It happened
in Ludzibini, which is ruled by Chief Magudvulela, who is a former Swazi
Senator.
Dumisani
Dlamini the Chiefdom Headman warned voters against voting for Jennifer du Pont.
This was during nominations for the primary election that will be held in
Swaziland later this month (August 2013).
The Times
Sunday, an independent newspaper in Swaziland, reported Dlamini threatened
voters and warned that anyone who nominated du Pont would be evicted from the
area.
The
newspaper reported, ‘He warned that those who would nominate her should be
prepared to relocate to areas as distant as five chiefdoms away. Her sin was
that she attended the nominations only a few months after her husband died.’
He said she
should still be mourning her husband.
The
newspaper reported du Pont did not wear standard black mourning gowns and was
dressed in a blue wrap-around dress known as sidvwashi.
Enough people in the chiefdom defied Dlamini and Ms du Pont was duly nominated.
Elsewhere
during the nomination held last weekend (3-4 August 2013), an 18-year-old woman
was denied
the chance to be nominated to stand for parliament because she attended the
nomination centre dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.
In another
case a woman was not allowed to nominate a candidate because she was
wearing cargo pants.
The
nominations were for the ‘primary election’ in Swaziland. This is where each
chiefdom nominates candidates to represent it in the main, or ‘secondary election’
that will be held in September.
The election
in Swaziland is mired in controversy.
All political parties are banned from taking part and the House of
Assembly that is elected has no power as this is invested in King Mswati, who
rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.
See also
WOMAN IN
PANTS BANNED FROM ELECTION
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