Swaziland students say they have achieved a partial victory in their campaign against the government after some of them received long overdue meal allowances.
On Wednesday (6 October 2010), student leaders said they would bring Swaziland to a ‘standstill’ next week if the allowances were not paid by today.
Maxwell Dlamini, President of the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS), reported today (8 October 2010) that ‘some students have already started getting their meal allowances’.
In a message to members of the SNUS Facebook site, he said, ‘We would like to acknowledge the effort done by the great sons and daughters of Swaziland who have been pressurizing government to release outstanding allowances for all students in tertiary institutions.
‘Today, we woke up to the news that already some students have already started getting their meal allowances. This is partial victory for the students of Swaziland.
‘We should note that, it was not through the benevolence of the arrogant government that the allowances are being released today, but it is through the tireless and relentless struggle and pressure of the student representative councils (SRCs) and SNUS leadership at large.
‘We would like to put it in record that we would surely bring the country to standstill should any of the students in tertiary institutions not get their allowances today.’
This was, he said, because memorandums circulating around tertiary education institutions stated that ‘some student will get their allowances today’.
Dlamini said all students should receive the allowance, and not only some.
He said, ‘We as SNUS will not allow government and the puppet administration to discriminate and divide the students. Our call is loud and clear: release all outstanding allowances today or face total shutdown next week.’
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