Police in Swaziland have said
people must not hold meetings – even social gatherings – without the permission
of their chief.
This was said at a
three-day workshop for inner councils covering the areas of Somntongo and
Matsanjeni South parliamentary constituencies.
It comes as Swaziland is
preparing for national elections later in 2018. Political parties are banned
from taking part in the kingdom where King Mswati III rules as sub-Saharan
Africa’s last absolute monarch.
Public debate during election time is severely curtailed.
Chiefs are appointed by the
King and are considered to be his eyes and ears at the local level. Chiefs are
more important than elected members of parliament, according to the Elections
and Boundaries Commission (EBC).
Police Assistant Inspector
Sakhile Mncina told 150 members of the inner councils that it was important for
any activity that was held in their respective areas under chiefs to be
reported.
The Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by the King, reported
(26 March 2018) Mncina said, ‘Even visitors should be known to the leaders of
the community. No event should take place without the chief’s permission. It’s
important to seek permission for ceremonies that take place in communities.
‘There are social
gatherings which also have to be brought to the attention of elders before
taking place. This is done in order to make sure that in the event something
else happens, no one should have an excuse.’
Chiefs in Swaziland wield
tremendous power over their subjects and can, for example, determine whether
people are allowed to live in the area, or whether children can attend
universities and colleges. In some cases they decide who lives and who dies as
they are in charge of distributing international food aid to starving
communities. About a third of the population of Swaziland receive food aid each
year.
Chiefs can and do take
revenge on their subjects who disobey them. There is a catalogue of cases in
Swaziland. For example, Chief Dambuza Lukhele of Ngobelweni in the Shiselweni
region banned his subjects from ploughing their fields because some of them defied his order to build a
hut for one of his wives.
Nhlonipho Nkamane Mkhatswa,
chief of Lwandle in Manzini, the main commercial city in Swaziland, reportedly stripped a woman of her clothing in the middle of a street in full view of the public
because she was wearing trousers.
In November 2013, the newly-appointed Chief Ndlovula of Motshane threatened to evict nearly 1,000 of
his subjects from grazing land if they did not pay him a E5,000 (about US$500
at the time) fine, the equivalent of more than six months income for many in
Swaziland.
In March 2017 the Swazi Observer reported the EBC told residents during a voter education
exercise at Engwenyameni
Umphakatsi, ‘it was not acceptable have elected politicians to behave as if
they were above community leaders’.
It added, ‘Chiefs remain
superior to any other person in communities as they are the administrative arm
of His Majesty King Mswati III.’
See also
CHIEF PUNISHES RESIDENTS WITH FINE
KING'S DEFIANT SUBJECTS 'WILL BURN'
CHIEF FORCES SUBJECTS TO GREET KING
BULLYING CHIEFS RULE IN SWAZILAND
CHIEF MAKES WOMAN IN PANTS STRIP
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