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Tuesday 6 August 2013

‘VOTE FOR WIDOW: GET EVICTED’



A chief’s headman in Swaziland threatened that people would be banished from their homes if they nominated a widow for the forthcoming election.

It happened in Ludzibini, which is ruled by Chief Magudvulela, who is a former Swazi Senator.

Dumisani Dlamini the Chiefdom Headman warned voters against voting for Jennifer du Pont. This was during nominations for the primary election that will be held in Swaziland later this month (August 2013).

The Times Sunday, an independent newspaper in Swaziland, reported Dlamini threatened voters and warned that anyone who nominated du Pont would be evicted from the area. 

The newspaper reported, ‘He warned that those who would nominate her should be prepared to relocate to areas as distant as five chiefdoms away. Her sin was that she attended the nominations only a few months after her husband died.’

He said she should still be mourning her husband.

The newspaper reported du Pont did not wear standard black mourning gowns and was dressed in a blue wrap-around dress known as sidvwashi.

Enough people in the chiefdom defied Dlamini and Ms du Pont was duly nominated.

Elsewhere during the nomination held last weekend (3-4 August 2013), an 18-year-old woman was denied the chance to be nominated to stand for parliament because she attended the nomination centre dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. 

In another case a woman was not allowed to nominate a candidate because she was wearing cargo pants.

The nominations were for the ‘primary election’ in Swaziland. This is where each chiefdom nominates candidates to represent it in the main, or ‘secondary election’ that will be held in September.

The election in Swaziland is mired in controversy.  All political parties are banned from taking part and the House of Assembly that is elected has no power as this is invested in King Mswati, who rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.


See also

WOMAN IN PANTS BANNED FROM ELECTION

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