swaziland times

Mbabane – The exiled Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) chairman has vowed to reach neighbouring South Africa on November 2, 2024, despite being considered a fugitive in the Kingdom of Swaziland.

On the said day, he will be located in an area a few kilometers from the Kingdom of Swaziland. He said he would attend a “national gathering” event organised by his party, which will be held in KaMhlushwa in Mpumalanga. The former MP spoke about his upcoming event during an online show titled “Family Sessions” on Thursday and invited emaSwati to join him. Simelane began by stating that although many believed he was in the Kingdom of Swaziland last week, he was not actually doing so.

Received a report

He claimed that he had heard that the country’s security forces had searched for him after receiving a tip-off about his arrival by train. “What I can assure the emaSwati is that I will go to Africa after October. When I go to Africa, I will go to Kamhlushwa Stadium, 20 kilometres from the Mananga border post. There I will call on God and join other emaSwati. It will be during daylight hours,” he said. The former MP elaborated that the event was to unite all Emaswati people who want democratic change because they cannot be allowed to gather in the Kingdom of Swaziland.

“For emaSwati, the rally will be very helpful, not to mention that I will also be there. We will pray against all evil and pray for the success of the movement,” he said. He vowed that all conversations at the event would be directed towards God and that by the end of the year, the country would be dramatically changed. Besides, he said his party will approach certain institutions, one of which is the US Embassy, ​​to inquire about a petition submitted two years ago. He said the Swaziland Alliance of Political Parties would ensure that political parties in neighbouring countries were mobilised to call for a democratic Swaziland since the conclusion of the South African general election.
Simelane said the upcoming event, which is expected to have a large audience, will convince the people of South Africa that emaSwati wants change.
Invitation to Members
“We will also invite parliamentarians from other countries in the SADC region to let them hear our story. Even in the UK, we will try to invite two or more parliamentarians to attend the upcoming events. We want the whole world to be with us,” said Simelane. He said that on that day, emaSwati who was present at the event would get the chance to speak instead of him. Simelane gave a detailed account of the preparations for the event and requested financial support. He points out that approximately 85,000 euros would be needed to ensure the quality of the system’s sound. Interestingly, the exiled former MP said he was aware that his followers might fear that he would be arrested at the event because the Kingdom of Swaziland has bilateral relations with South Africa. Furthermore, he referred to the recent visit of the Swaziland delegation to the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva and said the presentation there about the political unrest in 2021 was not true.

Searching houses

Additionally, Simelane used his web show to condemn the Royal Swaziland Police Service (REPS) for raiding the homes of Sifofaneni MP Nomalongelo Simelane and former politician Ngomuayona Gameze a few days ago. During breaks, the former councillor would show video clips of gospel singers and local representatives of other political organisations who announced their support for the event. One of the groups featured in the video is the Swaziland Democratic Party (SWADEPA), whose chairman Barnes Dlamini said: “We appreciate what the SWADEPA is planning and want us to talk to God. We are here to pledge our full support to it. Let us go there and sharpen our sacred weapons. We will chant the name of God, that’s all.”

On the artist side, Pastor Scara Maziya appeared in a video clip where he invited other emaSwati to the event. Notably, earlier this year, the publication reported that Simelane had been granted refugee asylum in the UK for the next five years. Refugees have the same rights as British nationals to claim UK benefits. If they are refugees, they can work in the UK without any restrictions. He shared a copy of a letter from the UK Home Office dated February 8, 2024, detailing that his application for a deferral had been approved.

In July 2021, shortly after news broke that an arrest warrant had been issued against Simelane, Simelane fled the Kingdom of Swaziland. His arrest warrant was issued at the same time as those for jailed former MPs Mthandeni Dube and Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza. The two were arrested on July 25, 2021 and charged under the Suppression of Terrorism Act 2008. After fleeing Swaziland, Simelane said he went to Britain to publicise human rights violations in Swaziland. He said he was on a global campaign. Announcing his asylum status to his followers, Simelane revealed that the Swaziland government had cancelled the diplomatic passport issued to him.
This passport is a working tool that Simelane obtained as a member of parliament.

The granting of asylum means that the UK government has accepted that Simelane has a well-founded fear of persecution and therefore cannot return to the Kingdom of Swaziland, and therefore recognises him as a refugee under the 1951 Refugee Convention. By definition, a refugee is a person who has been forced to flee his or her country due to persecution, war or violence. A refugee is someone who has a well-founded fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.

International refugees

Seeking asylum is not an illegal act and, therefore, international refugee and human rights law standards protect those who enter or remain in a country’s territory without authorization from punishment, including in the form of detention or other restrictions on movement. According to research, the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention or the Geneva Convention of July 28, 1951, is a multilateral treaty of the United Nations that defines refugees, the rights of individuals granted asylum and the responsibilities of countries providing asylum.

The study also mentions the relationship between the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol? The 1967 Protocol expanded the scope of application of the 1951 Convention and removed its geographical and temporal limitations. These restrictions initially limited the Convention to persons who were refugees as a result of events that occurred in Europe before 1 January 1951.