Police
in Swaziland stopped trade unionists
from meeting on Saturday (28 February 2015) to discuss the need for multi-party
democracy in the kingdom.
Armed
police stopped supporters of the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA)
meeting at the Swaziland
National Teachers Association (SNAT) Centre in Manzini.
The Observer Sunday, a newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III, who
rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, reported, ‘The
main reason the meeting was stopped from taking place was the inclusion of
multi-party democracy in the agenda that was to be deliberated on the day.’
Political parties are banned
from taking part in elections in Swaziland and many pro-democracy organisations
have been banned by the King’s hand-picked government and labelled ‘terrorist’
groups.
Police mounted road
blocks to stop supporters entering Manzini, the kingdom’s main commercial city.
The Federation’s
President Quinton Dlamini said police would not deter TUCOSWA in its fight for
democracy.
TUCOSWA now plans to hold
a meeting just outside Swaziland’s borders at the Ngwenya Border Post in South
Africa on 14 March 2015.
The Federation’s Secretary
General Vincent Ncongwane said this would celebrate TUCOSWA’s third
anniversary.
He said, ‘It is clear
that we need multi-party democracy because the police are always exercising
their powers over us. We have resolved that we take our meeting to where
democracy is allowed and that is South Africa.’
In October 2014, the Swaziland
Government banned TUCOSWA and all other employer and trade union
federations in the kingdom.
See also
OFFICIAL: FEDERATIONS ARE ILLEGAL
No comments:
Post a Comment