swaziland times

HARARE – Finally, the Kingdom of Swaziland has officially withdrawn from the agenda of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) troika body.

This follows a recommendation adopted by Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) yesterday at the 44th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit.
The decision means that the Kingdom of Swaziland no longer poses a political and security threat according to the Troika’s standards. In simple terms, this means that the Kingdom of Swaziland no longer has issues that are worrying the Southern African Development Community.

Safety

The Southern African Development Community Troika is a governance structure within the Southern African Development Community, primarily responsible for political, defense and security affairs. It was established to strengthen regional cooperation and stability, particularly in response to crises affecting member countries. Under this system, SADC gives the Troika the power to make quick decisions that would normally be taken at regularly scheduled policy meetings, and the authority to provide policy guidance to SADC institutions during regular summits. Since the political turmoil, Swaziland’s democratic groups have been hoping that the Southern African Development Community will deliver on their calls for democratic change.

The latest development comes after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia formally submitted an application to withdraw from the agenda of the Southern African Development Community Troika institution. Last year, His Majesty the King submitted an application to the leaders of the Southern African Development Community, stating that the issues that led to the unrest in June 2021 have been completely resolved and the situation has returned to normal. The request was made by Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla, who was in Harare on behalf of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Pholile Shakantu ahead of the SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government which opened yesterday. In her address, the Minister said: “Given the progress made in Swaziland and the continued stable political and security situation, I wish to reiterate my Government’s request that it consider favourably the removal of the Kingdom of Swaziland from the Troika’s agenda.

Stablize

“We believe that the measures taken and the progress reported are consistent with the shared goals of regional stability and prosperity.” She pointed out that the 2023 national general elections were successfully held in a peaceful and stable atmosphere, with the strong support of all Swazi voters of voting age, and foreign observer missions such as the Southern African Development Community Election Observation Mission, the African Union, the Commonwealth and the Russian Federation also gave positive comments, which fully affirmed the progress made by the Kingdom of Swaziland. The Minister added that the success of the People’s Assembly (Sibaya), which allows citizens to engage directly with the leadership on national issues, underscores the country’s commitment to a consultative and inclusive approach to governance. “This process, this time-honoured way of dialogue, deeply rooted in our culture, is yet another testament to Emasiswati’s resilience and solidarity,” she said.

Unwavering

The Foreign Minister said the Kingdom has an unwavering commitment to multilateralism and cooperation with its neighbours and the wider region. She said the principles of peace, democracy and good governance enshrined in the SADC Treaty and Protocol continued to guide Swaziland’s actions as Swaziland’s principles were guided by the Constitution of the Kingdom of Swaziland (2005). Elias Magosi, Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community, announced the removal of Swaziland from the Troika agenda.