Constitution? What constitution? This week Swaziland’s ‘traditional’ prime minister (the one people actually take notice of, rather than the one in Parliament) announced that women were not allowed to go on marches, because it was ‘uncultural’.
Jim Gama was quoted by the Times of Swaziland yesterday (18 August 2008) saying, ‘Culturally, a woman does not participate in a march. It is traditionally not allowed. Even if they are aggrieved, they should not march.’
The Times reported, ‘Ludzidzini Governor Jim Gama said it was wrong, uncultural and completely unacceptable for women to march.’
The newspaper went on, ‘Gama said women ought to seek permission from their husbands to see if they could participate in activities of this kind.’
What Gama and ‘traditionalists’ like him have failed to notice is that since 2005 Swaziland has a constitution. This constitution allows for freedom of assembly (i.e. freedom to march) and gender equity (i.e. women can do what they like as long as it is within the law without the permission of anyone, let alone their husbands).
The Times reported that two organisations, the Women's Coalition and the Swaziland Positive Living (SWAPOL), want to march to the Prime Minister’s office (that’s the ‘real’ PM Themba Dlamini, not the ‘traditional’ PM) ‘to seek clarity on where the funds to finance a royal trip late last week had been sourced.
‘These organisations are mainly concerned about the departure of eight of His Majesty King Mswati III’s 13 wives late last week to the Middle East for an undisclosed mission.’
There has been some rude speculation (not carried on the Swazi media) that the wives have gone on a shopping spree ahead of the 40/40 double celebrations to mark the King’s 40th birthday and the 40th anniversary of Swaziland’s independence from Great Britain, which will take place in the first week of September.
The Times reported that Gama ‘said it boggled the mind to cogitate about the reasons that had irked the Women's Coalition particularly because the Emakhosikati's [the wives] trip was a national event, which could benefit the country. However, Gama did not want to delve much on the details of the trip for unspecified reasons.’
The Times reported, ‘The Women's Coalition has planned to meet today to finalise logistics of the march. Their concerns are that the funds used to charter a private jet to fly the king's wives, bodyguards, children and maids to the Middle East should have been used in other ways to benefit needy people in the country.
‘Their observation is that HIV people in the country were struggling to get their medication yet funds are used on projects they do not even understand. They say elderly people sometimes go without grants yet public funds are used to hire a private plane for such a trip.
‘As such, the coalition and SWAPOL’s Director, Siphiwe Hlophe, said they would dress in black to show their grief on this issue when they march to seek clarification from the PM and Sithole on where and how the money for the trip was obtained.’
Personally, I am pleased the women will wear ‘mourning black’. Maybe they are following my suggestion that all Swazi who love democracy wear black until the 40/40 celebrations are over.
The idea of the women wearing black has hit a sore spot as far as Swazi Government spokesperson Percy Simelane is concerned. The Times reported him saying ‘that those gowns symbolise mourning and should not be worn when one marches to the government offices.’
The Times reported, ‘However, SWAPOL’s Director Siphiwe Hlophe said they would certainly wear black clothes because they were mourning for the country's economy part of which they generate through paying tax.’
FOOTNOTE. The Times on its website carries many readers comments on this story, including one that purports to come from King Mswati III himself. In it the ‘King’ says he fully supports the women on the march and he is ‘pissed off’ with the likes of Gama.
Does anybody at the Times read this website?
See also
IN MOURNING FOR SWAZI DEMOCRACY
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