Members of a dozen
organisations picketed the South African side of the Swaziland border to call
for the kingdom’s absolute monarch King Mswati III to be isolated.
They want democracy in
Swaziland where political parties cannot contest elections and groups that
campaign for freedom are banned under the Suppression of Terrorism Act. The
King chooses the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers as well as top judges and
civil servants.
The picket on Friday (26
July 2019) was led by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in
KwaZulu-Natal. In a statement it called on all progressive forces to agitate
for the economic and political isolation of the Mswati government. It said, ‘This
campaign needs to be strengthened and intensified so that the exploited and
oppressed people of Swaziland can be freed from the shackles of the Mswati
regime.
‘Contrary to its false
claims of peace and order in Swaziland, the regime is continuing to expose the
people of Swaziland to serious sufferings and exploitation. The State is
paralysed and the country is on the verge of collapse.
‘The people are dying
because of the failing health system, children and women are raped, workers
are striking and protesting
for wage increases, taxes have escalated exorbitantly; university students are
targeted and the judiciary is centralised by the individuals.
‘There is no
quality healthcare programme,
the education
system remains untransformed, and
the media
freedom is non-existent.’
Among those participating
in the picket at the Golela / Lavumisa Border were the Trade Union Congress of
Swaziland (TUCOSWA) and two groups banned in Swaziland: the People’s United
Democratic Movement (TUCOSWA) and the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN).
Picture sourced
from Facebook
See also
COSATU to help evicted Swaziland sugar cane farmers
regain control of land from King
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