SWAZI PEOPLE SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

Ordinary Swazis spoke their mind based on their personal daily experiences at Swaziland’s first People’s Dialogue.

Rural farmers spoke on the need for security of tenure of the land they occupy and farm; people spoke against the unchecked powers of the chiefs and other traditional structures, whose arbitrary actions can infringe on the rights of the citizens.

Musa Hlophe, of the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisation (SCCCO), one of the groups that organised the People’s Dialogue last Saturday (18 July 2009) said that as well as farmers Swaziland’s youth took the opportunity to set out their needs in the modern Swaziland.

Writing in the Times Sunday today, Holphe says, ‘The youth demanded to be given space in the affairs of their motherland. They decried the fact that, at the moment, national resources were being spent propping up a group of young conservatives, who are not in touch with issues confronting young people in the country.

‘Young people called for political spaces in shaping their country’s destiny. Young people also spoke about those things that threaten the future, i.e. drug abuse, HIV / AIDS, and other social ills.’

The People’s Dialogue covered a number of issues of importance in Swaziland today including gender equality, child sexual abuse, and human rights generally.

‘There was a clear understanding that human rights are God given and that no one has the right to withhold them from citizens, who rightly deserved to enjoy them,’ Hlophe said.

In Swaziland basic freedoms are severely threatened including of assembly, association and free expression.

To underline this fact, two people were arrested at the People’s Dialogue itself and charged with offences under the Suppression of Terrorism Act. One was alleged to have chanted political slogans and the other wore a T-shirt supporting the banned People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).

Hlophe said, ‘It is obvious that they [the police who made the arrests] were acting on behalf of their political masters in government.’

To read Hlophe’s full report on the People’s Dialogue click here.

SWAZILAND KING TOLD ‘FREE MASUKU’

The following is the text of a letter sent by the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) to Swaziland’s King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

To: His Majesty the King Mswati III

Royal Kingdom of Swaziland

Att: Swaziland Johannesburg Consular Mr. Tsabedze

From: Swaziland Solidarity Network

Date: Friday, July 24^th, 2009

MEMORANDUM OF DEMANDS TO THE KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND

The Swaziland Solidarity Network submits this memorandum to mark 251 days of PUDEMO President Mario Masuku’s incarceration. We bring to your attention our strong objection to his continued imprisonment upon trumped up political charges.

Your regime is doing all it can to find a non-existent link between PUDEMO and any acts of what you term terrorism.

We demand of your regime to unconditionally release Masuku from prison and recognise the legitimate rights of your people to put forward the demand for multi-party democracy.

Your regime has perpetrated scores human rights violations against political activists, trade unions, the media and anyone that criticizes your system of political rule.

Political parties are repressed; there are widespread detentions of political activists and constant threats and intimidation against them. Your regime is corrupt and the responsible for the suffering and misery of the poor Swazis.

Your regime disrespects the rule of law and your King has placed himself above the constitution. Your regime has issued threats against public servants who belong to political parties. It is your aim to dismiss them of their jobs once the public service bill has been passed.

It is against that background that we place to your regime the following demands:

• The Unconditional and immediate release of PUDEMO President Comrade MARIO Masuku and all political prisoners.
• The dropping of all the ridiculous charges against Thulani Maseko.
  

• A democratically elected constituent assembly to develop a new constitution to lead the country into a constitutional Multi-party democracy.
• Removal of the draconian 1973 decree which bans political parties
• An end to the harassment and intimidation trade unions and other organisations in exercising their legitimate political and other trade union activities.
• The unconditional return of all exiles
• Swaziland must comply with the AU's Charter on Human and People's Rights.

We demand a response within 7 days of the submission of this memorandum.

SWAZILAND KING KEEPS COINING IT IN

Swaziland’s King Mswati III is the 15^th richest royal in the world, with more money than his counterparts in Spain or Japan.

Even though 70 per cent of Swazis earn less than one US dollar a day, King Mswati is said to have a net worth of 200 million dollars.

The most recent estimate from Forbes Magazine in the United States reveals that as some royals get ‘poorer’, King Mswati just keeps coining it in.

So if the rest of Swaziland is so poor, where does King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, get his money from? This is a carefully guarded secret but according to Afrik.com he owns (among other things) 10 per cent of every mining company in Swaziland.

The website also reminds us that the king has a ‘penchant for luxury’ and is reckoned to have 14 wives (no one is really sure about the number he has since this is information the Swazi people are not allowed to have) each with a personal palace.

Forbes says King Mswati is the beneficiary of two funds created by his father Sobhuza II in trust for the Swazi nation. During his reign, he has absolute discretion over use of the income, which has allowed him to build palaces for each of his wives and stay at five-star hotels when abroad.

We also know that the people of Swaziland have to pay for the king’s extravagances. Last year they were forced to spend about something like 10 million dollars on a party to ‘celebrate’ the king’s 40^th birthday and the 40^th anniversary of the kingdom’s independence.

As well as his personal wealth, King Mswati receives money from the Swazi taxpayer. In this year’s Swaziland national budget he gets E130 million (about 13 million US dollars) for his family’s upkeep.

This is more than the money Swaziland will spend on capital expenditure for education (E113 million) or capital expenditure on social security and welfare (E73 million).

Or put another way, 70 percent of the families of one million Swazi people live on less than E10 a day, while the Royal Family gets by on a third of a million a day.

SWAZI T-SHIRT TERROR TRIAL STARTS

Swazi police video recorded Saturday’s People’s Dialogue to collect evidence to use against speakers for promoting ‘terrorism’.

This emerged yesterday (20 July 2009) at a court case where one man was charged under the Suppression of Terrorism Act (STA) for shouting the words ‘Viva PUDEMO’ and another was charged with wearing a T-shirt in support of PUDEMO.

PUDEMO – the People’s United Democratic Movement – is banned, along with all other political parties, in Swaziland. Conviction under the STA can result in up to 25 years jail time.

Mbabane High Court was told that the Swazi police revealed that a police officer recorded all the activities during the People’s Dialogue in a video that will be produced in court as evidence.

According to the charge sheet it is alleged that Mphandlana Shongwe, ‘on 18 July 2009, unlawfully and knowingly gave support to terrorist groups (viz) PUDEMO and SWAYOCO by uttering the words ‘Viva PUDEMO, Viva SWAYOCO’ while Norman Xaba is alleged to have, on the same day, gave support to a terrorist group (viz) PUDEMO by wearing a T-shirt with the words ‘PUDEMO’.

Both men were granted E3,000 bail.

CALL TO DISSOLVE SWAZILAND CABINET

MANZINI— Civil society on Saturday (18 July 2009) called for the repeal of the country’s constitution in favour of a new inclusive supreme law.

The members of civil society who come from various organisations in the country said the current cabinet should be dissolved and an interim government set up to pave way for a multi-party system of governance, under the new constitution.

At their social dialogue held at the Bosco Skills Centre in Manzini, they first assembled in groups and discussed specific and various topics in their interests.

Representatives of the groups were mandated to report back to the close to 1 000 people who attended the event, which Musa Hlophe, the co-ordinator of the coalition for concerned civic organisations (SCCCO) described as a process that would go a long way in addressing the ills of Swazi society.

The event cost more or less E100 000 on food, hiring the hall, getting equipment, transport and others, disclosed Hlophe in an interview with the Times SUNDAY.

Meanwhile, the enthusiastic gathering, which included workers from the two main federations, the SFTU and SFL, together with churches, political parties, youth, educators, informal traders, ex-miners and teachers, charged the current constitution lacked a wider stakeholder input.

They said it was also a pity that government defied its own crafted constitution. The director of ceremonies was secretary general of the Council of Swaziland Churches Khangezile Dlamini.

The representative of the group that looked into good governance, S’phasha Dlamini, said impediments that infringed on their fundamental right to hold consultative meetings with rural and urban dwellers should be abolished.

“We resolved that the constitution that we have should be repealed because it does not represent our interests,” charged Dlamini who is a secondary school teacher and secretary general of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).

Zamokuhle Lukhele who represented the youth said young men felt political prisoners should be released from prison unconditionally. He did not mention the names of the political prisoners but the crowd, mainly from the section of the youth roared: ‘Release Mario Masuku’.

Also facing charges related to sedition is Thulani Maseko, an attorney and coordinator of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) who is currently out on bail. Maseko was present and chaired the group that discussed good governance.

The civil society called for equal opportunities and respect of the rule of law. They charged that every Swazi should have a title deed for the land on which he or she had set up a structure; rural or urban land. They said chiefs had powers to evict them and they were unable to get loans from banks because they did not have collateral, hence the land could serve as a tangible security for the bank loan.

They vowed to fight privatization, which they described as an entry point for corruption, nepotism and mass retrenchments. They suggested that government should buy food for donations from local farmers, saying it was disappointing to see government and international agencies donating food to Swazis that has been purchased from foreign farmers.

Secretary General of the SFTU Jan Sithole pitied the defiance of the constitution by government.

He said free education should have been introduced this year but government went against a court decision to grant this right to children this year as stipulated in the constitution.

Sithole said the recommendations would be reduced to a declaration and petition that would be presented to government. It was the feeling of the gathering that the recommendations were made known to the public and government.

Source: Times Sunday

TRUTH ABOUT THE SWAZILAND KING

While the Swaziland media are busy telling us what a success King Mswati III is having on his state visit to Zambia voices of dissent are being raised in the country itself.

The Zambia Post newspaper has attacked its own president Rupiah Banda for inviting the king, the last absolute monarch in sub-Saharan Africa, and for paying public tribute to the king by congratulating him on his ‘wise leadership’ and saying that he ensures ‘that the Swazi people benefit from economic development and actively participate in the election of their representatives in the government’.

The Post isn’t taken in at all. In a long and hard hitting editorial the newspaper says, ‘Mswati is running a tyrannical royal dictatorship in Swaziland’ and calls on the Southern African Development Community ‘to put serious pressure on Mswati for the democratisation of Swaziland’.

Swaziland, it reminds us, is a kingdom where political parties are banned and freedom of association is suppressed. The newspaper called the 2008 elections in Swaziland a ‘daylight fraud’.

The Post says, ‘Whilst the Swazi King was entertained to a state banquet here and enjoyed game viewing in one of our national parks in the company of Rupiah, he has subjected the people of Swaziland to hunger and poverty whilst he and his family enjoy a lavish lifestyle.’

The newspaper goes on to say that while the king and his family enjoy fabulous wealth the majority of Swazi people are poor and do not have access to basic services.

‘Swaziland is a neo-colonial and semi-feudal enclave ruled by an absolute monarchy together with his family. It is a country that is naturally endowed with abundant resources, but is suffering from the crisis of a royal kwashiorkor, called the Tinkhundla system. This system by definition is about the entrenchment of royal hegemony in all spheres of Swazi society, thus turning the people into objects of royal pity and plunder. This is the essence of royal rule, through imposed hegemony, where the King is everything. He is the chancellor of the university, he is the commander-in-chief of the army, he is the patron of thousands of NGOs that front for his hegemony in the name of serving the poor, he is a head of state and more than anything else, a very key businessman, with huge economic interests in every sector of Swazi society.

‘His hands are full of activity that reinforces his greed and entrenches his monopoly over every sphere of Swazi society, not least the economy. This basic truth is important to always remember and recite in order to capture the real essence and structure of Swaziland, and why it is performing. It is obviously suffering from the heavy weight of royal plunder, lack of innovation and creativity, and more than anything else, greed and cancerous corruption, which had permeated every sector of Swazi society and has destroyed its moral fibre.’

And that’s only half of it. To read the full editorial click here.

SWAZILAND’S T-SHIRT TERRORISM

In Swaziland wearing a T-shirt is now considered an act of terrorism.

This was revealed yesterday (18 July 2008) when a man was arrested and charged at the People’s Dialogue in Manzini.

He was wearing a T-shirt calling for the release from jail of Mario Masuku, president of the banned People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).

Norman Xaba was charged under the Suppression of Terrorism Act (STA) which allows for prison sentences of up to 25 years on conviction.

Also arrested and charged under the STA at the same event was Mphandlana Shongwe, who is reported to have ‘chanted slogans’ in sympathy with PUDEMO.

The arrests come as no real surprise in Swaziland where the STA is being used to oppress freedom of speech. Amnesty International, among other human rights organisations, has condemned the use of the act, introduced last year, to stop any criticism of King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, Barnabas Dlamini, the illegally-appointed prime minister and the government.

Dlamini has even gone so far as to threaten journalists with the STA if they publish reports about banned political parties in Swaziland.

It probably comes as no surprise that the arrests were made yesterday by plain clothed policemen who infiltrated the People’s Dialogue, which was called by churches, trade unions and civil society organisations to discuss issues in Swaziland.

Although organisers made it clear the meeting was not about challenging the power of the state, it was widely condemned by supporters of the status quo in Swaziland because it was convened as an alternative to an official ‘smart partnership’ meeting due to take place next month which will be attended by the king and the prime minister.

Supporters of the People’s Dialogue believe previous ‘smart partnerships’ had no value because they did not achieve anything.

UNION LEADER ON SWAZI STRUGGLE

Asking the majority of people around the world what they know about Swaziland is likely to draw a blank stare. But Swaziland is a country with a strong history of political struggle against formidable odds. Despite the determined suppression of democratic expression by the country's government, the last few years have seen a resurgence in civil society's drive for greater freedom, something which will pave the way for progressively greater interest from the international community in coming years.

These are the thoughts of Jan Sithole, secretary general of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, writing in Pambazuka News ahead of the first ever Swaziland ‘People’s Dialogue’ that takes place tomorrow (18 July 2009). The dialogue will cover HIV/AIDS, health, education, gender, youth, governance, human rights, privatisation, food sovereignty, the environment, the informal sector and other related concerns.

To read the full article click here.

SWAZI ELITE THREATENS JOURNALISTS

Journalists working for the Swazi Observer, the newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III, are being harassed by traditional authorities after reporting that the son of one of the king’s advisors had been arrested on assault and damage charges.

The story involves Bishop Nash Shongwe who is a member of King Mswati’s advisory committee liqoqo, also known as the Swazi National Council (SNC).

The Observer reported that the bishop’s son Sikhumbuzo had been arrested following an incident at a club in which he allegedly attacked patrons’ cars with a bush-knife and assaulted some of them. He is charged with two counts of malicious damage to property and assault.

Sikhumbuzo is also awaiting trial for allegedly assaulting Observer news editor Ackel Zwane, in December 2008.

In January 2009 the Swazi News reported that Sikhumbuzo had been arrested for assaulting his wife with a bottle causing a wound that needed seven stitches.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Swaziland Chapter reports that following the publication of the most recent story, ‘One journalist who declined to be identified for fear of victimization’ told MISA that they have received ‘disturbing’ calls from traditional authorities ‘who have warned them against the continued publication of stories about the bishop’s son’.

MISA says it is thought the bishop might have complained to the traditional authorities against the newspaper, which is owned by the King, to influence the censoring of the newspaper.

‘Soon after the stories, we received calls, mostly from members of the SNC, warning us against further publishing of the stories about the bishop’s son,’ MISA reports the journalist saying.

‘We are not happy. The traditional authorities have no right to censor us on stories which are of public interest. Moreover, this man has proved to be a public nuisance and does not deserve to be protected,’ he added.

SWAZILAND’S FIRST PEOPLE’S DIALOGUE

The following is a media release detailing the ‘People’s Dialogue’ that takes place this Saturday (18 July 2009) in Manzini, Swaziland.

OPERATION SIDLA INHLOKO – THE PEOPLE’S DIALOGUE

SWAZIS CONGREGATE

TO CELEBRATE MADIBA’S BIRTHDAY & SHAPE THEIR DESTIY

Manzini, July 15, 2009-

On July 18^th – the Birthday of Nelson Mandela, Swaziland Civil Society will hold its first People’s Dialogue at John Bosco Hall in Manzini starting at 8:30am. The Churches, the Unions and the Swaziland Coalition are going to get the people talking. More importantly it will also get the people listening.

The day will start with a message sent to former South African President Nelson Mandela, affectionately known to millions around the world as Comrade Madiba on the occasion of his 91^st birthday.

The July 18^th event has been dubbed Sidla Inhloko in recognition of the widespread Swazi custom of eating cow-heads in the process of discussing important issues in the community. Traditionally this is reserved for the older men, but on the 18^th women, young people and everyone else are going to be welcomed at the feast as equals.

The main organizers of the event, the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organizations, Organised Labour, The Council of Swaziland Churches and others have made it clear that this is NOT an anti-government protest, but a way to help the leadership of civil society to stay in touch with the needs and opinions of its membership at the grass roots. Its purpose is to collect and collate.

Jan Sithole, the spokesperson for the Sidla Inhloko gathering stresses this point:

“We want Swazis from all walks of life to come together and talk about issues that affect the vast majority of the people in this country. Everyone wants to live a healthy life. All parents want to educate their children. All the youth want access to more secure futures with good jobs earning decent pay. Women and men of goodwill want to stop the carnage of violence and acts of rape against women and girl children. Corruption is a scourge that affects all of us. These are cross cutting issues that should concern all of us, irrespective of our political beliefs and affiliations. That is why we urge EVERYONE to show up. We want everyone to be part of history, we want everybody to help shape their destiny.”

BEAT UP WORKERS, SAYS BENNETT

Swazi businessman and anti-democrat Walter Bennett says workers should be beaten up for organising their own meeting to discuss the needs of the people of Swaziland.

Bennett, a former Swazi Senator and full time apologist for King Mswati III, the last absolute monarch in sub-Saharan Africa, says it is a pity that beating up a person is against the law.

According to the Swazi Observer, the newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati, and a newspaper that regularly offers Bennett space to air his (often unconsidered) views, Bennett is annoyed that trade unions, churches and civil society groups, have decided to boycott a ‘smart partnership’ national dialogue called to discuss some of the issues affecting present day Swaziland and which King Mswati and Barnabas Dlamini, Swaziland’s illegally-appointed prime minister, are expected to attend.

The Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions has decided to hold its own meeting to be attended by workers and supporters of a free civil society because the government-initiated dialogues have in the past failed to bear fruits.

Bennett, who I reported last month believes that the Swazi Government should stop providing medical support to HIV AIDS patients because others were more deserving. He said that people with HIV and AIDS had ‘got this disease out of their evil habits and out of choice’. he said. He also wanted to close down places of entertainment because they led to the spread of HIV.

Bennett is also openly racist and has regularly verbally attacked Asians.

Despite Bennett’s open (and illegal) incitement to violence, he has not been arrested or even questioned by Swazi police.

Meanwhile, people of good will (and good sense) are ignoring Bennett’s threats and plans are in place for the first ‘People’s Dialogue’ to take place this coming Saturday (18 July 2009) at John Bosco Hall, Manzini, starting at 8:30am. More on this later.

SOLIDARITY FOR A FREE SWAZILAND

Support for democracy in Swaziland is growing in neighbouring South Africa.

The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN), one of the main groups organising for freedom in the kingdom, reports that it is building new groups as part of a ‘political strategy to ensure the presence in every community and each household, of activists that understands the plight of Swazis under the current oppressive King Mswati III’.

SSN reports that branches have recently been launched in Midrand, Johannesburg and at the Johannesburg Art Gallery.

SSN says another ten branches will be launched including Central Johannesburg, Orange Farm, Braamfontein, Yeoville, Newclare and Rossetenville.

In Soweto groups will be launched in Diepkloof, Naledi, Mndeni and Mapetla. The North West, Mpumalanga and Limpopo are amongst provinces that will launch structures of SSN within the next two weeks.

SSN says these new solidarity groups have been able to attract community activists, academics, researchers and politicians in their ranks and also initiate ‘raging debates about lack of democracy and the violation of human rights’.

The SSN National Congress to be held in September 2009 will deliberate on a strategy to provide Swazi’s with solidarity support. Congress is also expected to devise a strategy to counter international investments during the 2010 world cup that ‘will benefit the King and his cronies’.

DISSIDENT JOURNALIST WRITES ON

One of Swaziland’s most outspoken pro-democracy journalists says he is in fear of arrest for his dissident views.

Vusi Sibisi joins former Swazi Government minister Mfomfo Nkhambule in fearing that he is a target because he speaks out against the state.

Already Mario Masuku, president of the banned People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) and human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko have been arrested. Masuku has been in jail since November 2008 awaiting trial on a sedition charge.

Sibisi says he was forced to stop writing his weekly column in the Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s only independent daily newspaper, because of his fear of arrest.

Sibisi said he was tipped off by sources within Swaziland’s ‘security establishment’ that an order had been made for his ‘arrest and detention’.

This order was made two months ago at about the same time as Nkhambule was targeted.

Sibisi is once again writing for the Times. He said the detention of Maseko ‘for expressing a harmless opinion just goes to show how the leadership is gradually and systematically steering this country into a totalitarian state’.

He goes on, ‘No one should be surprised, for example, if shadowy characters follow them wherever they go or have their cellphones and or telephones bugged because we are now in the era of Orwellian Big Brother.

‘To think critically of the state and the going-ons in this country has suddenly become a crime. To express dissenting voices to the obtaining autocratic leadership has also become a crime in this country.’

He adds, ‘This country is systematically ushering in a culture of subservience, praise singing and grovelling by instilling a culture of fear.’

He says, ‘I am not certain if indeed the order to arrest me will be carried out on publication of this column, but what I am certain of is that it will take more than threats to silence me from thinking independently and publishing my opinions on issues that I believe I have an inalienable right to freely talk about, discuss, debate and comment on for as long as there are platforms, such as this, to do so.’

To read the full article click here.