Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Mbabane (Agenzia Fides) - “The Constitution was adopted and a significant portion of the Swazi people was left out of the process. We believe that it was due to being marginalized that led some people to adopt crude and violent methods so as to force change in the country. This is really a cry for attention and recognition. The recent bombings are thus a manifestation of the failure by the ruling elite to engage in serious and honest dialogue with the citizenry.” These are the words of Bishop Louis Ncamiso Ndlovu of Manzini (Swaziland), Vice-President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC), in a message he published in a local newspaper, as a call on the country's leaders, after a recent wave of bombings swept through various regions of the small southern African nation. The Bishop's statement was sent to Agenzia Fides.
Bishop Ndlovu speaks out strongly against the attacks: “...we have to mention that the Church condemns all forms of violence. Accordingly therefore: 'Terrorism is to be condemned in the most absolute terms. It shows complete contempt for human life and can never be justified, since the human person is always an end and never a means. Acts of terrorism strike at the heart of human dignity and are an offense against all humanity; there exists, therefore, a right to defend oneself from terrorism' (Pope John Paul II, Message for the 2002 World Day of Peace).”
The leaders of the country have blamed some of the members of the opposition for the attacks. On November 15, Mario Masuku, leader of the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) was arrested on charges of terrorism. The PUDEMO, along with another three opposition movements, have been disabled by the Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini, on grounds of the anti-terrorist law. The Bishop of Manzini criticizes Masuku's arrest and the closed policy with which the King and the government are treating the opposition: “Last week the Prime Minister dropped a bombshell by putting a clear plan on how to deal with those who disagreed with the ruling elite. He branded a number of liberation movements as terrorists and proclaimed that anyone found to be a member or even associating with them would face the full might of the terrorism act. The subsequent arrest of the leader of the Peoples’ United Democratic Movement, Mario Masuku, was a clear indication that the dictates of the King were now being adhered to.”
Swaziland is an absolute monarchy, led by King Mswati III, known for his extravagant lifestyle in an extremely poor nation. Bishop Ndlovu mentions that in an address preceding that of the Prime Minister, “The King emphasized that those who disagreed with the status quo were to be throttled and dealt with harshly. He invoked the old maxim of an eye for an eye. We all know that if we were to live by this maxim the whole nation would become blind.” (LM) (Agenzia Fides 25/11/2008)
