Opposition gatecrashes SADC meeting with Eswatini ministers aimed at defusing crisis in the kingdom.
Regional ministers sent to Eswatini to try to defuse the crisis there after a week of deadly and destructive protests met the government, but left without having properly engaged the opposition.
Opposition leaders said the government had handpicked only a few less-critical civil society leaders to meet the three ministers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on Sunday.
Then leaders of the real opposition heard about this and gatecrashed the meeting which the SADC ministers were having with Eswatini’s acting Prime Minister, Themba Masuku, Foreign Minister Thuli Dladla, Justice Minister Pholile Dlamini Shakantu and a few church and civil society leaders.
The external foreign ministers in the meeting were South Africa’s Naledi Pandor, Botswana’s Lemogang Kwape and Zimbabwe’s Frederick Shava, representing SADC’s security organ troika, which is tasked with addressing regional security threats.
Violent protests erupted in Eswatini 10 days ago and spread to several cities and towns. Prominent human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko, secretary of the Law Society of Eswatini, said at least 52 protesters had been killed by security forces and scores injured.
He said the army had taken over the security of…