Ramanisblog

The Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) immediately announced it would obey the king and ordered teachers to return to the classrooms.

But, yesterday (12 August 2012), Minister of Education and Training, Wilson Ntshangase, said teachers who had been sacked for taking part in the strike should not return to work. It was up to the Swazi Cabinet to decide their fate.

Now, Timothy Velabo Mtetwa, acting Ludzidzini Governor, otherwise known as the ‘traditional’ prime minister, has said no one has a right to further deliberate on an issue that the king has already pronounced on.

Mtetwa is considered in traditional Swazi society to be more important than the nominal Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini. Mtetwa is said to speak for the king and his word is law.

Upon hearing of the Education Minister‘s statement Mtetwa told local media, ‘My understanding of Swazi culture and etiquette is that the king’s word is final. Once the king issues an order regarding anything, the order has to be implemented by the relevant structures.’

(Sri Lanka Guardian)

How this is developing, possibly by the West’s meddling?

‘
“There was a paradigm shift from the previous people’s parliament, which took place five years ago.  That parliament was such that if you said you needed multiparty democracy, you were booed to sit down.  But, this time, people were listening carefully.  I think the scale of teachers going around the whole country making people aware of how corrupt our government is has changed the people’s mind to think that why can’t we try multi-party democracy,” Mazibuko said.(voa News)

Swaziland, Political structure.

Swaziland is governed under a form of constitutional monarchy, in which political power is shared by the king and parliament. Swaziland today is foremost ruled by a monarch, although for all of its administrative history prior to British colonization in 1903, it might have more properly been called a diarchy.

Main office holders

Office	Name	Party	Since
King	Mswati III		25 April 1986
Prime Minister	Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini		16 October 2008

In general practice, however, the monarch’s power is delegated through a dualistic system: modern, statutory bodies, like the cabinet, and less formal traditional government structures. At present, parliament consists of a 82-seat House of Assembly (55 members are elected through popular vote; the Attorney General as an ex-officio member; 10 are appointed by the king and four women elected from each one of the administrative regions) and 30-seat Senate (10 members are appointed by the House of Assembly, and 20 are appointed by the king, whom at least the half must be women). The king must approve legislation passed by parliament before it becomes law. The prime minister, who is head of government is appointed by the king from among the members of the House on recommendations of the King’s Advisory Council and the cabinet, which is recommended by the prime minister and approved by the king, exercises executive authority.