Namibia’s President Hage Geingob has expressed concern at ongoing and sporadic acts of violence in Eswatini, urging stakeholders in the troubled kingdom on Tuesday to find common ground at the negotiating table.Speaking during an emergency meeting of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation in Windhoek, Geingob said the regional bloc is keen to see an end to the Eswatini through peaceful means. 

“Regrettably, and whilst the region is focused on assisting our sister country to find and implement peaceful solutions to these challenges, there have been ongoing and sporadic acts of violence in the Kingdom of Eswatini that point to an escalation of the tensions,” Geingob said. 

He was particularly concerned about the recent assassination of prominent opposition activist and human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko and reiterated his call for a “swift, transparent and comprehensive investigation so that the culprits can be brought to book.”

“I have said that when diplomacy fails and people stop talking to each other, conflict begins. Therefore dialogue is important as it will give the peace process an opportunity to become successful.”

Maseko, who was chairperson of Eswatini’s Multi-Stakeholder Forum, was shot by unknown gunmen at his Manzini home on the night of January 21.

Eswatini has been on the knife’s edge since mid-2021 when pro-democracy activists took to the streets of the capital Mbabane and other parts of Eswatini to demand political reforms in Africa’s last absolute monarchy.

The SADC emergency security summit was convened to discuss the political and security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho and Mozambique. 

It was attended by South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini of Eswatini and Prime Minister Sam Matekane of Lesotho, as well as DRC’s Minister of Regional Integration Didier Mukanzu and Mozambican Defence Minister Cristovao Chume.