BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini urges Eswatini youth to stop the spread of misinformation, which can be capable of dividing the nation.
The prime minister said this today at Hilton Garden Inn, Mbabane during the opening ceremony of the three-day workshop, where some of the Eswatini youth will be taught about the values of the Commonwealth. However, the premier was represented by Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Jane Mkhonta-Simelane.
“Let us avoid drug abuse, crime, violence and spreading misinformation as these divide us and undo all our developmental gains. Instead, we must protect one another, support each other, read from credible sources and share worthy knowledge with others,” Dlamini said.
He pleaded with the youth to accept that as much as people shared so many similarities, they also had their differences. He said for that reason, it was important for people’s choices to be respected and tolerance should be practiced for growth to take place in their lives.
Dlamini said he expected that they should go back to their communities later this week and become active champions to be discussed during the workshop, which included respect, tolerance and understanding.
He encouraged all of the young people at the workshop to use such opportunities wisely. He also encouraged them to use this platform to find solutions. “The solutions to our country’s challenges will not come from 50 year olds like myself alone. Instead, the call to nation-building is for all of us. I therefore encourage you as young people here and beyond to continue to actively participate in developing this country of ours,” he said.
Dlamini told the Commonwealth that the values they were about to teach the youth were values that Eswatini also believed in. He said in October and November last year, the country convened at Ludzidzini Royal Residence for the People’s Parliament (Sibaya), where people expressed their opinions about the challenges they faced in their lives.
He further told the Commonwealth delegation that the Eswatini National Youth Council was in the process of reviving the youth association in constituency centres around the country. Dlamini explained to the delegation that the country’s political system was the Tinkhundla system, which he described as the bedrock of the country’s unique political system, which was driven by the people themselves.
The workshop will be conducted by a delegation of experts from the Commonwealth, which is led by Commonwealth Assistant Secretary General Professor Luis Fransceschi. The workshop is hosted by the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, in collaboration with Eswatini National Youth Council, a parastatal under the Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Ministry.
Present during the event was Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Bongani Nzima, who also thanked the Commonwealth for ensuring the success of the workshop, stating that his Ministry was proud to host such an event. He trusted that the youth would be able to light up the workshop with their enthusiasm and innovation.
