Gawuzela admits that Busi funded SWALIMO
While trying to deny Busi Mayisela any credit for funding SWALIMO, Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane admitted that she did, in fact, fund the founding of the organisation.
Gawuzela, a former Member of Parliament who is on the run from Eswatini following his incitement of violence, is the founder of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO). He founded the organisation in 2021, together with businesswoman Busi Mayisela and Siphetfo Dlamini amongst others.
In 2022, Busi Mayisela and Siphetfo Dlamini broke away from SWALIMO to start their own political organization called Swazis First Democratic Front (SFDF), drawing some members of SWALIMO to join their new formation. The cause of the rift was reported to be Gawuzela’s dictatorship over the organization, as well as his unilateral moves with the finances of the organisation, as well as running it like a family business by appointing family members into key positions.
Since then, the two organisations have been at loggerheads with each other in different levels, with the death of former Muzi Mmema, one of those who left SWALIMO to start SFDF, being reported to be one of the results of the conflict between the two. There have also been arson attacks which Busi attributed to the threats SFDF has been receiving from SWALIMO.
Recently, Busi made claim that she contributed E300,000 to help start SWALIMO. In his response to this, Gawuzela made a voice announcement warning Busi not to even talk about SWALIMO because she is not a member anymore and has her own organisation. According to Gawuzela, if you are not a member, you should not talk about SWALIMO. This kind of tryannic mindset inhibits any form of dialogue, which is a key process in Eswatini politics — how can I talk with you and about if I’m not allowed to acknowledge your existence because I’m no longer a member? Are we still building one nation or many nations based on political party affiliation?
Gawuzela continues to say that SWALIMO admits that they have had a lot of support, and claims that all these people have been documented and will be recognized for their contributions when it is time to celebrate. He goes on to say that “it is not time to claim credit, and we will say when it is time”. Does this mean Gawuzela decides when people are honored? He has publicly celebrated other people for their contributions to SWALIMO, why are the rules different now? It seems most likely that Gawuzela just says what he wants, independent of the truth.
The irony is that Gawuzela ends the recorded warning to Busi by saying that she did contribute, and that she is only lying about the amount that she contributed just so that she looks good. In all this, there is one person who is trying to seem virtuous more than everyone — Gawuzela himself.
The same Gawuzela who openly declared his love for the Eswatini monarchy, the same Gawuzela who upholds Christian morals and yet has abandoned his wife and children. The same Gawuzela who was democratically elected and yet claimed there is no democracy in Eswatini.
Last and not at all the least, it is the same Gawuzela who publicly calls for peace and secretly calls for the burning of schools, as you can hear him on this recording.
