They Tried to Bury Him, But He Was a Seed

A flash essay by LINDA KASONDE

January 2023

Thirty years ago, I went to a boarding school in Swaziland, now Eswatini, which was founded in the 1960s as part of the resistance to the apartheid government in South Africa. The school is named Waterford “Kamhlaba”, meaning “one world” in Siswati, which aligns with its multi-racial and multireligious ethos. The school was situated on top of a mountain, above a perilously steep and winding road, with scenic green vistas. The locals joked that it was positioned to look down on ordinary Swazis. Many South African anti-apartheid activists, such as the Mandelas, sent their children to the school as a refuge from the segregation and oppression of the apartheid government. The school was founded under the reign of King Sobhuza II, a much-revered and even beloved monarch of Eswatini. Eswatini has always been an absolute monarchy, but even then, there existed some “democratic” structures within that system. For example, every year the King was required by tradition to meet with his people in an open setting to hear their views and concerns. This no longer occurs with the regularity it once did.

King Sobhuza II died just a few years before I arrived at Waterford. He was replaced by his then 18-year-old son, crowned as King Mswati III. So began a reign that descended to extravagance and opulence at the expense of the majority poor. Whilst I was at Waterford in the 90s, such was the reverence for the institution of the monarchy that no one dared criticise him. Indeed, now that he has amassed so much wealth and power, doing so may cost one their life.

In contrast to the Maybachs, expensive watches, and many wives the King has acquired (eleven at the last count), according to May 2022 statistics by the World Food Programme, 69% of the Swazi population live below the poverty line, 25% of whom live in abject poverty, and approximately 26% of the population between the ages of 15 and 49 are infected with the HIV virus. King Mswati’s reign is now also known for being increasingly repressive in response to the demands of many of his people to establish more democratic institutions in the country.

Eswatini is also the birthplace of my friend, Thulani Maseko, a human rights lawyer and democracy activist known for his love of the Bible and what anti-apartheid activist, and later South African President, Nelson Mandela stood for– freedom for his people.  If there is one word that summarises what Thulani stood for, it is commitment: a tireless commitment to seeing the liberation of his people and the protection of human rights and human rights defenders across the region.

In 2017, I became the beneficiary of Thulani’s benevolence. At the time, I was the President of the national Bar Association, the Law Association of Zambia (LAZ). In reprisal for speaking against the Zambian government’s increasing penchant for flouting human rights and the rule of law, members of the ruling Patriotic Front threatened to dissolve the statute that created the LAZ. At the height of these tensions, Thulani came to Zambia to meet the Zambian government and to offer his solidarity to LAZ, under a mission from the International Commission of Jurists and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Lawyers Association. Due to local and international pressure, LAZ ultimately was not disbanded. I have never forgotten Thulani’s selfless act of kindness. It would not be his last mission to Zambia.

In December 2020, Laura Miti, a prominent civil society activist and Bornwell Mwewa, a community mobiliser and accountability activist, were arrested and detained in Livingstone for offering support to then-musician-turned-activist Fumba Chama, who had equally been detained for holding a meeting in Livingstone to educate the youth on public accountability. Thulani came down to Zambia on a mission to observe the trial of these activists, ensuring the court knew that the world was watching.

In recent years, Eswatini has experienced upheaval, with citizens advocating for greater agency in how the affairs of the country are conducted. It has come with heavy casualties, and unfortunately, on 21st January 2023, Thulani Maseko paid the ultimate price for his beliefs. He was brutally gunned down in front of his family home. This came soon after King Mswati warned activists that they may soon be targeted for their work. Thulani, a gentle, kind, and brave soul, is no more. 

As Nelson Mandela said, when one reaches the summit of one mountain, one finds that there are still others to climb. Since Thulani’s death, I have experienced a lingering feeling of regret. Regret for not speaking up about the deteriorating situation in Eswatini regret for not having been able to offer him the same level of support that he provided to me and so many others.

In his own words at the Oslo Freedom Forum in May 2022—a global gathering that brings together human rights defenders, artists, and journalists—Thulani Maseko declared, “I refuse to give up, we shall never surrender, for we know there is a price to pay for the truth.” He was there to speak on the state of democracy in Eswatini, and his speech is available to watch online. 

His death will not be in vain. Today, an annual lecture is held in honour of Thulani. But for me, his legacy is never missing an opportunity to help someone in need. To paraphrase Dinos Christianopoulos’ words, they tried to bury him but did not know that he was a seed.