METALWORKERS ON ACTIVIST KILLING

The following is a statement from the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) concerning the death in jail of Sipho Jele.

Numsa Statement on the brutal death of a Swazi Activist

for wearing a Pudemo T-Shirts on May Day Celebrations!

06 May 2010

The NATIONAL UNION OF METALWORKERS OF SOUTH AFRICA (Numsa) is deeply saddened by the heinous killing of the Swazi activist and Pudemo member Comrade Sipho Jele in custody after being arrested by King Mswati’s police during May Day celebrations for wearing a Pudemo T-Shirt.

We wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and the liberation movement – Pudemo – for the death of a brother, grandson and comrade.

Cde Jele was detained on May Day for wearing a Pudemo T-shirt, and subsequently police took him home in search of a Pudemo membership and political material, and retuned him to custody. On Tuesday 4 May 2010, Mswati hit-squad masquedering as police officers returned to report to his grandmother that Cde Jele committed suicide whilst in custody. We all know that in old apartheid South Africa, the notorious CCB police did similar things to many activists of our movement who perished mysteriously in custody.

As our symbol of our ongoing solidarity with the oppressed people of Swaziland. We call on our revolutionary South African government as led by the people’s movement to cut all diplomatic ties with Swaziland. This call will go a long way as part of exerting pressure to the Mswati regime to introduce democratic reforms and free political activity.

We call on Pudemo and the Trade Union movement to highlight the heinous killing of Cde Jele, by intensifying the Swazi struggle, and commit to unflinching solidarity against the royal Tinkhundla regime.

Numsa calls on President Jacob Zuma who once worked in the underground / uMkhonto weSizwe inside the Southern African region, to be our custodian for democracy in Swaziland. Numsa can no longer tolerate that our ANC and Republic President Zuma can be seen with a butcher in public in the person of King Mswati who denies the Swazi citizenry the right to freely associate, to freely speak and to freely assemble. The South African government on behalf of our people must lead in calling for sanctions and all other measures to bring democracy and multi-party elections to Swaziland now.


Castro Ngobese
National Spokesperson