Swaziland
Newsletter No. 730 – 10 June 2022
News from and about Swaziland, compiled by Global
Aktion, Denmark (www.globalaktion.dk)
in collaboration with Swazi Media Commentary (www.swazimedia.blogspot.com),
and sent to all with an interest in Swaziland - free of charge.
Political
activist Amos Mbedzi dies in SA
By
Sithembile Hlatshwayo, Times of eswatini, 8 June 2022
MBABANE – Two months after being handed over to
prison authorities in his home country, South Africa, Umkhonto Wesizwe former
member and SACP member, Amos Mbulaheni Mbedzi, has passed away.
SACP is an acronym for South African Communist
Party. Mbedzi died yesterday at around 6:30am at Polokwane Provincial
Hospital, where he was receiving treatment. His son, Doctor, confirmed his
death. The late Mbedzi was arrested in the country in September 2008 and
served part of his 85-year sentence before being handed over to prison
authorities of his home country in March this year. The name of Mbedzi has
been a common feature in political rallies and other events, with those in
attendance calling for his immediate release. Mbedzi, who has been sick
for some time, left the country for South Africa after undergoing medical tests
at the Mbabane Government Hospital. Armed Correctional Services officers were
deployed at the hospital to ensure his safety while he was undergoing medical
check-ups. He leaves behind his wife Tshikhudo and two children Doctor and
Pfano.
Condolences
Following his death, condolences from local
political formations have been pouring in. The Communist Party of Swaziland
(CPS) issued a statement of condolence to the family of Mbedzi. CPS
International Secretary Pius Vilakati said Mbezi’s family endured years of
suffering following unjustified refusal to release him from jail even after he
suffered from illness.
Vilakati noted that Mbezi gave his life serving the people of Eswatini, adding
that he was arrested in September 2008 charged under the Eswatini Terrorism
Act. “When the regime failed to prove terrorism, it ridiculously changed
the charge to murder of his two comrades, Musa ‘MJ’ Dlamini and Jack Govender,
who tragically lost their lives in September 2008 in a bomb blast.”
Vilakati said Mbezi survived the blast but was
heavily injured. He said he was also charged with sedition, violation of
Eswatini’s immigration law and unlawful possession of explosives. Mbedzi fell
sick while serving his sentence. In memory of Mbedzi, the CPS further
called for the unity of the people of Eswatini to wage a relentless fight,
under the ‘Democracy Now’ campaign. The People’s United Democratic
Movement (PUDEMO) Secretary General, Wandile Dludlu, described Mbedzi’s passing
as a colossal loss for them as emaSwati who wanted change and those struggling
for a better Africa.
Dludlu said they were informed of Mbedzi’s passing
by the family and were yet to prepare an official statement. He said as an
organisation, they were sending their condolences to the family and the SACP as
well as ANC and other African organisations that he worked with. These, he
said, included Umkhonto Wesizwe Military veterans where he was a
member. He said as PUDEMO, they would be writing a comprehensive and
befitting statement in due course.
Revolutionary
Meanwhile, Eswatini United Diaspora (EUD)
Co-founder Bonginkosi ‘IB’ Dlamini also penned down his condolence message.
Dlamini described Mbedzi as a true internationalist and revolutionary. He
recalled in 2001, where he together with the deceased, travelled to Harare to
meet the leaders of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement. He stated that
they had gone to discuss serious bilateral matters as they were engaged in
similar liberation struggles.
“In honour of Mbedzi, we shall pick up the spear and fight” PUDEMO SG
Dludlu
By Eugene Dube, Swati Newsweek, 8 June, 2022
MBABANE - Wandile Dludlu, the Secretary General of
the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) said they will continue with
the great fighting spirit demonstrated by the late soldier Amos ‘Messiah’
Mbedzi.
Dludlu said in a statement, “In honour of Comrade
Mbedzi, we shall pick up the spear and fight the Lobamba murderous regime. We
commit to intensifying the struggle for the total liberation of the people of
Swaziland. Our country will be free and the name of Amos Mbedzi will be
engraved on the freedom wall. Rest in peace soldier of our revolution. The
struggle continues! “
Dludlu said the death of Mbedzi greatly affected
them.
“The People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO)
has received with a deep sense of sadness the news about the demise of Amos
Mbedzi, our South African internationalist who spent a significant part of his
life on the trenches offering practical solidarity to the oppressed and
exploited people of Swaziland. We would like to express, on behalf of the
people of Swaziland, our deepest condolences to the family, friends, comrades
and entire South African community on the loss of this internationalist
revolutionary,” said the SG.
“Many of us knew Comrade Amos Mbedzi personally as
a charismatic freedom fighter who had an infectious personality that was
admired by many in PUDEMO and the ANC-led alliance in South Africa.”
“He was truly an extraordinary activist whose utter
devotion to others was without any thought of self; he had a rare sense of
responsibility to humanity – he demonstrated to the people of Swaziland what communism
is about. We salute his spirit of absolute selflessness.”
Dludlu added, “Amos was a noble man. A son of the
South African people from Limpopo, He was a soldier of Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK),
South African Communist Party (SACP) stalwart, African National Congress (ANC)
cadre and member of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union
(NEHAWU), a Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) affiliate.”
He explained, “He was drawn into the Swazi struggle
by a very active group of internationalists who formed the Swaziland Solidarity
Committee (SSC), later known as the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN). This
group of advanced and disciplined cadres was officially commissioned by our
late President, Mario Masuku, after several contacts and exploratory missions.
This was to be a game-changer in the history of the Swazi struggle. Mbedzi
played a pivotal role in the struggle for the liberation of the people of
Swaziland. We are proud of his service to our struggle; he groomed and mentored
many in our youth movement, the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) through his
selfless bravery and unflinching commitment to the Swazi revolution. We shall
never forget the important lessons about discipline, vigilance against enemy
agents and absolute dedication to the cause of liberation.”
Dludlu said Mbedzi will be greatly remembered.
“We say with heavy hearts that Amos will be truly
missed by all of us. He will forever be in our hearts and prayers. We offer our
condolences to the family during this sad moment; our thoughts and prayers are
with them.”
He concluded “We hold the Swazi monarchy
responsible for the death of Comrade Amos Mbedzi, whose murder was orchestrated
and implemented right inside their prison cells, after his arrest in September
2008 when he was unjustly convicted and sentenced to 85 years’ imprisonment. He
was later transferred to a prison in his home country, South Africa, and at the
time of his death, he was still serving his prison sentence. Mswati’s regime
refused to release him on humanitarian grounds even when it was clear that his
health was deteriorating.”
eSwatini
rated most unsafe country for LGBTQI travellers
By
Delisa Thwala, Times of eSwatini, 8 June 2022
MBABANE – Eswatini has been rated as the most
unsafe country for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQI) travellers,
regarding legal rights and anti-discrimination laws.
This is according to the latest LGBTQI Travel
Safety Index created by Asher and Lyric, a family and travel journalism blog
and news source that has ranked 203 countries and examined LGBTQI rights for each
of them. Eswatini is ranked in the top 26 countries throughout the world
and also emerged as the most unsafe in Africa and ranked F on the
list. The index was based on 10 ranking factors, which were whether
same-sex marriage was legalised, worker protection, and protection against
discrimination, criminalisation of violence and adoption recognition. In
addition, the factors included the poll question; ‘is it a good place to live?’
transgender legal identity laws, trans murder rates, punishments for same-sex
relationships and propaganda/morality laws.
Compared
Eswatini was compared with the Democratic Republic
of Congo and received an F grade, along with Rwanda, Liberia, Burundi, Ghana,
the Central African Republic, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Chad, Algeria, Kenya,
Morocco, Tunisia, Uganda, Ethiopia, Egypt, Mauritania, the Maldives, Zambia,
Sudan, Tanzania, South Sudan, Gambia, Libya and Malawi, as well as the West
Bank and Gaza. Nigeria emerged as the worst country in Africa and ranked
as the second-most dangerous country on the index, as homosexuality could
receive 14 years in prison or the death penalty and authorities have
criminalised discussion of LGBTQI rights and gender expression.
According to the index, Brunei is the most
dangerous country for LGBTQI travellers, while Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands,
Malta, Portugal and the UK are among the safest. From other travellers,
they took a deep look at LGBTQI+ rights, country by country. After 350+ hours
of research, the Index reviewed all countries’ individual laws and gathered
data from a variety of trusted international sources to create the definitive
LGBTQI Travel Safety. When addressing this study and findings Executive
Member at TransSwati Pinty Dludlu said the study was pretty much accurate. Dludlu
mentioned that they were happy there was a study that has actually told their
real story and has exposed how Eswatini treated the LGBTQI+ community.
Exclusion
Her sentiments were echoed by Melusi Simelane who
is the founding director of Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities, the
country’s first membership-based LGBTQI organisation, which aims to increase
awareness of the social and systematic exclusion of LGBTQI citizens across the
Southern Africa region. Simelane said unfortunately, they see studies conducted
to measure the acceptance or safety of LGBTQI persons in 2022. He said
this should be a thing of the past. When the world was more polarised than
ever, and humanity was battling the devastating impacts of the climate crisis,
it should be shocking that they still had to fear for their lives because of
whom they were involved with.
“After reading the article about an attack on
LGBTQI tourists in the past weeks, though I was abroad at the time, I lamented
as this is the everyday lived experience of many like me in Eswatini. Some
cases go unreported, and those that get reported rarely see the courts for
prosecution. I can make an example of a young woman who, to this day, is a
victim of harassment by the man alleged to have raped her. Whether it is
the justice system or the society at large, it has never been more horrifying
to be an LGBTQI person in Eswatini. LGBIQI citizens continue to be denied
fundamental protections as enshrined in the constitution. We see this in the
majority judgement of the recent ‘Register ESGM’ case, where the courts
affirmed the rights of all citizens, except for LGBTQI persons,” he said.
Surprising
In addition, he said it was therefore unsurprising
that Eswatini remains an unsafe country for LGBTQI. He further commended
the work being done by Eswatini Sexual and Gender Minorities and other civil
society organisations to ensure that LGBTQI persons are afforded the right to
dignity and are protected from harassment and sporadic attacks, which are
sometimes state-sanctioned. “The work continues to build a socially
cohesive society that affirms the rights and dignity of all,” he
said. Worth noting this study comes shortly before the LGBTQI community
embarks on an official celebration of their sexuality called the Pride Month
which is fully commemorated on June 25, every year.
This publication recently published a story about
three South African men who fully indentify as part of the LGBTQI
community. The trio was attacked during the MTN Bushfire 2022 edition
weekend, the matter was reported to the police and no arrests were
made. The High Court recently dismissed an application for the
registration of an association which sought to promote rights of gays and
lesbians in the country.
eSwatini
pro-democracy groups to commemorate 29 June massacre.
By
Wendy Magagula, Swaziland News, 6 June 2022
MBABANE: Pro-democracy groups affiliated
to the Multi-Stakeholders Forum and the Political Parties Assembly (PPA) have
resolved to commemorate the 29th June 2021 massacre where over one hundred
citizens were allegedly killed by Mswati’s security forces.
Speaking during a press conference held
at the SNAT Centre on Monday, Mlungisi Makhanya, the President of the People’s
United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) who was speaking on behalf of the Political
Parties Assembly (PPA) said the victims of the massacre paid the supreme price
anyone could pay.
“This is meant to show them respect
because they paid the supreme price anyone can pay. So we want any other Swazi,
in whatever form or shape, to ensure that he partakes in these series of
activities that we are engaging on,” said the PUDEMO President when speaking on
behalf of the Political Parties Assembly (PPA).
The press conference was attended by,
among others the Swaziland Rural Women Assembly (SRWA), the Swaziland Victims
and Survivors Association (SWAVISA).
Over 80% failed vetting in police recruitment
By Thokozani Mazibuko, eSwatini News print edition,
4 June 2022
MBABANE- It has
been gathered that over 80 per cent of job seekers were disqualified after
failing a vetting process in the ongoing police recruitment exercise.
The vetting is
said to have also focused on social media posts by every applicant.
It has become
normal practice of late that each time when there is a Royal Eswatini Police
Service (REPS) recruitment process, the first step is the vetting of aspiring
candidates, which includes looking into their conduct on social media platforms
such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Previously, the
vetting process was mainly through the submission of fingerprints and this
exercise was carried out at the REPS headquarters.
Through the
checking of the fingerprints, the REPS are able to ascertain if one is a
suitable candidate for recruitment.
The same is
also applicable during recruitment processes at His Majesty’s Correctional
Services (HMCS) and the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF).
Sources
However,
according to highly placed sources, the vetting of aspiring candidates in the
security forces only through the checking of fingerprints, had proved to be
unreliable because some of the recruits passed the process only to be discovered
later after they had been confirmed as police officers that they were political
activists.
At the height
of the country’s political unrest in Eswatini, some police officers came out to
declare their political affiliation and some even resigned from the service to
concentrate on their political activism.
Independent
investigations by this publication can reveal that most of these police service
members, who had come out to declare their political affiliation, were members
of the political parties long before they were employed. It has been gathered
that following the resignations of some of the police service members, such as
Sergeant Cebile ‘Cece’ Shongwe and Sabelo Simelane, who publicly declared that
they were members of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), the REPS
has upped its vetting measures and extended it to social media platforms to
thoroughly screen the aspiring recruits.
The sources
revealed that it was through the social media platforms where the over 80 per
cent of the aspiring applicants failed the screening.
It has been
established that it is through their Facebook posts, comments and likes to
controversial posts which are anti-government that they were disqualified.
political activism.
It is through
these social media posts where those responsible for vetting in the REPS
established that the aspiring cops were not suitable candidates. Impeccable
sources have further revealed that the recruitment exercise, which was
announced by the National Commissioner of Police (NATCOM), William Dlamini,
last year, had hit a snag when most of the aspiring cops failed to make it
through this vetting process. This development has made it difficult for the
Human Resources Department in the police service to recruit the over 1 000
candidates from last year.
Revealed
The source also
revealed that the REPS addressed this predicament during a meeting by top
management.
Meanwhile, the
Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Service Sipho Tsabedze, in
an earlier interview, warned emaSwati against posting negative or inflammatory
messages on social media platforms such as Facebook.
He warned that
potential employers such as government considered greatly what you post or
comment about on Facebook. He pointed out that employers can either employ or
dismiss you after going through comments or posts made on social media. Worth
noting is that, many people have been posting negative messages against the
Eswatini Government in their personal Facebook pages.
Tsabedze
explained that now was the era whereby the people of Eswatini should apply
responsibility and wisdom before posting anything on social media platforms.
The Computer
and Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2022 has paved a way for people to be held
accountable for what they post on the social networks.
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