The body of democracy activist Sipho Jele who died while in a Swaziland jail cannot be buried in his home area, because the land belongs to King Mswati III.
The People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) reports that instructions came from Lozitha Tinkhundla royal capital not to allow Jele’s burial at his home of Ncabaneni.
PUDEMO says permission for the burial has been refused because Jele was a fighter for democracy in Swaziland and was therefore against King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch and the tinkhundla system of ‘unique’ democracy that keeps the king in power.
PUEMO says ‘mischievous arguments’ against the burial are,
‘He was a political criminal for he stood opposed to Tinkhundla madness throughout his life.
‘The land, upon which he is to be buried, belongs to the king, yet the deceased challenged the undemocratic rule imposed by the monarchy.
‘Community leaders deny his legitimacy as a member of the Ncabaneni community, yet the whole community knows and owns this cadre.’
A memorial service will be held for Jele in Manzini tomorrow (15 May 2010) and the date and place of burial has still to be decided.
Meanwhile, PUDEMO reports the Jele family are still waiting for the arrival of an independent pathologist to perform a post-mortem on Jele’s body.
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