On Monday morning,I received a call from Nkosingiphile Seyama, the Secretary General of the Swazis First Democratic Front(SFDF) who informed me that,he will soon go public and clarify that,the Political Parties Assembly(PPA) statement disowning PUDEMO Deputy President Wandile Dludlu’s May Day sentiments was issued under his name without his knowledge.
The statement that was sent to this Swaziland News by Thamsanqa Hlatswako of the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress(NNLC) was purported to have been issued by Seyama of the Swazis First Democratic Front(SFDF) who was referred as the Acting Head of Secretariat.
Worth-noting, Thamsanqa Hlatswako of the NNLC and PPA was next to Wandile Dludlu on stage when he delivered that statement, he did not stop him but was also cheering.
After communicating with Seyama who stated that he was receiving insults from members of the public and accused of being a sellout and romancing Tinkhundla after the PPA statement with his name yet he knew nothing about it, I then connected the dots.
The statement was sent to this publication by a senior member of the NNLC yet it was purported to have been written by Seyama on behalf of the Political Parties Assembly(PPA), Seyama has my number that’s why he called me to give me a picture of what happened.
Clearly, it’s true that Seyama of the Swazis First Democratic Front(SFDF) knew nothing about that statement because his cellphone was off the past weekend, he even confirmed that when he switched-on his cellphone, he was shocked to find messages, members of the public insulting him for disowning Dludlu’s statement.
Well,the problem with some of these PPA leaders is that they hate the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) more than Tinkhundla system and clearly, there’s nothing wrong with Wandile Dludlu’s May Day statement, the only problem to them is that, the statement was delivered by a PUDEMO leader.
Tinkhundla has been,over the years, using the media to portray PUDEMO as a terrorist entity and scandalizing it’s leaders.
It seems some leaders of the PPA and political parties are still suffering from the Tinkhundla scandalous political hangover, they were taught at a young age to hate PUDEMO and they still hate the political organization even after claiming to be progressive.
Perhaps let me make an example; a few weeks ago, journalists from the United States(US) contacted me saying they were compiling a documentary about how my work as journalist have changed the eSwatini political landscape including exposing corruption in the public administration.
After interviewing me,the journalists came back to report that one political leader they tried to interview about me declined and this is the same leader who once asked me to consider staying away from PUDEMO, saying people hate that political organization.
But this is a leader who once contacted me while being attacked by the police but the same leader doesn’t want to participate in an international project that seeks to promote my work just because, he/she previously accused me of being a PUDEMO member.
I can count a dozen of political leaders who are alive today just because the Swaziland News exposed Tinkhundla State agents in their plot to attack or even kill human rights defenders, some fled to exile after we published copies of warrants of arrest proving that, the State was after them.
But whenever a positive article is published about PUDEMO, they scream, saying the editor is a PUDEMO member and the question is; why do they rush to contact the same editor when attacked by the State.
Well, to them the editor must hate PUDEMO just because Tinkhundla taught them to hate the organization that worked and continues to work so hard in an attempt to liberate the people, some of its members were killed.
Some were even issuing statements thanking the United States for passing the sanctions Resolution 174, perhaps they are not even aware the names of emaSwati who were lobbying the US Senators highlighting the human rights violations in this country.
Therefore,the PPA statement has nothing to do with what was said by Wandile Dludlu during the May Day but,some leaders in that organization hate PUDEMO with passion.
As a result, they would rather issue a statement and sacrifice Dludlu or any PUDEMO member just to please Tinkhundla.
Seyama even said “We don’t want these PPA leaders to use me and the Swazis First Democratic Front in their fight against PUDEMO. I will give them time to discuss and explain why they used my name in that statement and if they fail to correct it,I will go public”.
I understood Seyama because I know the weakness of almost all the PPA leaders, even the one who communicated with the US journalists perhaps, was not aware that the colleagues told me.
I am afraid to say; some of these leaders will not help this country attain democracy if they focus on their hatred against PUDEMO, people want democracy not these party squabbles.
At first they complained that PUDEMO was dominating all coalition organizations, a new policy to ensure that PPA is led rotationally by all the political organizations was implemented, they were given a chance to lead but they failed.
Now, that it’s PUDEMO’s term to lead the PPA,they are attacking Deputy President Wandile Dludlu just to please Tinkhundla.
In conclusion,let me state that my conscience is clear; I’ve been working independently exposing the injustice against the people, all political leaders even those from the Tinkhundla system featured in this publication.
What usually strengthen me to continue serving the people through journalism is that, as Liswati, I know that I’m serving a society with no “thank you”.
A society that will even insult you for making sacrifices in an effort to liberate them, Wandile Dludlu must never be discouraged.
But it seems some of these leaders have a low self-esteem, they don’t want to see anything positive about PUDEMO because they hate the organization more than Tinkhundla system.
Issuing a press statement in Nkosingiphile Seyama’s name without his knowledge and brand him “Acting PPA Head of Secretariat” just to attack PUDEMO amounts to fraud and it’s a shame that the revolution could be led by such people.
The intention here was to set Seyama and his political party against PUDEMO.
Unfortunately, whether I’m labelled a PUDEMO member or not, let me state categorically that; there’s no way any political leader could simultaneously succeed in fighting PUDEMO and Tinkhundla system, they must choose one political battle.
PUDEMO has been persecuted by Tinkhundla system and declared a terrorist but it’s still alive today while Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini who declared the organization a terrorist entity saying, he was burying it is decaying in his grave.
As a journalist, I have as a matter of principle,defended many leaders of political parties who were under attack from Tinkhundla system, some used articles from this publication to apply for refugee status as proof that they ran away from persecution in eSwatini while some sent links to their international partners.
The problem with that PPA is that, it is dominated by individuals who hate PUDEMO with passion, they must leave Deputy President Wandile Dludlu alone and romance Tinkhundla, some of us were almost killed by this cruel regime and to us, Dludlu’s statement was on point.
PUDEMO Deputy President Wandile Dludlu.