We do not welcome King Mswati III as Chairman

He will occupy the seat for the next 12 months during which he will be mandated to give the bloc a direction on a wide range of issues from security, conflict resolution, and maintenance of good governance and the rule of law. He will be the overseer of democratic practices in the region and his interventions will be observed with keen interest.

However, our position is that Africa’s last absolute monarchy should implement reforms that will accommodate democratic practices in that country. Just next door in Lesotho, King Letsie remains a recognised figure in the country’s structures although there are political parties that regularly contest for the running of the country. In South Africa and Botswana to mention a few, traditional leaders continue to get recognition in the face of political contests that compete with ideologies on running the two countries.