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Monday 11 August 2008

SWAZI SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE

Now, in the ongoing series of news that you never get to hear in Swaziland, here is the opening address at the Zimbabwe and Swaziland Solidarity Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, on yesterday (10 August 2008).

It was delivered by Zwelinzima Vavi, General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and it dealt with the existing non-democratic nature of Swaziland, in particular highlighting the role monarchy has played in oppressing the rights of ordinary people.

Our message is clear – Zimbabwe and Swaziland cannot continue to be islands of dictatorship surrounded by a sea of democracy in our region. We demand freedom and democracy for citizens of both countries. We want democracy for the citizens of our neighbouring countries today and not tomorrow.

The need for this conference is underlined by deepening crises in both countries. The human rights abuses in Zimbabwe have scaled new heights. The beatings of ordinary people, the burning down of their property, the killings and torture continue as though the current negotiations means nothing to the illegal Mugabe regime.

Why [has] Swaziland escaped the international human rights radar for so long?

Swaziland got its independence from Britain in 1968 under King Sobhuza.

However, this was merely a transfer of power from the British colonial masters to a neo-colonial monarchy, through which the British sought to re-establish its domination and exploitation.

The nature of this monarchy was defined the King's 1973 proclamation to the nation:

"Now, therefore I, Sobhuza 11, king of Swaziland, hereby declare that, in collaboration with my cabinet ministers and supported by the whole nation, I have assumed supreme power in the kingdom of Swaziland and that all legislative, executive and judicial powers is now vested in myself and shall, for the meantime be exercised in collaboration with my cabinet ministers.

"I further declare that to ensure the continued maintenance of peace, order and good government, my armed forces have been posted to all strategic places and have taken charge of all government places and all public services. All political parties and similar bodies that cultivate and bring about disturbances and ill-feelings within the nation are hereby dissolved and prohibited."

This decree laid the basis for the current political architecture, where politics are the exclusive preserve of the ruling royal elite. In 1978 they introduced a system of called tinkhundla, which sought to entrench the hegemony of royal supremacy and deepen the semi-feudal and neo-colonial character of Swazi society. It fragmented Swazis into competing localities called tinkhundla in the name of "unique and home-grown democracy", which is directly in conflict with the universal principles of democracy.

The world has conveniently remained silent about Swaziland and allowed the ruling royal regime to get away with murder. The world remains silent, after a regime has been allowed to enforce a state of emergency for more than 34 years, despite Amnesty International raising, on several occasions, the issue of extreme police brutality in Swaziland, in its fact-finding mission's damning report on the Swazi security forces.

Why does the Commonwealth and Britain apply double standards when it comes to Swaziland, in contrast to their hysterical attacks on Mugabe? Why does it not apply smart sanctions against the stubborn regime for refusing to unban political parties and political activities in general?

Why does the Commonwealth support and heap praises on a constitution that entrenches the power of the ruling aristocracy and affirm the state of emergency, yet unequivocally demand clear guidelines for democracy elsewhere?

Poor people are on the receiving end of the regime's viciousness, with more and more Swazis being forced to cross the borders into South Africa in search of jobs, yet the country is well endowed with abundant natural resources that have become a preserve of a tiny ruling minority.

Finally, the following conditions obtain as regards the royal 'elections':

Political parties remain banned, with the exception of the royal broederbond, which is the only legal political force that has monopoly over the entire political life of our country as an organised force.

The new constitution of the monarchy, itself a direct off-shoot of the king's decree of 1973, bans political parties and criminalises all forms of political activity and the basic rights to associate and organise, not to mention demonstrations and marches.

Parliament is nothing but a rubber stamp and stooge of royal power. It has no power to determine anything that is not in the interests of the royal family and the monarchy, aside the fact that it is largely comprised of royalists and their apologists.

The media and judiciary are extensions and auxiliaries of the royal establishment, independence is a luxury they cannot afford.

Political activists are regularly detained for their peaceful political activities, which are in anyway, illegal even according to the new constitution proclaimed by the king recently

In this conference we shall consider the same programme we developed in the preparatory meeting for discussion. King Mswati is not welcome in South Africa [at the head of states’ summit]. He is not a head of state. There has never been any democratic election in Swaziland where he was elected. Political parties remain banned. Free political activity is not allowed. Basic freedoms such as a freedom of speech and association are brutally denied. We are angry that the Southern African development Community (SADC) and all others continue to embrace this fraud.

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