Africa Must Not Be Silent While Uganda Burns
By Maxwell Dlamini, Democrat and Human Rights Activist
What has unfolded in Uganda during the recent elections is a dark stain on Africa’s conscience. The killings of civilians, the violent suppression of dissent, the shutting down of the internet, the arrest of opposition leaders, and the systematic blocking of opposition candidates from campaigning represent a full-scale assault on democracy and human rights. This was not an election; it was a militarised exercise designed to retain power at all costs.
I strongly condemn the abduction of opposition leader Bobi Wine last night from his own home. Such acts are the tools of fear, not governance. When leaders abduct their opponents in the dead of night, they confirm to the world that they have lost all moral and political legitimacy.
Uganda is not an isolated case. Africa has increasingly mastered the art of looking away when repression is normalised. The most recent and glaring example is Tanzania, where similar impunity unfolded during the recently concluded elections. Opposition leaders were harassed and arrested, media freedoms were curtailed, and state violence was deployed, yet no one was held accountable. Even more telling, the African Union itself declared that the Tanzanian elections were stolen, and yet nothing happened. No consequences followed. No justice was pursued.
This dangerous silence sends a clear message to Africa’s strongmen: you can steal elections, brutalise citizens, and cling to power with impunity.
What is even more disturbing is the collective quietness of other African states. Governments that should have stood in defence of democratic norms instead chose comfort over courage. This silence is not diplomacy; it is betrayal.
At the centre of this moral collapse stands the African Union. The AU, which claims to stand for democracy, human rights, and the will of the people, has repeatedly failed Africa. Its silence in the face of open brutality is not neutrality; it is complicity. Yet this same AU often shouts the loudest when external actors intervene to protect civilians or restore order. Why does the AU find its voice only when dictators are challenged, but lose it when African citizens are killed by their own governments?
From Eswatini, a nation still trapped under the royal yoke of absolute monarchy, the people stand in solidarity with Ugandans and Tanzanians. We know repression. We know what it means to have demands for democracy answered with bullets.
Africa urgently needs a new generation of leaders, leaders who value human life, respect democratic choice, and govern with accountability. Without this renewal, peace, democracy, and stability will remain distant dreams. Silence is no longer an option.
@mtfwana_michael @Mngisi_L No it's not about you. It's also about him. He has been complaining about umjolo all these months . A date, brunch nje in a decent place and good quality conversation. Nothing more
Finally! Applauding the university for accepting students with a D in English for engineering. We’ve long fought against weaponizing English to block brilliant minds from fields where it’s not the core skill. If they can read, write, and understand english—it’s enough!
Great News!!
Following a Senate meeting held on 08 April 2025, a special resolution was passed to reopen applications specifically for the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
Applicants with a “D” grade in Form 5 English will now be considered!
Apply Today!
@KunjaloD This one is not making sure . Zweli Mkhize was a better candidate if this was really about regaining posts ground . Zweli is respected by izinduna, amakhosi, amabutho and the church.
If you're 45 and under in Swaziland, get that passport, find a way out—study, work, and build a life elsewhere. Don't be a prisoner of hope in a system designed to trap you. The world is bigger than the tiny village of the King. #TiniTwitter#Eswatini
@NkhosiePitsoe@LeloGold_@MsGugstar @Ndlovu_bc Everyday siyafundza. We.must not Judge . Just wished they could have worked out though and live to tell the good story 😆
@Nokunqo Yati he should have just bought ticket for the TiniQueen to come join him . 😅. Yati wehlula bangani bakhe lafika nabo bamncenga kutsi angajiki😃