Deng Shiyang spoke very little on the plane, deliberately using halting Chinese with a strong Cantonese accent to introduce his company when engaging in conversation. He politely exchanged business cards with the other members of the delegation, maintaining a humble and gentle demeanor to avoid drawing attention to himself.
The next morning at 7 a.m., the flight landed at Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
Originally, Swaziland's national airline operated 26 aircraft and had two routes, but after the coup, the country's unstable situation, along with conflicts with the West, led the British and Brazilians to withdraw their technical personnel and suspend parts supply. All jet aircraft in Swaziland were grounded, leaving only a few old propeller planes to maintain international air traffic. The route to Dar es Salaam was also suspended due to the aircraft's limited range.
South Africa is now the only country with air connections to Swaziland. Two weekly flights between Johannesburg and Matsapha maintain air traffic between the two nations, requiring travelers to Swaziland to transfer in Johannesburg.
As soon as the delegation entered the terminal, two men approached them. Leading the way was a Black man who appeared to be under 30, sporting a buzz cut. Behind him was a dark-skinned Asian-looking young man.
Upon meeting, the Asian youth with a Malay face pointed to the Black man and introduced him in Chinese: "This is Mr. Deba Musabai from Swaziland's Department of Economic Development."
The Black man nodded and greeted them in broken English, "I…represent…the…Swaziland…government…welcome…you…all…"
His English was extremely clumsy, with an accent that seemed to blend English syllables with an African dialect, and his speech was so halting that it was almost as if he were reciting vocabulary words. It left listeners feeling uneasy.
The Asian youth said in Chinese, "Mr. Musabai represents the Swaziland government and welcomes you all."
After the greetings, the two men led the delegation to Swaziland Airlines' lounge. Inside, there was a rectangular table covered with a white cloth, laden with food and drinks, which served as breakfast for the group.
At 10 a.m., the delegation was taken to the tarmac by minibus and boarded a "Jetstream-41" regional aircraft.
Deng Shiyang was at the back of the line as he walked up the boarding stairs into the cabin. A faint smell of rotten eggs hit his nose, and he instinctively rubbed it while glancing around the cabin. The plane's interior looked very worn, with a sloppy cleaning job. The carpets and seat cushions hadn't been washed properly, leaving dark stains that were quite off-putting.
He walked down the narrow aisle to the back of the plane to find an empty seat. The 29-seat regional aircraft was full, with the inspection group on board and four additional Western passengers seated at the back.
These four passengers were all White, ranging in age from 30 to 50. They wore T-shirts bearing the red ribbon logo and the letters "NATICC" and were chatting together.
Deng Shiyang had seen the name "NATICC" on the show *60 Minutes*. It stands for the "Nhlangano AIDS Training, Information, and Counselling Centre," a church-affiliated non-profit organization founded in 2002. Headquartered in Nhlangano, the capital of the Shiselweni region, it provides free HIV testing and conducts training and counseling to prevent the spread of the virus.
He placed his laptop bag in the luggage compartment, then politely nodded to the woman in her 30s sitting beside him before taking the seat next to her.
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Soon, the plane took off with a cough-like engine noise.
Once airborne, Deng Shiyang started a conversation with the woman, who had short, light blonde hair.
Western women usually don't refuse to engage in conversation with polite men, and this woman, who exuded an intellectual aura, was no exception. Especially after he complimented her organization and expressed concern about the AIDS problem in Africa, they quickly found common ground.
Her name was Clareen Whitney, an Australian doctor and a volunteer with a medical organization funded by the Catholic Church. She was responsible for training local medical staff in Swaziland. She and her three colleagues had just attended a meeting of the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS in Geneva and were preparing to return to Swaziland.
After discussing the AIDS issue in Africa for a while, Deng Shiyang inquired about the situation in Swaziland.
"Investment? You must be joking," Whitney's expression turned incredulous upon learning that the people on the plane were there for a business inspection.
"The place is a total mess."
Deng Shiyang shrugged and replied helplessly, "Unfortunately, that's the reality."
"Swaziland is now like one of those newly independent African countries in the 50s and 60s. They overthrew the monarchy and hastily set up a power group, only to end up handing the country over to another dictator."
"After Ndofa took power, a large number of officials from the previous government were dismissed, and their successors were all his cronies. The new government implemented nationalization reforms, seizing a lot of assets that originally belonged to the royal family and the former government, but all the wealth went straight into the president's pocket."
"Corruption and embezzlement have worsened an already struggling economy. To consolidate his power, unions and civil groups have all been banned, and many educated intellectuals have been imprisoned. Schools have completely shut down. Since the state of emergency was declared, the country has been regressing towards the Middle Ages at full speed. It won’t be long before you start seeing people with bones through their noses running around in the streets."
"Oh my gosh! It can't be that bad, can it?"
"Why not? Ndofa's followers have formed several 'revolutionary organizations,' bands of thugs wearing red armbands and presidential badges who go around looting. They've smashed schools, set fire to libraries, and arbitrarily detained and tortured anyone suspected of being a 'counter-revolutionary.'"
"What about the police? Don’t they do anything?"
"The military government stripped the police of their law enforcement powers, sending them all home and imposing martial law in the cities. But the army turns a blind eye to the hooligans, adopting a hands-off approach."
"That is indeed terrible." Deng Shiyang nodded in agreement, then sighed.
"It gets worse! Because the president is a fervent anti-Western follower of traditional religion, the new government views Christianity and Catholicism as symbols of 'separatist forces.' They've demolished churches and hospitals, expelled missionaries and church-trained medical workers, and even banned prayer and worship. Can you imagine? After the fall of the Taliban, another government on Earth has emerged that bans prayer."
Deng Shiyang glanced at the agitated Whitney and asked with concern, "In that case, isn't it dangerous for you to return to Swaziland?"
"There’s no choice. The AIDS problem in Swaziland is already at a critical level. Moreover, Ndofa is planning to take extreme measures to curb the virus's spread by designating Shiselweni as a quarantine zone, forcibly sending all diagnosed patients there. Ostensibly, this is for centralized treatment, but in reality, it's an exile to the wilderness, leaving them to die. It's practically murder…"
Her tone was filled with indignation and dissatisfaction, causing her voice to unconsciously rise. This drew the attention of Musabai, who angrily walked over to their seats, using a rude gesture to silence them.
Deng Shiyang gave Musabai a displeased look and returned a fierce glare. He then quietly apologized to Whitney and stopped talking.
**Annotations:**
Oliver Reginald Tambo International Airport (OR Tambo International Airport): Formerly known as "Johannesburg International Airport," it was renamed in 2006 in honor of the late "ANC" President Oliver Reginald Tambo.
Dar es Salaam: The largest city in Tanzania.
Jetstream-41: A turboprop regional airliner manufactured by British Aerospace.
*60 Minutes*: A television news magazine produced by CBS in the United States.
Nhlangano AIDS Training, Information, and Counselling Centre (NATICC): An organization providing AIDS-related services in Swaziland.
Shiselweni: An administrative region in southern Swaziland.
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS): An organization promoting and coordinating global efforts to combat AIDS.