By Ntombi Mhlongo
If members of Lutsango are to make a mark during the upcoming national elections, they need to stop looking down upon each other.
This is advice that was shared by Her Majesty The Indlovukazi during the second leg of the Buganu Festival at Hlane Royal Residence. Once again, the event saw thousands of Lutsango women and tourists attending and showcasing culture in song and dance.
Princess Temaswati takes to the arena to show off her dancing skills #Eswatini #BuganuFestival2023 pic.twitter.com/mrdsgBDzjO
— Phephile Motau (@PhephyMotau) March 11, 2023
Speaking just after 10 pm on Saturday, Her Majesty said this is the time for women to stand their ground, and vote for each other so that they can be part of the decision and law-making in Parliament.
Read More: Thousands at Hlane Buganu Festival
She mentioned that events such as the Buganu Festival are a perfect platform for Lutsango to come together and engage on ideas that will help them better their lives and the country as a whole.
“King Sobhuza II gave us this platform so that we can come together and discuss how we can fight poverty and hunger. There is a lot that we can do in terms of farming. We can come up with ideas on how to produce as many vegetables as we can and be able to feed our families,” she said.
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With the Lutsango members representing various companies having delivered the gifts (tetfulo) on Friday, Her Majesty said the time has come for the women to produce the gifts themselves.
The gifts included fruits and vegetables which Her Majesty said can be produced in large quantities by EmaSwati if they come together and share ideas.
…Indlovukazi impressed with Moz, SA visitors
Her Majesty The Indlovukazi could not hide how impressed she was with the fact that women from Mozambique and South Africa were part of the second leg of the Buganu Festival at Hlane Royal Residence.
As she delivered her speech, she would now and again applaud the visitors and said such was a sign that the neighbouring countries had so much respect for the Eswatini culture.
Read More: King commends Lutsango’s turnout, wants a CD of their songs
The visiting women included South African businesswoman Bongekile Ngema who is the fourth wife to former President Jacob Zuma. Her Majesty said the visiting women did not attend to be just spectators but also had their own chance to showcase their dancing skills at the arena during the kutsamba session.
“This event is one that helps us meet with our neighbours so that we can strengthen our cultural ties. It is important that as neighbours we support each other and promote our cultures. I am happy that our visiting women excelled in their dance,” Her Majesty said.
She also said the presence of the neighbours was significant in that they were able to see for themselves how EmaSwati love their culture. In jest, she said she herself would have loved to showcase her own dance skills but could not because the dancing started a bit late due to the big number of Lutsango members who had to make their way inside the arena.
“Next time we need to plan how we can start early so that everyone can get a chance to showcase their skills,” she said.
