In Eswatini, political turmoil has always been a matter of when, not if

The government of Eswatini was last evening fighting a crisis of existence following claims the king had left the country as pro-democracy protesters upped their ante.

But the events erupting in the tiny country bordered by South Africa and Mozambique started years, if not decades ago.

Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku admitted there was a “situation” in the country but told a virtual press conference the king had not left, as earlier reported. 

“His Majesty King Mswati III is in the country and continues to lead in working with government to advance the kingdom’s goals,” Mr Masuku told a virtual press conference.

“The government will update the nation on interventions on the current situation as the day progresses.”

Eswatini, known as Swaziland until 2018, is a country of 1.2 million people. Run by the monarch, he wields powers over appointment of ministers, judges, civil servants and almost anyone else in the country.

Considered a lower-middle income country, it has a population that is mostly poor, with six in every 10 people living below the poverty line, according to a bulletin by the World Bank.

Freedom of speech

With political freedoms limited and political parties banned since April 1973, the country’s people, known as emaSwati, have been agitating through lobbies, some of them exiled in South Africa, to push for change.

And for the past three weeks, protesters angered by the lack of political reform became increasingly vocal in demanding an elected prime minister with executive powers and freedom of speech, amongst other things. 

And the king added more fuel to the protests after officially banning petitions. The Times of Eswatini reported that a “revolution” had begun, after a “third night of chaos”.

The protests actually began three weeks ago after a group of about 500 youths took to the streets in Manzini district, some 30 kilometres from the capital. They were protesting against police brutality after the death of law student Thabani Nkomonye earlier in June. 

Mr Colani Khulekani Maseko, the president of the Swaziland National Students' Union, said they were demanding the end of police brutality and a multi-party democracy “in which the police are accountable to the people and not only to the king.”

Nkomonye, the 25-year-old was a final year law student at the University of Eswatini and was allegedly killed by police, who also allegedly tried to hide his death and tamper with evidence. 

Nkomonye's body was recently found in a field in Nhlambeni, about 10km outside Manzini. 

Protests escalated

“The protests were sparked by a few MPs who are moderate. They called for an elected prime minister and the youth picked up the baton stick and started marching. The government would often say ‘you are allowed to go to the constituency offices’” said Mr Lucky Lukhele, spokesperson for the pro-democracy group Swaziland Solidarity Network.

“So, they decided to use the constituency offices to register their displeasure. Some of those constituency offices, are in deep rural areas.” 

The demands snowballed, however. In addition to having a directly elected prime minister, they also want the unconditional return of all political exiles, and an interim government that will run the kingdom for two years before a new government is elected into power. 

The government had a trick up its sleeve, however. And Mr Masuku announced a decree by the king banning all marches two weeks ago. National Police Commissioner William Dlamini warned that officers would be “zero-tolerant” of breaches of the ban.

The protests escalated on Monday, nonetheless, as groups started targeting facilities. Leading chain store OK Foods in Matsapa was set on fire and a confrontation between the police and protesters became intense. The Times of Eswatini photographed a police man negotiating for his gun, snatched by the youth after he reportedly dropped it in a confrontation.

Eswatini, Africa’s last absolute monarchy, has one of the most youthful populations in Africa. Its median age is just 20.7 years and most of the people were not born when political parties were banned. It is the only country in Africa that recognises Taiwan as independent of China.

The king, for his part, has been marrying more often. Through the controversial Umhlanga Reed Dance, where girls dance topless, Mswati III’s wife selection parades were only restricted by Covid-19. By the last count, he had married 15 times, although some reports say he has 18 wives.

High maintenance queens

The wives are high maintenance queens, each with a security detail, a house befitting a king and an annual budget that goes with it. Mswati III once imported dozens of Range Rovers and Porsches for the queens. But it is the ceremonies which angered donors, some of who say it made fighting HIV/Aids difficult.

Yet Eswatini lives next to a politically vibrant South Africa and most citizens work or rely on trade with South Africa. The Economic Freedom Fighters of Swaziland, which borrows the name from South African Julius Malema’s party, has pushed for reform.

The group said on Tuesday its supporters in Eswatini had demanded peaceful protests, only to be bludgeoned by the police.

“We call upon all Swazis not to give up now, Victory is coming tomorrow,” said Mr Sphelele Nkomondze, the group’s spokesperson in a statement.

“As a peaceful organisation, we always believe in peaceful ways to sort the differences with the government, but those in power always use their power and influence to unleash violence. We will defend ourselves every time we are attacked,” the official said.

There are other problems. Using Covid-19, the government has cracked down on free movement, which often affected even cargo carriers, according to the Network.

“Every day at 5pm all major border gates are closed, if you are a truck driver; you cross and just park next to the border gate because that’s where it’s safe. The trucks are not allowed in and out of Swaziland,” Mr Lukhele added. 

Pro-Mswati camp

As protests rose, reports indicated the king had been unable to access his palace a few days ago and had to seek refuge at a local hotel. 

Seeing that the youths were unrelenting, the king reportedly decided to flee before they invaded the airport as well. 

“Before he left, he instructed the army to move in and quell the situation. There are reports that one person has been killed,” Mr Lukhele said.

There was a new danger emerging on Tuesday, with reports showing the army may now be divided between the pro-Mswati camp and those siding with the protesters.

The army was deployed to areas of unrest on Monday night after trucks – some of them belonging to South African companies – were torched over the weekend and shops looted in the rural town of Siphofaneni.

The Economic Freedom Fighters of Swaziland condemned the deployment of the army “to unleash violence towards innocent citizens”. 

The party said the pro-democracy protests escalated after dozens of students marched to Eswatini's Parliament to demand justice for a young man believed to have been killed by the police.