swaziland times

MANZINI – Due to the covert hijacking of a prayer meeting that FESBC was set to host by some individuals, the organisation has postponed the event.

The Federation of Swaziland Business Councils (FESBC) prayer meeting was scheduled to be held at Tum’s Water World in Sidvokodvo yesterday. The prayer ceremony is known as the “FESBC Vusumnotfo Ceremony”. Mavela Sigwane, the FESBC’s head of transformation, explained that the postponement was necessary because of threats to disrupt the prayer meeting, posing a threat to national security. In an audio message inviting business people to attend the prayer meeting, Sigwane, on behalf of FESBC President Tum Du Pont, said the prayer meeting will begin at 10 a.m. The FESBC Vusumnotfo prayer meeting is expected to last about two to three hours.

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The prayers include fulfilling business resolutions for August, changing business environment and improving wealth.Sigwane also noted that attendees should fast for half a day and not eat breakfast before attending the event. Each member was asked to bring 100 euros for breakfast, which was provided by the business community. In the audio, Sigwane said they believe a good business environment requires a connection with Jesus Christ. “Without Jesus Christ, the business environment is not conducive. Some people are anti-Christian and they desperately, even resort to violence, to make laws to prevent business people from being successful,” he said.

Reporters went to Sidvokodvo to report on the incident. Police cars were parked at various locations and police were directing traffic. A police officer told reporters that the meeting had been cancelled and asked her to ask Sigwane for more details.Meanwhile, in an interview, Sigwane confirmed that the decision to postpone the prayer meeting was taken on Saturday night. He said the decision was made following a risk assessment by national intelligence services, and revealed that the law enforcement agency said it would provide further details at a formal meeting later this week.

Sigwane clarified that the postponement was due to a new threat to the meeting. He said the decision to suspend the meeting was to avoid potential danger and chaos.
FESBC transformation leaders stressed that their primary concern is to ensure the safety of all involved and avoid a repeat of past chaos, such as civil unrest caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. When asked about the identities of those behind the threats, Sigwane said they did not know yet but law enforcement officials would provide that information in an upcoming meeting with the business community.

Sigwane reiterated his commitment to hold the prayer meeting and said if necessary, they would consider booking a larger venue such as Mandwolo Hall or Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre based on advice from national security agencies. Senior Superintendent of Police Phindile Vilakati, chief officer of the Police Information and Communications Department, could neither confirm nor deny whether police had advised FESBC not to hold the prayer meeting because it posed a threat to national security. However, Vilakati confirmed that police had held a meeting with FESBC regarding the event.

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“I cannot reveal details of the discussion as the police department does not discuss security matters publicly. However, I can confirm that the discussion led to the decision to cancel the meeting,” the senior superintendent of police said. She reiterated that she could not provide specific reasons for the decision. Recently, a breakaway faction of FESBC formed a new alliance called Business Union of Swaziland (BUFE). The publication reported that BUFE has been officially registered and recently received a business license from the Labour Commissioner, Mthunzi Shabangu.

Delivered

Jobe Mashwama, a former FESBC member, is the president of the newly formed federation. He is assisted by Mzwandile Dlamini, a well-known lawyer who served as legal advisor to FESBC. Mangaliso Maseko, also a former executive member of FESBC, is the chief operating officer of BUFE. Maseko confirmed to the publication that BUFE was indeed established, noting that a large portion of its executive team is made up of former FESBC members. He explained that BUFE is a non-profit organization that works to safeguard the interests of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country. The federation’s mandate includes negotiating on behalf of its members on issues related to taxation, access to finance and working capital management for SMEs.