THE CONFERENCE OF AFRICAN TRADITIONAL LEADERS HOSTED IN THE KINGDOM IS A SHAM
......The conference is a waste of public resources, and a mockery of African values and the continent’s development aspirations.
The African Union's thematic focus on colonialism, slavery, their impact on past and present generations, and their contribution to Africa's development challenges—including reparations—is critically important. However, the conference hosted by King Mswati III on this subjects falls far short of the moral and political leadership required.
For starters King Mswati III lacks the moral authority and legitimacy to host and lead a genuine conference of traditional leadership on the theme of restoring the dignity of Africans on the continent and in the diaspora. By lending its good name to this pedestrian platform, the African Union is displaying extreme insensitivity and disrespect to Africans everywhere.
The institution’s endorsement of a forum devoid of legitimacy and moral standing undermines the serious engagement required on the historically significant issues of damages inflicted by Western imperialism, colonialism, apartheid, and slavery on African peoples both on the continent and globally. Our objection to King Mswati III’s hosting of this conference is grounded in our direct experience with the Swazi kingship from the colonial era through to the present, including Mswati’s record since he assumed power in 1986.
He has long abandoned authentic African and Swazi values. Instead, he has weaponized culture as a tool for consolidating political power and advancing selfish business interests, completely disregarding the African principles of good governance and community welfare. King Mswati III and his family have failed the people of eSwatini, lacking both the moral standing and legitimacy to lead any genuine African initiative aimed at addressing the historical injustices of Western colonialism, slavery, and reparations.
The conference’s purported agenda of “probing justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparations,” alongside the renaissance of African values such as good governance and ubuntu, is not a matter for superficial posturing or self-promotion by so-called traditional leaders convened by King Mswati III.
Participants at the ongoing traditional leadership conference receiving gifts
Why Should Africa and Its Diaspora Trust These Traditional Leaders?
As Swazis and African people, we have a rightful duty to challenge the legitimacy and moral authority claimed by these leaders to represent Africans burdened by the scars of colonialism and slavery. History is replete with examples of traditional leaders who betrayed their own people by collaborating with colonialists and facilitating the slave trade. How can those wounded by such failures of leadership be led by individuals who have not first admitted to their own complicity and taken accountability for the wrongs of their institutions?
As Swazis we categorically reject and condemn the shameless abuse of scarce financial resources that are being squandered on a talk show with no substantive purpose, hosted by a country in deep crisis facing enormous developmental and service delivery challenges. The profound themes of justice for Africans and the renaissance of African values demand serious engagement, not mere spectacle.
Historical and Political Context of Our Objection
The Swazi people have endured decades of hardship and exploitation—from Afrikaner and British colonialism in the 19th and 20th centuries, to the oppressive rule of the Swazi royal family from 1973 to today. British colonial rule was marked by widespread exploitation and displacement through draconian laws like the 1907 Land Act that dispossessed over 66% of Swazi land, consigning indigenous peoples to poverty and servitude on just 34% of their ancestral land Continued repression was enforced by laws such as the Sedition and Suppression of Subversive Activities Act of 1938 and the Public Order Act of 1963, which outlawed political resistance.
The colonial government co-opted traditional structures under King Sobhuza II to quell resistance, while the king himself engaged in partisan politics by founding the Imbokodvo National Movement (INM) to serve royal interests.
The 1973 repeal of Eswatini’s constitution—a unilateral coup by Sobhuza II—abolished political parties, entrenched absolute monarchical power, and disenfranchised the Swazi nation without any referendum or consultation, creating the authoritarian institution that Mswati III now inherits and perpetuates.
Since 1973, despite persistent efforts by civil society and political parties to re-open dialogue and push for reforms, King Mswati III has steadfastly resisted calls to lift the state of emergency, legalize political organizations, and respect civil rights. Parliamentary elections remain meaningless in the absence of true political reform.
Some of the traditional leaders at the Traditional leadership conference
When the nation erupted in mass protests in June 2021 demanding radical reforms, the king responded with lethal force against unarmed protesters, resulting in over 80 deaths and hundreds injured, an act condemned globally. Our Key Contentions The monarchy’s claim that its Tinkhundla system represents a non-partisan, traditional governance model rooted in African values is false.
Sobhuza II’s political party ruled unopposed until the opposition made electoral gains in 1972, prompting the king’s unconstitutional takeover and abolition of democratic freedoms. The system lacks consensus, consultation, respect, and legitimacy—core African governance principles. King Mswati III wields illegitimate power derived from a 1973 military coup disguised as cultural heritage. He exploits culture to legitimize a fundamentally undemocratic system.
Attempts at constitutional reform have failed primarily because Mswati III refuses to repeal the 1973 decree that grants him extraordinary powers, including the banning of political parties and suppression of fundamental freedoms. The concentration of unchecked power has created a super-rich monarch focused on personal wealth accumulation at the expense of the people's welfare, using state resources and public assets for private gain.
The sovereign fund Tibiyo takaNgwane, established by Sobhuza II for development, holds vast investments controlled exclusively by the royal family with no accountability to the nation, with no tangible benefits delivered to the people over six decades. Land taken through colonial and royal schemes remains in the king’s control, with proceeds flowing to the royal family while indigenous communities continue to suffer poverty and displacement.
King Mswati III’s share of the national budget exceeds that of essential sectors like agriculture and primary education, while the country faces severe socioeconomic crises, including youth unemployment, corruption, healthcare collapse, and failing education infrastructure. Under King Mswati, the Kingdom was the only African country that openly collaborated with apartheid South Africa in the late 1980s and actually took up arms to fight cadres of the ANC and times conducted joint raids with the Afrikaner security agencies.
Conclusion
The conference hosted in the countrt is therefore not a legitimate platform for addressing Africa’s historical wounds or advancing African values. It is a distraction from the urgent democratic and developmental challenges facing eSwatini and the continent. The people of eSwatini and Africa deserve authentic leadership grounded in accountability, justice, and respect for democratic principles, not a façade of traditional authority used to mask authoritarian rule and selfish interests.