MBABANE:Eswatini Prime Minister(PM) Russell Mmiso dejectedly left the Prince of Wales Sports Ground here in the capital city-Mbabane on Wednesday, after being stopped by protesting angry workers from addressing the annual Workers Day Celebration.
The Prime Minister was among the guests of the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland(TUCOSWA), he was with Labour and Social Security Minister Phila Buthelezi.
Tension escalated after Gabie Ndukuya,the President of the Swaziland National Union of Students(SNUS) led the workers in a song, criticizing King Mswati for looting public resources.
The song titled “Asiyeni eNkoyoyo siyoshaya Mswati, Commander uyayibona lendvodza ihleti kamnandzi idla umnotfo wetfu” means “let’s invade the Nkoyoyo Palace and assault Mswati because he is enjoying our resources”.
Sakhile Awviva Nxumalo,the President of the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) Youth League,the Swaziland Youth Congress(SWAYOCO) subsequently stood at the stage, leading the workers in a song that labelled King Mswati, an absolute Monarch, as a rapist,
Nxumalo was abducted and assaulted by the police on Tuesday merely for supporting convicted pro-democracy Members of Parliament(MPs) Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube at the High Court
The workers were also expressing themselves in a song, demanding to know who killed Thabani Nkomonye,a University law student who was allegedly killed by the police triggering the recent political unrest.
Tinkhundla system lost popularity among workers amid the ongoing human rights violations and/or killing of civilians including human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko.
Efforts by Labour Minister Phila Buthelezi to calm the workers and allow the PM to speak proved unsuccessful as the workers protested and danced to political songs, to prevent the Prime Minister(PM) from addressing the event.
As a result,the PM was forced to flee for security reasons and soon thereafter, a conflict erupted between workers and the police.
A teargas was subsequently fired as some workers started to assault the police, telling them to leave the Prince of Wales Sports Grounds.
Worth-noting,some of the police were seen calm as the workers provoked them, the teargas was fired after some workers grabbed another senior police officer, forming a circle, with an alleged intention to assault him.
But there were no reports of serious casualties at the time of compiling this report.
BREAKING NEWS:Eswatini Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini stopped from addressing Workers Day Celebration as workers demand answers amid killing of civilians.