The protesters are calling for an absolute monarchy to be shifted towards democracy. Dozens of people have been killed by security forces and schools, among others, have been closed due to protests.
In Eswatin that is, a king exercising absolute power in Swaziland Mswati III has said it is ready for talks with protesters, AFP news agency reported.
However, it will take time to start discussions, as the Prime Minister Themba Ginindzan according to them, they will not start until several months later. The reason is the traditional incwala ceremony, in which the king withdraws from official administrative duties. The ceremony is scheduled to begin in November.
King according to Ginindza, wants the situation in the country to calm down. The protests began in the summer and have continued throughout the fall. The protesters are calling for a change in the continent’s only absolute monarchy system and the building of a democratic society.
“His Majesty has sent us to convey our sincere condolences to all those who have lost loved ones during the unrest,” Ginindza said.
Earlier in October, the king called the protesters “villains and drunks”.
Read more: Africa’s last absolute monarchy faltering, king blames ‘villains and drunks’
Security forces have been accused of violent clashes when they have faced protesters. Estimates of the number of deaths vary widely, with police saying there are 37 victims, compared to more than 80, according to the local Leftu Sonkhe Institute of Strategic Thinking and Development.
It is difficult to obtain free and reliable information about what is happening in the country, as the administration has, among other things, often cut off telecommunications connections.
On Friday the country’s nurses ’union, SDNU, called on the broadcaster BBC’s according to its members not to treat injured police officers. There are cases in the background where police have shot and wounded protesting nurses.
Chairman of the SDNU Welcome Mdluli acknowledged that the covenant call violates the principle that all people should be cared for. However, the nurses are now afraid of the police.
“We have become aware of cases where police have shot up health workers in hospitals … we are afraid of them.”
The SDNU requires the country’s health ministry to ensure the safety of nurses before the treatment boycott is lifted.
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