By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:Mduduzi Magawugawu Simelane’s Swaziland Liberation Movement(SWALIMO) came hard on Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo for mentioning that, the political organization participated in the ongoing Tinkhundla elections.

In a statement sent to this Swaziland News on Tuesday evening by SWALIMO Spokesperson Thantaza Silolo, the organization said,Nxumalo was feeding the Nation with lies by claiming that, SWALIMO “is participating” in the elections.

“The Swaziland Liberation Movement(SWALIMO) is flabbergasted at the government spokesperson, one Mr Alpheous Nxumalo who has been consistent at feeding the Swazi Nation and the international community lies in relation to the politics of Swaziland and SWALIMO as an organization.First of all SWALIMO is not participating in these sham Tinkhundla elections but the movement called on emaSwati to contest space in the elections and since SWALIMO has membership, some members took part in the elections through their various communities as nominated with an aim of ensuring Parliament represents the interests of the people”, reads the statement in part, released by the SWALIMO Spokesperson.

But the statement comes after the government used the participation of SWALIMO members to try and convince the international community that,Tinkhundla system was democratic and as result, it allowed even those who wanted to fight from within to contest the elections.

Furthermore, the SWALIMO statement comes after Mduduzi Magawugawu Simelane’s organization, through its Spokesperson, released a statement announcing that it was withdrawing from the MultiStakeholder Forum(MSF) accusing the coalition of bullying SWALIMO, for its decision to participate in the National Elections.

“As such, within MSF SWALIMO has been continuously been criticized and victimized for its stance on its programs,including its participation in the National Elections”, reads the statement released by the organization earlier on the 02 August 2023, the statement clearly that the organization was participating in elections.

On another note, Government Spokesperson told SWALIMO President Mduduzi Magawugawu Simelane during the panel discussion hosted by the South African Broadcasting Corporation(SABC) last week that, Tinkhundla system “remains democratic”, that’s why Magawugawu’s SWALIMO was welcomed and allowed to contest elections to fight from within.

Magawugawu defied the MSF and went on to market Tinkhundla elections, he said he was looking forward to have at least forty(40) members who will then elect a Speaker and subsequently seize control of the Parliament.

But, less then five(5) members made it through the Primary Elections hence the recent statement denying that SWALIMO “is participating in the ongoing Tinkhundla elections”.