SHISELWENI Regional Administrator Themba Masuku says the role played by Eswatini in the liberation of South Africa from apartheid should never be downplayed.
Masuku made the remarks on Saturday evening during the Legacy Lecture and Gala Dinner held as part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the June 16 uprising.
The regional administrator was one of the keynote speakers at the annual KwaMagogo Number 43 Trelawney Park Legacy celebration. He said the commemoration helped preserve history and brought to light untold stories of the liberation struggle against apartheid in South Africa.
“The legacy of KwaMagogo can also be told in the context of the positive contribution made by the Kingdom of Eswatini during the June 16 uprising,” he said.
Masuku said the June 16, 1976 student uprising in South Africa changed the course of history in the region, with Eswatini feeling its impact directly as young people fled the country to escape arrest, torture and possible death.
He said many of the fleeing youth urgently needed safe havens and, while several families opened their homes to them, the Masilela family deliberately provided refuge to those escaping injustice.
He added that the government of the small but resilient Kingdom of Eswatini established transit refugee camps, particularly at Ndzevane, and launched a national airline to facilitate the safe passage of South Africans to ANC camps and those of other liberation movements fighting the apartheid regime.
“The government worked closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to facilitate their movement. Among other initiatives was the establishment of a national airline to make travel to Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya and overseas destinations such as Yugoslavia, the USSR and Cuba easier and safer,” he said.
Masuku said although the kingdom was small, its doors remained open.
“Eswatini became a safe haven and transit route for freedom fighters when they had nowhere else to go. We gave refuge, passage and most importantly, we gave dignity,” he said.
Reflecting further on the events of June 16, Masuku said after settling in Manzini during an era when South Africa preached segregation, the Masilela family chose compassion and inclusivity, opening their home as a non-discriminatory safe haven for members of the ANC, the PAC and other organisations fleeing apartheid.
He said although many people had heard the story before, it deserved to be retold.
“That is why this event must continue. Every year we learn something new about the liberation struggle,” he said.
Masuku noted that the annual KwaMagogo event promoted a better understanding of history at a time when misinformation and disinformation are widespread. He urged the nation to remain proud of the Masilela family and continue preserving the history of the liberation struggle.
“I would like to acknowledge and honour the Masilela family, especially the children, who have stood together to tirelessly promote this remarkable legacy, which started modestly and has grown into a major annual event attracting interest from both political and business leaders,” he said.
Masuku said he had watched the family’s journey with admiration, describing their contribution to the liberation struggle and to the communities of Manzini and the kingdom as remarkable. He stated that the family had also earned international recognition in their own right.
Masuku said he did not only know of the Masilela family but had attended Salesian High School with them.
“While most of them were in the junior classes, I was in the Class of 1972 with their eldest brother, Todd. That class produced two prime ministers, Absalom Themba Dlamini and Cleopas Dlamini, as well as a deputy prime minister of this kingdom, that being me,” he said.
