By Musa Mdluli

I was once invited for a dinner by a Prince who is also a Chief in the Hhohho Region and while in his house, we discussed many issues pertaining the Royal Family and the governance of this country.

The Chief who was part of one of the country’s Governing Commissions, told me that he once cooled the King down during a private meeting, Mswati was angry after the Commission failed to perform certain duties.

The Chief said “Ngavele ngatsi lala etukwani Ngwenyama, ngingashonaphi nangingashaywa nguwe ngoba washaywa yiNkhosi, iNkhosi ishaya nesitukulwane sakho”.

Mswati is known to be vindictive but I was happy to receive information this week suggesting that, he now understands that, some of the people next to him are turning him against the people including his close family members.

The persecution of Chief Prince Magudvulela was allegedly masterminded by King’s Praise Singer Qethuka Sigombeni Dlamini, this is a mere royal fight over proximity to King Mswati because during Incwala, Prince Magudvulela used to be next to the King something that Qethuka has been fighting for years.

But apart from that, some Chiefs in the Hhohho Region has been fighting Prince Magudvulela and scrambling to be next to the King during Incwala.

The allegation suggesting that, the Chiefs were lobbied by Magudvulela to overthrow the Monarchy is far from the truth, being publicly seen next to King attracts enemies within the Royal Family and you can even die just for that.

One junior soldier was persecuted and heavily questioned by his superiors at Nokwane Headquarters, he was asked what traditional medicine he “uses that resulted to King Mswati smiling and greeting him when inspecting the Guard of Honor”.

But let me state that, Prince Chief Magudvulela himself has been abusing royal and traditional power, he once ordered voters in his area not to vote for the then Timphisini Member of Parliament(MP) Jennifer Du-Point who was seeking a second(2nd) term, the ex-MP had lost her husband and the Chief told voters during a traditional meeting that, Mswati “don’t want widows in Parliament as that is against eSwatini Culture”.

The conduct of the Chief was a clear abuse of power to undermine the will of the people and one day, I will address him on that because clearly, some Chiefs are power drunk yet they are, in one way or the other, also vulnerable to be persecuted by the ruling Tinkhundla undemocratic regime. 

But the context of this article is about Qethuka Sigombeni Dlamini, an alleged evil hearted man who has adopted a tendency to expell even royal family members from the premises of their family.

I am not new in handling these issues, Natural Resources Minister Prince Lonkhonkhela told me that, he was surprised after soldiers blocked him from entering Engabezweni Royal Residence during Incwala, amid a minor misunderstanding with King Mswati,we published that story.

If it is Mswati who uses emotions to stop Royal family members from entering the Royal Palaces, then he must know he will find himself being isolated by the Qethuka Dlamini faction.

Prince Magudvulela is part of the institution of the Monarchy and I don’t think he would have even think of plotting to remove King Mswati from the Throne because if the Monarchy falls, he will also fall.

What I know is; Prince Magudvulela was among other royal family members who suggested a political dialogue during the recent political unrest.

Qethuka Dlamini has captured the King and now turning him against even his close royal family members and, in the process, Qethuka’s conduct is threatening the institution of the Monarchy.

Prince Magudvulela went to China and he came back with a genuine suggestion, urging the country to consider formalizing a trade agreement with the People’s Republic of China(PRC) and of course, he shared an opinion suggesting that, eSwatini must dump Taiwan.

This country is in a mess and people next to the King including Qethuka Dlamini contributed by misleading Mswati.

Regarding the intended removal of Prince Magudvulela as a Chief of Ntfonjeni, some of us are eagerly waiting to see how Mswati and Qethuka will remove the Chief.

In Siswati, a qualifying iNkhosikati is appointed and then her son automatically becomes the Chief, this means Prince Magudvulela is not even the tree but the leaf and therefore, Qethuka and Mswati will have to remove the whole tree including the roots when removing Prince Magudvulela.

When referring to the whole tree including the roots, I am referring to the removal of the whole Royal House of the late Prince Magudvulela, the grandfather of Prince Mancibane and the son of King Mswati II, this means the current King is now fighting his own ancestors.

The words of the Chief I visited for dinner now come to mind;

 “Ngavele ngatsi lala etukwani Ngwenyama, ngingashonaphi nangingashaywa nguwe ngoba washaywa yiNkhosi, phela iNkhosi ishaya nesitukulwane sakho”.

King Mswati must investigate the issue of Prince Magudvulela properly instead of relying on information from Qethuka Dlamini and Chief Prince Magudvulela’s enemies.

Furthermore, the King must stop this vindictive behavior, it is not right to be known as a King who persecutes those with a different opinion.

Prince Magudvulela is the supporter of the Monarchy but of course, there are individuals within the system who believe the Monarchy must engage the people in a dialogue, it’s a genuine call that has nothing to do with overthrowing King Mswati.