The following is a statement issued by the Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN] to mark the 20th anniversary of Black Wednesday, when armed troops and police invaded the University of Swaziland campus to attack students who were demonstrating peacefully.
Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN] would like to send a strong message of solidarity to Swazi tertiary school students on the 20th commemoration of Black Wednesday.
Black Wednesday was a very tragic date for many innocent students who were brutally assaulted by the country's military forces under orders from the king. This was after they had staged a strike in protest of poor catering facilities among other things.
While the student protests might have yielded minor gains, the plight of Swazi students in general has gotten worse. The country's tertiary institutions remain under resourced & neglected by a regime that sends its own children to expensive exorbitantly expensive institutions outside the country. Moreover, the government aims to stop giving away student loans for tertiary education, a move that will hamper the levels of education in a country already faced with severe economic crises.
As a result it is appropriate that this day be a time for reflecting on the future of students even as they commemorate the past.
Issued By the Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN] South Africa Chapter
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