The opposition to Swaziland’s Suppression of Terrorism Act is growing, even within the kingdom itself.
The Swazi media – often cowed by censorship or self-censorship – have been vocal against the Act and the Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini’s branding of four political formations as ‘terrorist’ organisations.
One example of this is Lucky Tsabedze, Acting Editor of the Swazi News.
Writing in his own newspaper on Saturday (22 November 2008) he said, ‘What makes a terrorist? State terror has produced terrorism in our country and turned ordinary people (soldiers and police) to its paid mercenaries and legalised terrorists. What makes a terrorist is a state that rules through fear and cowardice, a state that subjects people to hunger in order to allocate all available resources to its main pre-occupation, royal security. The worst form of terrorism is subjecting people to hunger and humiliating conditions of royal slavery.
‘Those who fight such conditions cannot and can never be terrorists. They are defenders of human dignity, they act in defence of the people and their cause. They represents the best of human progress and dignity. The world would be poorer without their dedication and sacrifice for the cause and welfare of all.’
Writing about Mario Masuku, President of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), who was charged last week with making a public statement in favour of terrorism Tsabedze said, ‘Here is a man who sacrificed all, including his job, family and all that was within his reach, for the cause of a nation. He continued even when some of those who started with him lost confidence in the cause or chose temporal comforts to the hardships of sacrifice. He symbolises the best in a human being, humility, modesty and firmness on principle.’
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