The wife of a self-exiled pro-democracy lawmaker in Eswatini won Sunday her husband’s seat in a by-election that activists said showed continued support for reforms a year after deadly protests. Nomalungelo Simelane-Zwide was elected as the new member of the lower house for Siphofaneni on Saturday, winning 53 percent of the vote in the small town about 80 kilometres south-east of the capital Mbabane.
Speaking after the results were announced early on Sunday, Simelane-Zwide thanked all Swazi people for “entrusting me with the responsibility to represent them in parliament”. Simelane-Zwide is married to Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane, a pro-democracy activist who fled to South Africa after police issued a warrant for his arrest following a wave of protests last year.
Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is the last absolute monarchy in Africa. Rights groups say 46 people were killed last year as police violently quashed demonstrations calling for democratic reforms. Police put the death toll at 37. Simelane is among a group of lawmakers who have advocated for changes to the country’s complex system of non-party elections that critics says ensures King Mswati III faces no meaningful dissent.
Two other pro-democracy lawmakers are facing trial on “terrorism” and murder charges for their alleged role in the protests. Simelane automatically lost his seat in March after missing more than 20 parliament sessions — triggering a by-election.
“This is a big win for the people of Siphofaneni who have defied King Mswati and his government,” said Arafat Matsebula, an opposition activist who has also been in exile since the 1980s. A total of 65 lawmakers make up the lower house, with most supporting the government of King Mswati.
Another pro-democracy activist, Bonginkosi ‘IB’ Dlamini said the vote amounted to a rejection of the royal family and its government. Mswati has been widely criticised for his lifestyle, reputedly lavishing his 15 wives with millions of dollars a year while nearly 60 percent of the population of 1.2 million live on less than $1.90 a day.