…As elections go with minimal hiccups.
BY KWANELE TSABEDZE
MBABANE – Ultimately, it was the people of Eswatini who won during this weekend’s national Primary Elections.
Hundreds of thousands came out to vote during the Primary Elections voting which happened in communities all over Eswatini this weekend. The voting exercise went on smoothly across the country, save for a few hiccups. In one instance, voting was temporarily disturbed because an aspiring MP held a belief that led him to request a spiritual cleansing of the programme. In another instance, some constituents wanted to see proof that the special voting results were counted fairly, and in the most serious instance, members from a constituents contested the results after the elections. The Electoral and Boundaries Commission has come out to address the more serious disruptions which occurred, and thanked Emaswati for their overwhelmingly positive participation in the elections.
The results of the Primary Elections came with landslide wins, tight wins, as well as some surprises. Some of the landslide wins were by incumbent Members of Parliament (MP’s), such as David Ngcamphala who won by a difference of over 120 votes at the Ndunayithini umphakatsi under the Sigwe Inkhundla. Incumbent Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo won by a difference of 270 votes over the runner-up.
New entrants who recorded landslide victories in the primary elections included renowned journalist and chairperson of the Eswatini Association of Journalists Welcome Dlamini, who won by an overall 855 votes under the Mbabane East Inkhundla. Another journalist recorded a landslide victory under Hhukwini Inkhundla, Eswatini Financial Times Managing Editor won by an over 800 vote difference. Incumbent Motshane MP Robert Magongo was ousted by businessman Selby Sihlenge Shongwe with a 246 vote lead over the incumbent. At Ekukhanyeni inkhundla, Mlungisi Innocent Motsa had a lead of 231 votes over the runner up, Daniel Vusani Dlami Incumbent Kwaluseni MP Mabhanisi lost out to Sifiso Shongwe by 85 votes.
On the other side, a notable tight win was that of Jabulani ‘Buy Cash’ Mabuza who won by a difference of nine votes against Victor Rodrigues under the Pigg’s Peak umphakatsi.
In all the wins and losses this past weekend, what is most certain is that Emaswati won, as no one was left out in the 2023 democratic national elections.
