Statement
20 September 2011
Public transport sector buckles under the financial crisis
In light of the continued all round crises facing the royal regime and their resort to the use of brutal force against unarmed civilians, the People's United Democracy Movement (PUDEMO) would like to congratulate the people of Swaziland for heeding our call to make the country ungovernable and Tinkhundla unworkable. All the institutions of the regime are collapsing!
Our President Mario Masuku recently called for the people of Swaziland to create the biggest unstoppable Tsunami for democracy and specifically challenged the youth and workers to render the country ungovernable and Tinkhundla unworkable.
Indeed our people have heeded the call by our President and if yesterday's events in Manzini are anything to go by, then we can safely say that the centre can no longer hold. PUDEMO calls upon the people of Swaziland to join us as we prepare to take over power because clearly they have lost all manner of legitimacy and authority. People's anger has reached a crescendo and true to our congress resolution to build a momentum for democracy in Swaziland, indications point to a country suffering from a fully blown political, social and economic crisis.
Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, King Mswati's imposed senile henchman, is now leading a crisis committee more than a government. Yesterday public transport operators, mainly the workers (drivers and conductors), engaged in fierce running battles with the brutal paramilitary police popularly known as the OSSU along the Mbabane/Manzini corridor. The nasty confrontation began right in the busy bus [rank] in Manzini and spread along the popular corridor with fierce battles taking place along the main routes linking the two cities.
For the better part of the day no public transport was allowed either to enter or leave Manzini.
People were forced to disembark from public transport and go on foot for more than five kilometres as the city resembled a war zone. As early as 1600 hrs, the people were literally streaming out of the city while police tried to fight with the seemingly powerful and resolute conductors. All this is happening while King Mswati is having a holiday in Nhlangano, having watched half naked bare breasted maidens dance over the weekend. Without a doubt public resources were used to organize such highly politicized so called cultural events.
The bone of contention according to the transport operators was the brutal treatment meted to their colleague by the regime's traffic cops. This is a concern they have been raising for a long time with no positive response from the government. They complain of exorbitant fines
for minor offences; their licenses get confiscated and traffic cops waylay and target them for quick fines to aid the government's depleted revenue.
All this points to a regime battling with legitimacy crisis. As a quick measure to collect revenue, the regime has since last year instructed the police department to play its role in ensuring that it contributes at least R 3 000 000 quarterly but not without consequence on the poor.
Consequently, motorists and pedestrians alike have been targeted for detention and fines for minor traffic offenses. Since the beginning of the year, cases of drink driving have escalated and the regime receives "good and quick" revenue from this operation.
PUDEMO also notes with appreciation the Law Society's recent decision to continue the boycott. Running to almost a month now, the Law Society has proven to all of us that on matters of principle, there must never be compromises. Even though this is taxing hard on their own survival as people in a business, lawyers continue to boycott the country's court in
a true act of camaraderie.
While battling with the judicial crisis, the government is still faced with an education crisis at UNISWA as well as Primary and High Schools not to mention the economic crisis. It is now a war from all fronts. This again shows the country is ungovernable and Tinkhundla is unworkable. No amount of cosmetic SMART partnership dialogues will help now. It is time for genuine dialogue.
PUDEMO says the moment has come, lets us continue to sharpen the contradictions, make the country ungovernable and then take over power.
The national momentum towards democracy is building up. It is now or never!!
See also
POLICE BLAMED FOR BUS VIOLENCE
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/09/police-blamed-for-bus-violence.html
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