Swaziland
Newsletter No. 735 – 15 July 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.
SADC
calls extraordinary summit to address Eswatini crisis
By Peter Fabricius, Daily Maverick, 7 July
2022
Eswatini’s King Mswati has
finally agreed to attend the extraordinary summit of the security organ of the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) on 21 July, after keeping the
organisers guessing for weeks about his presence, sources said.
The Department of
International Relations and Security Cooperation announced the summit on
Thursday. It did not say what was on the agenda, but sources told Daily
Maverick the main item would be the proposed national political
dialogue in Eswatini. They said it had been unclear for some time if Mswati and
his government would attend, but that this had now been confirmed.
The summit will be chaired by
President Cyril Ramaphosa as South Africa currently chairs SADC’s security
organ. The other two current members of the organ troika are Namibia and
Botswana and so their presidents are also scheduled to attend.
Violent protests
SADC intervened in the crisis
in the country last year after unprecedented violent protests in June which
left scores of protesters dead and much infrastructure destroyed or damaged.
After another flare-up of violence in October, Ramaphosa visited Eswatini in
November to meet Mswati and announced afterwards that the king had agreed to
launch a national political dialogue.
But then a long delay ensued
and in the meanwhile, the political and security climate has deteriorated, with
violent crackdowns by security forces on protesters and more recently, violent
retaliation against police officers, including the burning of their homes —
apparently by some pro-democracy forces.
There are deep differences in
Eswatini about the structure of a national dialogue. Mswati and his government
appear to be envisaging it as taking place in the “Sibaya” format, in other
words as a traditional gathering where the monarch addresses his people. But
the democratic opposition says this would be a monologue rather than a
dialogue. They point to the Sibaya which Mswati called after the violence last
June where he delivered a speech and then departed without taking questions from
the Swazi people.
Thulani Maseko, a human rights
lawyer who chairs the Multistakeholders Forum that has been coordinating
political and civil society demands for a fully inclusive national political
dialogue, welcomed the announcement of the SADC summit on Thursday.
“It is good news that SADC is
meeting. It is equally encouraging that the Swaziland government has agreed to
attend,” he said.
“The SADC facilitated process
has to move forward. It cannot be held to ransom forever.” Maseko said SADC’s
intervention was necessary to arrest the violence; where members of the police
service were being targeted and the general political environment had become
more volatile.
He hoped that SADC would
persuade Mswati to agree on a dialogue process with firm timelines that could
be shared with the leaders of the pro-democracy movement and on the need to
create a political climate for talks to begin in earnest.
“It is clear that the
government envisages some dialogue through Sibaya. That is unworkable and not
acceptable to the mass democratic movement. All the King can do through his
unilateral Sibaya meeting would be to announce his commitment to an
all-inclusive political process, not to seek to manipulate and control it.
“We implore SADC not to depart
from its own regional values and principles on democracy, the rule of law and
their respect for all human rights in Swaziland.”
But whether SADC will be up to
persuading Mswati to conduct a national political dialogue in a format that is
acceptable to the democratic opposition, is uncertain. Meanwhile, the political
and security climate necessary for a political dialogue has been deteriorating,
with clampdowns on protesters and increasing attacks on security forces.
Exiled journalist
branded a ‘terrorist’
Last week the Eswatini
government designated exiled journalist Zweli Martin Dlamini and his South
Africa-based online publication, Swaziland News, as terrorist
entities because of his reporting on the growing political violence in the
country. The government accused him of publishing articles “that instigate
violence, the burning of public and state property, the seizure of state power
and overthrow of lawful government”.
The government order accused
Dlamini of threatening the killing of police officers, saying that it was
“worth noting that there had been recent shooting of officers by unknown
gunmen”.
Swaziland News recently reported that a police officer had been
shot “allegedly by members of the pro-democracy Swaziland International
Solidarity Forces that defends civilians from ‘bloodthirsty’ King Mswati’s
security forces”. This was shortly after another two policemen had been shot.
Dlamini wrote: “The Solidarity
Forces had vowed to deal with police officers after Mswati demonstrated
reluctance in engaging in a political dialogue and subsequently unleashed the
police and soldiers to shoot and kill dozens of civilians merely for demanding
democratic reforms.” DM
UPROAR: Headteacher ordered female
pupils to strip naked, assaults them on buttocks
By Eugene Dube, Swati Newsweek, 11 July,
2022
MANZINI - The
Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) intervened after four female
pupils from Encabaneni High School were allegedly forced to strip naked and
beaten by their headteacher Darlton Kunene.
Information
gathered is that six form V pupils were punished after the pupils disobeyed
their headteacher.
The matter had
been reported to the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse. Information gathered
is that the headteacher and the injured pupils were summoned at Mankayane
Swagaa office yesterday. However Kunene bolted after seeing the 3 injured
pupils who were there to expose his injustice.
Nkonzo Vilakati,
Swagaa case officer said, “The pupils reported the matter to us. We summoned
both the pupils and the headteacher. Please talk to Swagaa director about the
issue.”
“I punished
certain pupils but am not aware that they have been injured. I think such
report is not true,” said Kunene.
He attributed
the disobedience of the pupils to the political winds of change currently
existing in the country.
“The pupils at
Encabaneni High school are political minded. They have joined Swalimo and the
EFF Swaziland. This has greatly created a volatile situation in the school.
The headteacher
related how the pupils had been refusing to go to English classes. “We then
sent away 4 of the pupils who were uncooperative. Now it is the four pupils
that incited the whole class.”
“When I arrived
in the school I was called a Mangololo by the the pupils. These pupils were
protesting and refused to learn English. Last year they damaged the school
windows,” explained Kunene.
“I then asked
the police to intervene. We then agreed with the police to punish the pupils.
Police issued an instruction to punish the pupils.
“If the pupils
are complaining about abuse they have to report to the police not to the
newspapers.” said Kunene.
Kunene said the
pupils were punished for striking in school. He gave each pupil less than six
strokes. Those less than 16 years got four strokes.
The headteacher
explained that when he arrived at the school he found a state of anarchy. The
police gave him the directive to punish unruly pupils. He said the corporal
punishment was just necessary and minimal and he is uprooting the bad
behaviour.
However, the
pupils maintain that assault and grievous bodily harm amounts to physical and
emotional abuse.
“The headteacher
is not telling the truth . He assaulted us when we were peaceful. The assault
badly injured our buttocks,” said the pupil, who did not want her identity to
be revealed.
“The headteacher
instructed another female teacher to force us to strip before we were assaulted
with a stick. Two male pupils were also forced to remove their underwear before
they were beaten by the headteacher Kunene,” said another pupil.
Mswati’s
police invade Msunduza community in Mbabane, raid homes of CPS members
Communist
Party of Swaziland statement, 13 July 2022
At around 06:30 am on Wednesday, a battalion of armed police
officers invaded the Msunduza community in Mbabane, Swaziland, in what they
coined a search for guns and grenades.
While the police claimed to be looking for guns and grenades
ostensibly to be used in an impending armed revolution against Africa’s last
absolute monarchy, the true reasons for the raid were to instil fear among
community members and victimise political activists.
The Communist Party of Swaziland has led many community
activities in Msunduza and other communities in Swaziland, particularly Sunset
Rallies, building ground-based community councils in defence of the people and
to galvanise the revolutionary forces for people’s power.
In Msunduza, the police went on to raid the home of Comrade
Bongi Nkambule, fondly known among his comrades as “Comrade Bongo”, a member of
the Communist Party of Swaziland, supposedly in search of guns.
Comrade Bongo narrated his ordeal that “about 30 armed police
personnel stormed my house and invaded my privacy, turning it upside down. The
police degraded my family to the point of screaming numerous insults to my
wife."
“Mswati’s police insulted my wife because the police believed
she knew my whereabouts,” added Comrade Bongo.
Comrade Bongo has been under police surveillance for some time
now. On 23 March this year, Mswati’s police kidnapped him while on his way
home, heavily assaulted him and later dumped him at night just outside the capital
city.
Police officers have since made it a norm to raid houses
belonging to CPS members and the mass democratic movement. Recently in
Matsapha, Mbikwakhe community, the police directed their raids at CPS
members. In that raid, the police went on to steal comrades’ food and
confiscated computers.
The CPS condemns all the raids directed against CPS activists
and the progressive movement. These raids expose the regime’s desperation to
cling to power.
The raids also vindicate the Communist Party’s campaign, under
the “Democracy Now” campaign, to build community councils for communities to
defend themselves while at the same time forming a community-based
militant organisation of the people for the future of our country.
The CPS calls for the unity of the mass democratic movement
against the people’s common enemy, the Mswati autocracy, for the total
overthrow of the tinkhundla regime and building of people’s power under a
democratic republic.
Thokozane Kenneth Kunene, General
Secretary
Power of journalism is grounded on credibility, public
trust.
By Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 13
July, 2022
Credibility,
establishing and maintaining public trust remains the pillar of journalism
whose primary objective is to act in the public interest.
After realizing
that they lacked public trust and credibility, State controlled journalists
dedicated their energy trying to discredit the independent media without understanding
that journalists who are bound to succeed are those who suffer and stand with
the masses in difficult times.
The
Michello-Shakantu media project that seeks to attack the independent media will
not succeed because both Shakantu and his team of State journalists lack
credibility and public trust.
Information is
rated based on the credibility of the author, evidence that substantiates
allegations and its source.
Perhaps one can
make an example about anyone who desires to counter information that was
published or broadcasted by CNN, he or she must consider getting a platform on
BBC or Aljazeera because these media organizations are on the same level of
competence.
The State
journalists who desire to counter information that influences the calls for
democratic reforms must first understand that journalism that influences change
must be grounded on credibility and public trust.
Public trust
once established, is maintained everyday, every hour and every minute.
Swazis who were
born in the 1970s are now grandparents, the 80s and 90s are parents and the
2000s are primary, high school and University students.
This means the
eSwatini population is now dominated by educated citizens with access to
information through DSTVs, social media and other platforms
Any State
journalist who thinks he or she can create a platform just to mislead the
people will have a tough time.
Swazis who live
in Matsapha and surrounding areas that include Logoba,Mathangeni, Ndzevane and
Kwaluseni witnessed the June 2021 massacre and attended funerals of their
relatives.
Imagine if a
State journalist would then write an article trying to defend the State, saying
the brutality that was witnessed by the people never happened, that captured
scribe would be ‘honoured ’ with only two(2) Facebook likes.
In conclusion,
it is important to emphasize that the pillar of journalism is credibility and
public trust, this is earned through hard work, integrity and the perseverance
to act in the public interest.
‘Sri Lanka is possible in Swaziland’
By Dr Jabulane Matsebula, PUDEMO
representative in Australia, Swati Newsweek, 13 July, 2022
The people of
Sri Lanka surprised the world by saying enough is enough of corruption and bad
governance. They turned up in millions and staged a peaceful people's
revolution. No amount of state violence would have stopped them. They took over
the luxurious presidential palace and overthrew the regime. It was a display of
unity, determination and courage driven by the desire for a decent life. With
acute fuel shortage and limited public transport, people walked miles to make
history.
I have no doubt
in my mind that the events in Sri Lanka are possible in Swaziland. The people's
uprising in June/July 2021 is clear evidence that such events can occur in
Swaziland if we unite for a common purpose. Our challenge as leaders of the MDM
is to regroup and unite the people under a common banner, the total overthrow
of the monarchy regime.
The cost of
living is skyrocketing and poverty rates remain elevated yet government
continues to spend huge sums to support the royal family lavish lifestyle.
Total public debt remains very large and is projected to grow. According to the
Central Bank, as at end of April 2022 national debt stands at R26.9 billion.
That is 34.5 per cent of GDP. International financial organisations estimate
the debt to be much larger.
There is more
economic pain ahead as headline inflation is on the upward trajectory. More and
more people will fall into the poverty trap. About 71 per cent of the
population lives on less than US$5. According to the World Population Poverty
Review (2022), Swaziland is amongst the top 11 poorest countries in the world.
The country has the lowest life expectancy in the world. It is poor than
Mozambique despite an abundance of natural resources. How did we get here when
the country is classified by the World Bank as a lower-middle income?
To ease this
pain, we must stage a mass people's revolution at the scale seen in Sri Lanka.
SWAZI
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