MBABANE – Renowned ‘Fees Must Fall’ movement leader, Mcebo Dlamini, has lashed out at South African politicians for questioning Eswatini’s move to harbour five dangerous criminals deported from the United States, calling them emaphiciciphici (hypocrites).
Speaking on the King David Studio podcast hosted by David Mashabela, Dlamini came to Eswatini’s defence over its agreement with the US. Dlamini said South Africa had no genuine grounds to question Eswatini’s decision.
He argued that the kingdom has a small economy and its population is left it with little leverage. He claimed Eswatini was “bullied” into the arrangement after witnessing how the US dealt with South Africa, a country he described as Eswatini’s “big brother.”
“Eswatini was bullied into this thing because they saw a big brother being bullied and they knew they could have been finished,” Dlamini said.
He criticised South Africa for pointing fingers while failing to address its own porous borders, which he said allow undocumented migrants to enter freely and commit crimes. In contrast, he noted, the five deportees in Eswatini are documented and kept in a controlled area.
Dlamini also pointed out that Eswatini is not the only African nation in such an arrangement, noting that Rwanda has signed an agreement to house more inmates deported from the US.
Meanwhile, the Eswatini government has confirmed that talks are underway for the transition of the five inmates to their countries of origin.
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