The death of Zeblon Simelane, the father to SWALIMO President Mduduzi ‘Magawugawu' Simelane is one of the sad realities of being a political activist.
The President of the Swaziland Liberation Movement(SWALIMO)will not attend the funeral of his father because the police will be camping at Phuzamoya waiting to arrest to him merely for standing-up in Parliament calling for political, social and economic justice.
Like all political activists, Mduduzi Simelane is not a terrorist, his crime was to stand-up in Parliament in support of calls for democratic reforms.
I watched the video of the SWALIMO President's last moments with his father, it reminded me of my grandfather Prince Mgungu who visited my home and ordered me to kneel down and pray with him, that was in 2018 upon my first return from exile in South Africa.
“Sobuyile mntfwanami, ake sithandaze(meaning: You are now back my son, let’s pray)”, those were the words of my grandfather who raised me.
The video of Mduduzi Simelane and his father suggests that the SWALIMO President was very close to the old man and now he cannot attend or prepare for his funeral, he will live with the pain of not being able to bury his own father for the rest of his life.
It should be noted that political activists have been living like this for years, Mswati’s armed police would invade their homes during funerals and harass mourning family members.
At least Mduduzi Simelane was blessed by his father before passing away, those who are persecuting political activists must understand that the pain they are subjecting Swazis to,is unbearable.
As Africans, we value funerals more than weddings, I can miss a wedding of a relative due to reasons beyond my control but missing the funeral of my father, mother or any close family member cannot be justified regardless of whether we were in good terms or not.
It is important to thank all the leaders who made a huge sacrifice for the liberation of the Swazis and personally paid the price.
Political activists like PUDEMO’s Lucky Lukhele, Bongani Masuku and others have been in exile for more than ten(10) years, they were unable to bury some of their relatives.
It’s not only PUDEMO members, Prince Dumisa, the founder of the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress(NNLC) was persecuted, he died in exile while fighting for the liberation of the Swazis.
Now, it’s Mduduzi ‘Magawugawu' Simelane who will miss the funeral of his own father, this is the sad reality of being a political activist.
May the soul of Zeblon Simelane Rest In Peace.
SWALIMO President Mduduzi Simelane and his father Zeblon Simelane.