By Bongiwe Dlamini

MBABANE: Senator Princess Ncengencenge has described multiparty democracy as “Umbuso wamgico-mgico”, she urged emaSwati to support King Mswati and the Tinkhundla system of Governance.

Speaking on Thursday during the People’s and Places program hosted by veteran journalist Qhawe Mamba on Channel yeMaswati, the Senator said under multiparty democracy, those who are in power work towards benefiting themselves not the people.

“It’s better to have the King whom we know is on the Throne and going nowhere,he is not in a rush to loot public monies. But under multiparty democracy, those who won elections ensure that, they loot as much as they can because after five(5) years, they might not come back”, said the Senator.

But Brian Sangweni,the Spokesperson of eSwatini’s largest and main political party, the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) said,contesting power under multiparty democracy “is not about” looting but a social contract to develop the lives of the people.

The PUDEMO Spokesperson said, under multiparty, accountability systems are created to monitor public funds unlike Tinkhundla system where public resources are looted with impunity.

“We can’t blame Ncengencenge, she is protecting the Tinkhundla system that belongs to the royal family and to them, being in power is about looting nothing else. Kungako akhuluma ngekudla,bo-Ngencengence bati kutsi kuba semBusweni it’s about looting.Multiparty is about contesting power through manifestos and if the people are convinced,they vote for that political party.Once the political party is in power, there are systems in place to monitor public spending and those who loot are arrested, you will never see this under the Tinkhundla system”, said the PUDEMO Spokesperson when speaking to editor Zweli Martin Dlamini.

Eswatini is ruled by Mswati as an absolute Monarch,political parties are banned from participating in elections and the country has about 70% of the population living below the poverty line.

But King Mswati is alleged to have accumulated wealth worth $500million(about R10billion) according for Forbes, he holds shares directly or indirectly in various giant companies in eSwatini.