Question NW385 to the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
07 March 2023 - NW385
Msane, Ms TP to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation
Whether the Government has made any recommendations for member states to intervene in the killing of the citizens of Eswatini by their head of state, since assuming the Presidency of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa during his tenure as Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation, was seized with finding a lasting solution to the political challenges in Eswatini.
As a SADC member, South Africa concurs with the decisions taken by SADC, including the most recent decisions of the Extraordinary SADC Organ Troika Summit held in Namibia on 31 January 2023, regarding the Kingdom of Eswatini. These decisions, amongst others, condemn all killings and property destruction in the Kingdom, and calls for the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini to urgently initiate the National Dialogue process. The Summit also calls for the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini to conduct a swift, transparent, and comprehensive investigation into the killing of Mr Thulani Maseko.
South Africa, therefore, continues to urge all affected parties in the Kingdom of Eswatini to maintain calm and peacefully engage in the National Dialogue. South Africa is always available to contribute to the stabilisation efforts in the Kingdom of Eswatini for the benefit of the two countries.
South Africa aligns itself with the decision of the 36th African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government which expressed concern at the unfolding situation in the Kingdom of Eswatini. The Assembly requested the African Union Commission to work in partnership with SADC and the Kingdom to coordinate interventions for the promotion of peace and inclusive dialogue amongst the Kingdom’s stakeholders, with a view to achieving a peaceful resolution to the political and social crisis in the country. This decision is based on the well-established AU principle of subsidiarity and the ethos of the AU’s Peace and Security Architecture. Also, the decision was taken following the consideration, by the Assembly, of the report of the AU Peace and Security Council, chaired by South Africa for the month of February 2023, on its activities and the status of peace and security on the Continent.