Swaziland police and paramilitaries broke into a hotel
room where an inquiry into trade union rights was taking place and ordered it
to stop.
The police then ordered all participants who were not Swazi
subjects to leave the kingdom.
The South African labour federation COSATU reported the raid
happened this morning (6 September 2013) at the George Hotel in Manzini.
COSATU reported the Swazi Police stopped the Chair of the
inquiry, Jay Naidoo and his fellow paneliststs from proceeding with the Inquiry.
It said in a statement, ‘A contingent of Swazi police and
paramilitary led by Manzini Regional Police Commander entered the hotel room
where the inquiry is being held and demanded that the chair of the Inquiry, Jay
Naidoo and the whole panel stop and pack all their belongings and leave
Swaziland.
‘It is expected that they shall be deported anytime soon.’
It added, ‘The inquiry is an initiative of the ITUC [International
Trade Union Confederation], TUCOSWA [Trade Union Congress of Swaziland] and COSATU to hear workers’
accounts of their experiences and sufferings in order compile a report to be
taken to the ILO [International Labour organisation] for the Committee on the
Application of International Standards.’
The panel was part of a Global Week of Action for Democracy
in Swaziland.
COSATU said the panellists were Jay Naidoo, former
General Secretary of COSATU and former Minister under the Mandela Presidency;
Bishop Paul Verryn of the Methodist Chruch and South African Council of Churches
and anti-apartheid activist; Alec Muchadehama, Human Rights lawyer and activist
from Zimbabwe; Ms Nomthetho Simelane, former lecturer of Political Science at
the University of Swaziland; together with COSATU delegate Monk Molapeni.
It added the raid followed the arrest at his office of
the Secretary General of TUCOSWA, Vincent Ncongwane, yesterday morning by 10
police officers from the Lukhozi Serious Crime Police in Manzini.
He was later placed under house arrest to prevent him
taking part in a prodemocracy march in the Swaziland capital, Mbabane.
COSATU said, ‘They [police] emphasised that the reason is
that TUCOSWA is banned in Swaziland and therefore an illegal entity.’
Various trade unions all over the world are staging
activities in support of TUCOSWA and the global week of action led by the
Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) and its campaign wing, the Swaziland
Democracy Campaign (SDC).
In the UK, the TUC yesterday met the Swazi High
Commission in London and raised these issues decisively, demanding the unconditional
release of all those arrested and the unbanning of TUCOSWA.
See also
MASS POLICE ARRESTS TO HALT MEETING
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