A royal source of confusion

2005-06-14 10:24

Cape Town - Swaziland's monarchy will continue to be a source of intrigue and confusion in the country's politics, a Swazi academic says in a newly-released study.

In the latest of a series of "country reports" issued by the South African Institute of Race Relations, Dr Joshua Mzizi, senior lecturer in theology at the University of Swaziland, says King Mswati III exercises absolute power over the executive, judicial and legislative arms of government.

"The king may summon the cabinet for any matter at any time, and may dissolve parliament without being subjected to providing reasons," he says. "The king may refuse to assent to a bill passed by both chambers of parliament."

He says Mswati wants a political system that will support all his initiatives and be totally dependent on his largesse and generosity.

"In order to achieve this, the monarchy has to hide under the veneer of ideological slogans that tie together in a strange way the ideals of a false democracy, a stage-managed concept of consensus rule, and the general deception that the will of the people determines all political initiatives and direction of change in Swaziland."

Mzizi says the Swazi parliament has shown it is weary of royal control, which puts the king's agenda at risk in the near future.

Underlying this political contestation is the question of what ought to triumph — tradition or modernity.

However, says Mzizi, the real issue ought to be whether the two camps #151; tradition and modernity — are willing to engage with each other and find common positions, "debunking unworkable archaic ideals that have been heretofore used only for ideological reasons".

- SAPA