Dlamini told the Observer on Saturday, a newspaper in Swaziland in effect owned by King Mswati III, that he did not mean to be taken literally.
‘Basically, I withdraw the comments I made on the union leaders. I
withdraw them unconditionally,’ the newspaper reported him saying.
In a statement it said, ‘Such remarks have a chilling effect on labor
and civil rights in the Kingdom of Swaziland.’
It added, ‘The United States continues to support and defend fundamental
freedoms, including freedom of association, and the human rights defenders who
fight for these values each day. We call upon the Government to renounce the
Prime Minister’s remarks and to ensure respect for the constitutionally
enshrined rights of all citizens.’
According to a report
in the Times of Swaziland newspaper,
the Prime Minister had said that Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) General Secretary, Vincent
Ncongwane and human rights lawyer Sipho Gumedze, should be strangled because
they spoke against his government in Washington.
Dlamini made the comment in a parliamentary debate about the African
Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA). Swaziland has lost its preferential trade
status with the United States under the Act because of its poor human rights
record. Dlamini blamed workers’ leaders
for not supporting his government and the King. King Mswati rules Swaziland as
sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, political parties cannot stand in
elections and the King appoints the Prime Minister and the government.
Swaziland has a history of state violence against prodemocracy campaigners
and in 2010 Sipho Jele
died in custody after being arrested for wearing a T-shirt with the name of PUDEMO (a
banned political party) written on it.
A campaign against Dlamini was launched on the
Internet and the United States powerful union bloc the AFL-CIO also condemned
him.
In a statement it called
on the ‘Swazi government to immediately end threats and attacks against
unionists and human rights activists, release imprisoned leaders and take the
needed steps to comply with international commitments’.
Explaining the U-turn, the Observer reported, ‘He briefly
explained, however, that he had realised that his comments were taken in the
literal sense and therefore had caused unnecessary attention.’
See also
PM SAYS ‘STRANGLE’ WORKERS’ LEADERS
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