South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent a team from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to Eswatini, despite having said his hands are tied in trying to end violence gripping the landlocked kingdom.
As chairman of the SADC Defence, Politics and Security Cooperation committee, Ramaphosa appointed three envoys from South Africa to talk to increasingly isolated King Mswati III.
Three South African MPs under former cabinet minister, Jeff Radebe, are to be sent to Mbabane with representatives of Botswana and Namibia.
The SADC team will discuss the escalating political standoff between the king and elements opposed to his continued rule, which has seen police and other government forces use live ammunition on protesters. At least 20 have been injured and numerous are said to be missing.
As the team prepared its intervention effort, there was no sign of a letup in the protests or the violent crackdown, according to The East African news.
All indications are that the conflict is escalating, with opposition elements in the tightly-controlled kingdom claiming live ammunition is being used, and that people are being abducted by government forces.
