By Zweli Martin Dlamini

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis and a looming second wave of the pandemic with our health system collapsing, the only thing that is flashing on Senator Isaac Magagula’s ‘empty’ political head is the enactment of laws that will censor social media and undermine the  citizens' Constitutional right to freedom of expression.

Indeed, one would have expected Parliament to force the Executive to provide drugs in hospitals and working equipment for health workers to protect citizens particularly, the elderly that include Magagula because their lives remain in danger in the midst of the COVID-19, but alas, the Senator continues to dream in broad daylight about shutting down digital media and the most unfortunate part is that as taxpayers we are paying his salary to 'sleep' and dream in that Parliament.

Perhaps, let me remind Senator Isaac Magagula that he was never elected by the people but was appointed by King Mswati because as a former National Commissioner, he carries a lot of King’s secrets about kuvala ngemakhada emadvodza(closing with human skull) he must never regard himself as a politician because he know nothing about politics.

We have many eMaswati who disappeared in this country mysteriously and the police failed to locate them, instead the media was directed to attribute every ritual killing and harvesting of human parts in this country to aspiring Members of Parliament(MPs) but no MP was ever arrested and convicted for killing a human being for ritual purposes.

Now, here is a Senator who, perhaps due to his old age thinks we don’t know why he was appointed into that position, manipulated Parliamentary Privileges to call for the implementation of strategies that will undermine the people’s right to freedom of expression on digital media, he must just shut-up and enjoy the benefits of that position as his package for carrying secrets about the King’s praises of kuvala ngemakhanda emadvodza(closing with human skulls).

It is important for Isaac Magagula to know that this country belongs to Emaswati and they have a right to question those in power about public issues on social media, government can go ahead and enact Cyber Laws but the freedom of expression will never be stopped by corrupt and ‘empty headed’ political bullies who aspire to regulate our right to think and express ourselves. 

As a former National Commissioner, Isaac Magagula must speak in Parliament and give an account about the disappearance of the  hundreds of citizens who were allegedly murdered for ritual purposes, we are not a generation that will keep quiet and allow these old bullies to mess-up this country.

Sibongile Mazibuko, a resident of Sidvwashini is on record telling this publication that Isaac Magagula  intimidated them for demanding justice after a child was murdered in that area and dumped in a forest, this means Magagula might be having information about the whereabouts of our missing children as former head of State security.

Furthermore, Lucky 'Obama' Matsentjwa, a former police officer who was working closely with Isaac Magagula told this publication that some suspects who are still missing were thrown by the police into various dams to be feasted by crocodiles, while others were dumped at Hlane Game Reserve to be feasted by lions, all this information regarded as State secrets reached the public through digital media and Isaac Magagula have a reason to be worried.

But then, as mentioned earlier, no law or even E10million fine will ever stop digital media and Online journalism, the only thing that the proposed Cyber Law might achieve is to instill more anger among the people and speed-up a revolution and once the democratic government takes over, all the questionable laws enacted by political bullies will be set aside. 

It should be noted that Isaac Magagula is one of the most corrupt politicians who uses every opportunity to cover-up his scandals, this is proven by the finger-prints mess where he allegedly manipulated the government computer system to delete criminal records with the intention of employing convicted criminals into the police service.

In the midst of that scandal, he used his connections with the captured media to hide behind the leaf, implicating few senior officers when in fact he was the prime suspect and because this is a jungle country, he was rewarded with a political position and never arrested.

In 2018, he addressed an event confirming that about 200 citizens were murdered within a year but as the then most senior police officer, he failed to give an account what happened to those people, of course we know some of them like Funekile Gule were allegedly murdered by his friends and the police were ordered to mislead the public through the captured media that they committed suicide or killed by dogs.

As an old man, its possible that Magagula might literally sleep in Parliament and dream of shutting down the digital media but then, he must know that if the spirits of the people who died mysteriously in this country under his watch are now hunting him, he must stop speaking 'nonsense' in that Parliament and go home, no one will stop the digital media, not even a E10million fine intimidation.

The independent media and human rights organisations should do their job here, we must advocate for an independent investigation by reputable organisations like Amnesty International into the killing of citizens before Isaac Magagula dies, for he carries a lot of information and secrets that is why he is intimidated by the online media that he cannot control. 

This system is very strategic, it is clear that the people are killed and human parts harvested during elections time so that the media can divert the thinking of the people and blame aspiring MPs, if that’s the case, why are we not having at least a few Legislators behind bars for ritual killings? I am not saying aspiring MPs are innocent, some of them might have attempted or murdered people for political positions because people have different beliefs, but knowing what  is happening in this country behind scenes, we must be very worried about the conduct of Isaac Magagula.

The problem with Isaac is that he thinks all of us were trained to take orders without questioning like police officers, no, we are independent minded citizens who analyse and question those in power about issues that impact our welfare, this is our Constitutional right. 

In conclusion, let me remind Senator Magagula that we are citizens of this country, no 'empty headed' political bully should be allowed to regulate our thinking and channel us how we should address those in power. We don’t owe anyone to enjoy our right to express ourselves about issues that impact our welfare hence we took exception that a former National Commissioner who failed to protect the lives of citizens but instead was allegedly complicit to the killings by failing to arrest criminals now uses Parliament to try and control digital media.

The Senator must shut-up and enjoy the benefits of that position as part of his package of carrying secrets about the alleged kuvala ngemakhanda emadvodza, he is just an ‘empty headed politician’ and was never elected by the people, he must go and tell King Mswati who appointed him to back-off as well.