Izinguquko ezizoqhamuka eSwatini azingemuki neSihlalo soBukhosi
UNgubane ungungoti wezindaba ezimayelana ne-Afrika nezokubusa.
Siphila esikhathini lapho indlela izintatheli, abezindaba nemithombo yokuxhumana ngokwehlukana kwayo abasebenza ngayo yenza kungabi lula ukuthola iqiniso eligcwele ngodaba oluthize, noma ukuqinisekisa ukuthi lokho okushicilelwe kungabe kunjalo noma cha. Esinye sesizathu esidala lokho ukuthi esikhathini esiningi abamaphephandaba nezintatheli bazithola ‘beqhudelana’ bodwa, baphinde baqhudelane nanoma ubani onemithombo yakhe yezokuxhumana okumenza akwazi ukuthi ‘ashicilele’ okuthiwa yizindaba noma ngabe singekho isiqinisekiso sokuthi lunjalo, noma cha.
Lo mkhuba wokujaha ukushicilela udaba kwenzekile kuleli sonto lapho imithombo eyahlukene yezindaba eNingizimu Afrika idalulele ukuthi iNgwenyama yemaSwati, isisekubhaceni kwelinye izwe emveni kokuqubuka kwemibhikisho eSwatini. Lo mbiko udale, futhi izinkinga ezimbili. Eyokuqala, kunokuba kugxilwe esimweni sezepolitiki eSwatini – kubhekisiswe ukuthi yini eyenzakalayo, yini ebiyenzeka yonke le minyaka, ngenxa yendlela udaba olubikwa ngayo, kugcine sekukhulunywa ngokuthi iNgwenyama ‘isilifulathele’ izwe layo. Okwesibili, imibiko enjengalena – eshicilelwa ibe ingaqinisekiswanga kumele ithathwe njengaleyo ehlose ukwakha isithombe esingesihle ngobuholi banoma yiliphi izwe, kulokhu, eSwatini. Lesi sithombe, ngesiqonde ukuhlaza uBukhosi – ngokungabheki udaba ngokwenzekayo eSwatini ngokugcwele – kodwa kuphuthunywe kushicilelwe ukuthi emaSwati ‘asedingise’ iNgwenyama. Lo mbiko ube yisikhumbuzo sokuthi ukusebenza kwezintatheli nezinkundla zokuxhumana kuningi okusamele bakulungise ngendlela abadidiyela ngayo izindaba ezithinta iAfrika.
Kuningana esingakubalula ngesimo sezepolitiki, nezigameko zakamuva eSwatini, nesibona kuyikho okumele kugxilwe kuko uma kunenjongo yokuthola ingqikithi bese kuvela ikhambi elingeke libhebhethekise isimo esesivele simanzonzo. Okokuqala, izigameko zakamuva eSwatini ziyingxenye yemibhikisho osekuphele amasonto yaqala. Lokhu esikubone kuma thelevishini, nokubikwe ngamaphephandaba ase Ningizimu Afrika, lapho kuvela kushiswa amathayi, ukuvalwa kwemigwaqo, ‘kunguvuthondaba’ lwemibhikisho ebikade isikhona ezweni. Okwesibili, le mibhikisho yakamuva, akumele futhi akulula ukuthi yehlukaniswe neminye yangaphambilini evame ukuqubuka eSwatini, nebiholwa izinhlangano ezahlukene zezepolitiki, ezilwela amalungelo abantu, kanye nalezo ezikhalazela ezenhlalakahle yezakhamuzi. Okugqanyiswayo ngezigameko zakamuva yiqhaza lentsha eSwatini kulemibhikisho, ukusabalala kwezigameko kwizifunda namadolobha ehlukene ezweni, nokwenza kuthiwe izinguquko ezinqala kwezokubuswa kwezwe eSwatini ziseMome. Okwamanje, uyobe uyaqagela ongathi angawuqinisekisa noma awuphikise lo mbono ngezinguquko, kodwa okungaphawulwa wukuthi zike zabakhona ezinye izigameko phambilini eSwatini okwathi mhla zenzeka kwathiwa izinguquko sezingene emagcekeni. Isibonelo, ngeyowezi-2008, eSwatini yasingathwa izidubedube zokuhlaselwa ngamabhomu emadolobheni nasezindaweni ezahlukene, nalapho iqembu elabe libizwa nge-Umbane People’s Liberation Army yathi yiyo eyabe iyiphakile. Ukuvela kwemibiko yokuthi sekuneqembu elihlomile kwandisa imibono ethi, impela izinguquko kwezepolitiki sezifikile eSwatini. Kepha – ngokuhamba kwesikhathi – lesiwombe sangaleyo minyaka sadlula, , noma ukwedlula kwaso kungashongo ukuthi izingqinamba ezazikhona zabe sezithole isisombululo, ukube kwakunjalo, ngabe lokhu okwenzeka namuhla akukho.
Okunye okungeke kubalekelwe uma kubhekwa lemibhikisho yangamuva ukuthi ESwatini sekuphele iminyaka ecishe ibe ngama-33 ibhekene nemibhikisho eyehlukene neqondene nokubuswa kwezwe. Isibonelo nje, iqembu eliqavile kule mibhikisho yiPeople’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) neyasungulwa ngowe-1985. Mhla isungulwa iPUDEMO yazibophezela “ngokuphelele ekwakheni i-eSwatini ebuswa ngedemokrasi nalapho umnotho wezwe uzothokozelwa yizo zonke izakhamuzi futhi wabiwe ngokulinganayo”. Kuze kube yinamuhla, iPUDEMO njengeqembu eliqavile, kanye namanye asamile ekutheni yikho lokhu abakulwelwayo. ‘Kule mpi’ abakuyo, kunemibuzo engeke ibalekelwe nokumele icubungunwe ukuze uma isizwe semaSwati nezwe beqhamuka nesisombululo kube ngesivutshelwe ‘ngosiko’ lwezepolitiki yokudabuka ezweni. Eminye yalemibuzo ithi: kungabe uhlelo lweDemokhrasi okuyilo oluhlongozwa futhi olufiswa amaqembu anjengoPUDEMO kanye namanye, lwehluke kanjani futhi kangakanani kuhlelo lombuso olukhona eSwatini olubizwa ngeTikundla. Kungabe ikhona yini indlela yokuthi uhlelo lweDemokhrasi lusebenzisane nohlelo lweTikundla? Yini enhle ngohlelo lweDemokhrasi engaqinisa uhlelo lweTikundla, yini futhi enhle ngohlelo lweTikundla engaqinisa uhlelo lweDemokhrasi? Lena ngenye yemibuzo edinga izimpendulo kubaholi eSwatini ngokwehlukana kwabo ukuze uma kutholakala ikhambi, kungabi ngeliphekwe ‘ngosiko’ lwezepolitiki nezinhlelo zakwezinye izizwe nabo kufika, bese kukhohlwa ngezinhlelo zokubusa ezidabuka kwelase Afrika.
Okunye okungeke kubalekelwe nokunomthelela kwizigameko zangamuva wukuthi sekuphele iminyaka emaSwati ehlezi ngaphansi kwengcindezi kwezomnotho nalapho izakhamuzi – mihla namalanga – zikhalazela ukesweleka kwamathuba emisebenzi, indlala, yintsha esilahlekelwe yithemba ngekusasa elinenkazimulo, kanye nokunye. Kuthi kunjalo, isizwe kodwa siyabona ukuthi kukhona abathize abadla izambane lika pondo, nabahlezi ngokunethezeka, okubalwa osopolitiki, nalabo abayingxenye yeNdlu yoBukhosi eSwatini. Ungawuhamba wonke umhlaba, isimo esifana nalesi angeke singadali inzondo eyisimanga kwingxenye yezakhamuzi ethatha ukudla kwayo imbuya ngothi njengento eyenziwa ngabomu yilabo abaphethe izintambo zombuso. UKuthatha isimo kanjena kwenza kubenzima ukwehlukanisa phakathi kwezikhalazo ngokuthi izwe liphethwe kanjani, futhi liphethwe ngubani, nalezo ezihlangene nobubha izakhamuzi ezibhekene nabo. Lokhu kubalulekile ukuthi sikuqondisise ngoba emhlabeni ungaka nje maningi amazwe lapho izakhamuzi zingaphethwe ngaphansi kwedemokhrasi kepha ngenxa yokuthi uHulumeni unezinhlelo ezinohlonze zokubhekelela izakhamuzi lawo mazwi ahlezi ngokuthula.
Kukho konke okwenzekayo eSwatini okucacile ukuthi sekufike isikhathi lapho zonke izinhlaka ezikhona ezweni kumele ‘zizithobe’ zehlele ngezansi ukuze kuvulekele amathuba okuqala indlela yokufakana imilomo. Ukuze lokhu kwenzeke, uHulumeni ESwatini kuzomele wazi ukuthi isimo sezepolitiki obhekene naso angeke sixazululwe ngokuqinisa ingalo yomthetho kuphela. Ngaleyo ndlela, isinqumo esithathwe kuleli sonto sokuvala izwe ngenxa ka Khuvethe, nokumiswa kwemihlangano yemiphakathi, nokumisa isikhathi sokufika emakhaya ukuthi siqale nge hora lesi-6 ntambama, kuya kwelesi-4 ekuseni, ngesikhombisa ukuthi uHulumeni awukazimiseli ukubhekana ngqo, nangobulungiswa nesimo esikhona ezweni. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, abaholi bemibhikisho, kumele benze ngakho konke ukugwema ukuthi abakulwelayo kugcine sekuthathwa njengobugebengu ngoba lokhu kwandisa amathuba okuthi uHulumeni uqinise umhlwenga, kunokuba ehlele ngezansi kuboniswane ngezikhazalo esezibekwe ezithebeni.
Izimo zepolitiki ezifana nalokhu okwenzeka eSwatini – ngokuhamba kwesikhathi – ziza nezinguquko. Noma izinguquko zizogcina zenzenkile okubalulekile wukuthi, izakhamuzi, izinhlangano nabaholi ebehlukene ezweni benze ngakho konke ukuthi izinqumo abazithathayo makube ngezizokwazi ukuvikile ubunjalo, ukubaluleka nendawo yeSihlalo sobuKhosi ESwatini ngoba ngaphandle kwaso, akukho lizwe nasizwe okungakhulunywa ngakho.