Dear Esteemed Members;

Business Eswatini and the CEO have in the past few days borne the brunt of a misinformation campaign peddled by actors whose intentions remain obscure to the board of Business Eswatini, suffice it to say the CEO, in particular, is disappointed if not extremely livid about the campaign against us. So much so that he has now retained the services of a top lawyer with a brief to expeditiously push the matter to the court for urgent redress. This is not an overreaction on his part as his good name and reputational equity has been cruelly decimated by people he hardly knows let alone ever met.

We have always tried to keep you abreast of developments within the business ecosystem and we do so knowing full well that at times our communication will end up in the public domain. Nonetheless, these updates, as you know, are always primarily targeted at you – the membership of Business Eswatini. However, this information often spills over into the public domain as has happened with our letter of two weeks ago in which we addressed the issue of electricity tariffs while recognizing the unsung heroes of the private sector who get paid for hours actually worked. The mainstream press reported on the matter in keeping with good journalistic ethics as they did point that the letter had actually been written to the members of Business Eswatini

As the apex business representative body in Eswatini, to which most of the reputable corporate brands of the land belong, our ethos and ethical standards ought to be maintained at the highest levels. One of our most prized assets as Business Eswatini is our unadulterated national image which is effectively our stock in trade as an advocacy outfit. We have worked hard for this image to have it impugned and mercilessly decimated without cause.

The letter in question which was sent to members and subsequently published in our newspapers was subjected to intense public scrutiny which is something that was not unexpected. Due to the nature of the subject though, the letter attracted the attention of a curious public resulting in varying opinions being expressed. Some of the opinions pushed back on our point of view, in particular on the matter where we had welcomed the reduction of the electricity hike for domestic users from the original proposal of 10% down to 3%. For some unbeknown reason, our view did not sit well with the public. While people are entitled to their opinion, as Business Eswatini we still feel a 3% hike is much better than 10%.

Be that as it may though, the seed of doubt had been initially planted by an obscure individual who goes by the name of Zweli Martin Dlamini on social media platforms in which he had viciously cast aspersions on the person of the CEO and went on a malformation tirade which, clearly, sought to demean and cause injury to his stature and professional standing. While at it, he decimated the good name of Business Eswatini.  He cleverly spun the contents of our letter to falsely claim that the CEO had launched a campaign for a political office.

Soon after him, he was joined by an equally obscure organization by the name of Ngwane National Liberation Congress which had the unusual audacity to craft an open letter to the most respected authority of the land stating unfounded derogatory allegations which exist only in the figment of the imagination of the organization. This organization has been separately cited in our court case and they have to answer for their insults.

If left unchecked, these people and those who sponsor them will erode and reverse the gains that have been made by the entire private sector, particularly on nation-building, because our reputation, as alluded to earlier, is our stock in trade. Our level of effectiveness is essentially gauged by the level to which we uphold and protect the sanctity and values of our organization. We simply cannot, and will not, leave this to fate.   

This malicious attack on the Business Eswatini brand and on the person of the CEO especially was totally uncalled for and he, as a result, has suffered irreparable harm which only the justice system can restore. The CEO has already stated that his calling is not in politics. He desires for this season only to ply his trade at Business Eswatini as his way of serving the nation.  He is also of the opinion that he is extremely unqualified to be a politician that if he were to become one, and God forbid, he would be an abysmal failure and an embarrassment to his peers. He has zero ambitions for a role in the political sphere as it has been alleged without basis. We, therefore, find it very hard to ‘let things slide’ because the damage is just too huge to accept.

Thank you for staying tuned. Have a great weekend ahead.  

  Kind Regards;

Business Eswatini