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 By turning their backs on apartheid South Africa, some countries helped us to taste the freedom that we enjoy today. We dare not forget that. 

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Those who are for the loan argue, among other things, that an economic meltdown in the tiny kingdom will spill over into South Africa.

The argument is also being made that it is not the government or king who are suffering, but civil servants, businesses, citizens and the poor.

But the dissenting voices are also amplifying their voices by invoking South Africa's own struggles against oppression.

In the eyes of many, South Africa has sold out and provided the last absolute monarch with a new lease and space to manoeuvre.

In their minds, this loan is only going to benefit an unpopular king and strengthen this fallacy of a democracy.

What they are advocating is for South Africa to allow Swaziland to reach the precipice, thereby forcing radical reform in the kingdom.

The South African government's assertion that Swaziland is not being given a blank cheque to do as it pleases but that there are stringent conditions to the loan and that it will be repaid in instalments through a debit order to the Southern Africa Customs Union, is of little comfort to the opposition and its partners in civil society.

The turmoil in the economic and political spaces of our neighbours is forcing South Africa to confront an unavoidable moral dilemma.

As a country whose history is littered with the suppression of human rights and the brutal murder of activists and innocent citizens, do we have the moral duty to isolate undemocratic states and their leaders even if it would sour relations and lead to a burden on our already stretched resources?

It is true that a meltdown in Swaziland cannot do South Africa a lot of good, as evidenced in the collapse of Zimbabwe.

Yes, Zimbabwean ministers would have us believe that life in Zimbabwe could not be better, but ask the millions of Zimbabweans who risk life and limb crossing treacherous wild life-infested terrain in search of a better life in Mzansi.

The question that post- apartheid South Africa should confront is whether it is right to put immediate economic concerns over the quest for a just and peaceful world.

Most of our current and former government leaders have made incalculable sacrifices in the struggle for liberation.

But they did not win this fight alone. If the international world did not eventually put a tight squeeze on the apartheid government's coffers, then the fight against this injustice would have been far more arduous than it already was.

As it turned out, many superpowers and businesses continued to do business with apartheid South Africa, and thus inadvertently strengthened these enemies of democracy and prolonged the suffering of many.

If every country had acted on its own immediate concerns instead of isolating a rogue state, then apartheid as a policy would have continued for much longer.

There are examples of countries that claim to be democracies yet support dictators, but because of its bloodied history, South Africa should not be one of them.

By lending Swaziland money, South Africa has clearly communicated that economic imperatives and bread and butter issues are trumping our supposed commitment to human rights and democratic reform.

Yet history has shown that economics and human rights are inextricably linked.

An unjust political system where plundering of resources is allowed inevitably compromises human rights and the country's ability to feed its people.

South Africa argues that it is motivated by a desire to prevent the collapse of Swaziland for the sake of its people.

My guess is that this loan is just a palliative that will soothe the symptoms of the disease.

By turning their backs on apartheid South Africa, some countries helped us to taste the freedom that we enjoy today. We dare not forget that.

Comments

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Thu Jun 20 01:28:29 SAST 2013 ::

Aug 5, 2011

Mpotjekegobotje

lol...I like the catoon.
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Aug 5, 2011

Mcebo

The King must be smiling even when he is asleep...now he can take another wife..and his sidekicks sleep with her while she enjoys living large...One wonders how big will be his next birthday..

Somebody need to kill dis dude
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Aug 5, 2011

Black-Widow

Yerrrrr I don't even wanna talk about this loan and Mswati! Nx
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Aug 5, 2011

JahNeh

Fcuk Zuma and King Mswati.

I'm moving the rest of my relatives out of that God forsaken KingDOM of Swaziland.
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Aug 5, 2011

WHORE

wats the loan for? am sure hes gonna take 2 wives,i wonder what women c in him ,jst bcoz he is king mswati .nx!!!!!
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Aug 5, 2011

Snyabi

I like our Finance Minister's(pravin Godham)respond in the conference.Question-What if swaziland can't pay back the loan?Respond-"We will cross the bridge when we get to it"(what an intelligent respond(On Tax payers expense)
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Aug 5, 2011

Regali

There goes our President giving our money to his role model to get another wife. What is happening in this country? God Save South Africa!
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Aug 5, 2011

liarliar

look its all good folks - poor south africans are starving and living way way below average in rusted tin shacks - this money would have RDP - EED and housed a 100.000 desperate families. The joke at the end of the day is on the people of south africa and the JOKERS are the ANC as decision makers as the people let them, its safe to say the the PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA ARE STUPID FOR ALLOWING THE ANC TO CARRY ON.
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Aug 5, 2011

Princess2Adora

U still find sick nd uncared ppl in Sweziland.............................Half of dat money is going straight 2 da kings pocket nd continue 2 live da life dat he has made 4 his family!!!!!!!!!

Y cnt dey say dey will offer services 2 da king nd gv volunteers 2 sweziland frm mzansi...................Let em take dat money divide it equally nd do gud wit it cus I dnt blive da kings intentions is 2 look broke!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I smell trouble.........................
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
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Aug 5, 2011

Poponas

Mzansi always give out our monies to other countries,it's not the first time,it's just dat we don't know abt it.
So good people.....chill out!
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