Pudemo urges Eswatini citizens to continue exerting pressure on government

The People’s United Democratic Movement (Pudemo) is urging the people of Eswatini to unite in exerting pressure on the country’s government to usher in democracy.

Pudemo has held a media briefing in Mbabane. It says the time has come to end the Tinkudla system of government led by King Mswati III.

Tensions are mounting in the Kingdom with activists demanding that a Prime Minister be directly elected by the people.

Pudemo President, Mlungisi Makhanya, says it is time now for eSwatini to have a multi-party democracy.

“The people of Swaziland (Eswatini) are as clear as they have always been over the decade that the regime of the remaining last absolute monarchy in Africa must fall, in terms of Tinkudla royal constitution of Swaziland the government of the country is constituted by and through the King who holds absolute  power over all arms of the state. Indeed Pudemo is heartened by the acts of bravery defiance and resilience of the people of our country, in demanding the full freedoms, their peaceful actions against this illegitimate regime,” says Makhanya.

Member of Parliament Mthandeni Dube says the people of Eswatini want to elect their own Prime Minister: 

Earlier, the government dismissed reports that the King had fled the country.

Appealing for calm, Eswatini Acting Prime Minister, Themba Masuku, said that the government was applying interventions to resolve the situation in the country.

Political analyst, Dr Sphetfo Dlamini, says the situation in Eswatini has a negative impact on the economic development of the country. He says it would be very important for both government and the political activists to engage in dialogue to find a solution.

“This matter requires serious political interventions the looting that is taking place there which has also contributed tremendously towards vigilantism. People are now talking law into their own hands; the silence is too loud from the government to which the people are supposed to hearing from and that one thing that contributes tremendously towards what is happening in Swaziland, the returns of truck is nothing to what we anticipate especially there’s much of platform or dialogue that is created between the concerned parties between the state and the leadership and those of cause who are advocating for the transformation of the political landscape,” says Dlamini.

Government has deployed its security forces on the ground to defuse the situation. Schools remain closed and government institutions will now close at 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

A curfew has also been introduced. People are not allowed to be on the streets from six o’clock in the evening and five o’clock in the morning.