or the King.Dr Kenneth David Kaunda of Zambia,Bakili Muluzi of Malawi,Jacob Zuma of South Africa have been here.We would also be ready to tell President Masisi that claim is nothing more than optical illusion”, said the King’s Spokesperson.