National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), South Africa
Statement
5 September 2011
NUMSA supports Global Week of Action against the illegitimate and unelected King Mswati’s oligarchic regime
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) fully backs the Global Week of Action against Swaziland as led by Swaziland Democracy Campaign and its international trade union movement allies across the globe.
This Global Week of Action should be supported by all progressive forces inside our country given our strategic proximity to Swaziland and the bond of friendship shaped and built with the progressive forces of Swaziland under the leadership of PUDEMO during our struggle for liberation and an end to apartheid minority rule. These bonds of friendship were nurtured and nourished through the selfless blood of uMkhonto weSizwe cadres who perished in Swaziland, such as Cde Mzwakhe Nyanda.
We are pledging our support to the SDC and the people of Swaziland with eggs over our faces given un-strategic and ill-informed decision by our government as led by the ANC to accede to King Mswati’s request for a financial loan or bail-out.
We all know that this bail-out or loan will be bloated by the royal family through their opulent shopping trips overseas and good taste for niceties by King Mswati’s wives, as opposed to meeting the pressing needs of the people of Swaziland, particularly addressing medication shortages or workers wages. The decision by our government remains distasteful and feeds correctly to the assertions made by the then ANC President Oliver Tambo when the Mozambican government signed a Komati Accord with the apartheid regime in 1984 when he said “our brothers and sisters have hugged and kissed the most hated hyena by the people of the world”.
We call on the ANC as a ruling and governing party to withdraw the bail-out or loan as approved by the Cabinet and instruct the South African Reserve Bank to reverse any transactions that could have been made. This will give strength to our solidarity efforts for the democratization and liberation of Swaziland from the illegitimate and unelected King Mswati’s oligarchy and stooges. This revolutionary gesture will further restore the international image and credibility of the ANC, particularly to the democratic forces of Swaziland who felt betrayed by the organization they pride themselves to identify with as a result of the historical relations.
As Metalworkers, we call on the people of Swaziland to draw inspiration from popular revolts by the workers, youth, intelligentsia and poor of Egypt and Tunisia to squeeze King Mswati’s regime until its surrenders power to the people of Swaziland as a whole. The people of Swaziland should refuse any maneuvers by the regime for negotiations since this will weaken and demobilize the forces behind change and democratic reforms.
We re-iterate our calls for all South African owned companies operating in Swaziland to de-invest until King Mswati’s regime is replaced by a democratically elected government of the people. They continued operation in Swaziland directly or indirectly contributes in funding King Mswati’s military strategy directed towards eliminating his political opponents as led by PUDEMO.
See also
POPCRU SUPPORTS SWAZI GLOBAL WEEK
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/09/popcru-supports-swazi-globalweek.html
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