Swaziland
Newsletter No. 739 – 12 August 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.
Security
threats ground some Govt operations
Times
of eSwatini, 9 August 2022
MANZINI: Part of the government machinery came to a grinding
halt yesterday as offices and schools did not render services.
The government machinery
stopped operations following an audio clip purporting to be a threat
announcement by an anonymous ‘commander’. The audio advised security
forces to withdraw their services in defending the Tinkhundla System of
Government, while also making a litany of threats which cannot be repeated
given their nature. In the audio, the members of the State security organs were
given 14 days (which elapsed last Friday), to withdraw the said
services. This audio clip came at a time when the nation was still
anticipating partaking in a national dialogue, which political parties have
been calling for, subsequent to the political unrest experienced in June /July
2021.
This was subsequent to the
stalemate between government and the Public Sector Union (PSUs) of Swaziland,
wherein the latter advised civil servants to stay put in their places of abode
in fear of the threats which were supposedly issued by the ‘commander’ and the
former insisting that the purported threats were a ‘hoax’. Yesterday, a
majority of government services were not rendered as the offices were vacated
by civil servants as early as 10am. Services like the issuance of travel
documents, birth and death certificates; national identity documents and paying
for government services at Revenue Offices, were not available. The
closure of some government ministries and departments resulted in a number of
people returning home without any assistance. Some offices and departments were
operating in the morning, but were closed at about 10am as there was fear of
the unknown.
Locked
The offices and departments
had their doors locked and padlocks hanging from the burglar proof doors. Some
people in Manzini were seen waiting in anticipation that the offices would be
later opened for them to access services; however, this did not happen and they
ended up leaving after lunch. On the other hand, learners in most schools
were ordered to return home. This was said to be as a result of some parents
not allowing their children to attend lessons yesterday. Some head
teachers said they had to release the learners early in spite of the
on-going examinations. They claimed that they could not proceed with the
examination while other pupils were not present. The head teachers, who
spoke to this publication, expressed fear that the examinations could be thrown
into disarray as they did not know what would happen during the course of the
week.
They said the examinations
were critical as the grades accorded to learners were the ones used to secure
places in the next grades for those sitting for external
examinations. Also, some of the head teachers acknowledged that there were
teachers who had not reported for work and their suspicions were that the
threats which had been circulated regarding their safety were the cause. They
also highlighted that there was uncertainty on the availability of public
transport, which might have deterred the teachers and learners from attending
the lessons of the day.
Meanwhile, in most bus ranks
across the country, public transport was operational and available. However,
despite its availability, there were minimal commuters. Despite the
threats which advised the public to stay at home, textile workers in Matsapha
had reported for work yesterday morning. However, they did not work the whole
day like in most instances as they were released early. This publication
started monitoring the situation in Matsapha at 6am and at that time, public
transport vehicles operating between Manzini/Matsapha Industrial Site were
available, thus the workers managed to get to work on time.
Factories
At around 8am, this
publication visited some of the textile factories located in the industrial hub
of the country and found that they were operating normally and at 100 per cent
workforce.
However, later on, it was
gathered that some factories released their workers just after the lunch-hour.
A source close to the matter said the factories decided to release the workers
early for their safety. In fact, he said they took the unrest threats
seriously, because of what happened in June/July 2021, where workers who were
going to work were caught in the crossfire.
“They feared that the threats
could materialise and the workers’ lives would be at risk when going back home
in the late afternoon, thus they released them early,” the source said.
It was further reported that
there was also uncertainty regarding the availability of public transport, thus
some of the employers in the sector decided to release the workers early while
public transport vehicles were still available. Some of the employers
confirmed that they released the workers before knock- off time for their
safety. They said they would be monitoring the situation and they had also
asked the workers to update them so that they could plan ahead.
Meanwhile, the Eswatini
Textile and Apparel Traders Association (ETATA) Chairperson, Tokky Hou,
confirmed earlier on the day that workers managed to report for duty in the
factories yesterday. However, she could not be reached for a comment later
on as her mobile phone rang unanswered for the better part of yesterday
afternoon. A WhatsApp message was sent to her, but she had not responded
by the time of compiling this report.
Eswatini's king praises police crackdown
on pro-democracy protests
By
AFP, 5 August 2022
The king of Eswatini, Africa’s
last absolute monarchy, on Friday praised police who brutally put down last
year’s pro-democracy demonstrations in which dozens of protesters were killed.
At least 37 people were
killed and hundreds injured during weeks of anti-monarchy protests that first
erupted in June last year, in the worst unrest to hit the usually peaceful former
British colony.
Human Rights Watch put the
toll at 46.
In recent weeks, at least
four police officers have been killed in what authorities believe are revenge
attacks by suspected anti-government activists.
King Mswati III said: “I am
very happy that even in present day, after you have been victims of attacks
from terrorists, you have not stopped, but continued to uphold the oath that
you took when you joined the police service.
“The high work ethic and
level of acumen in your policing approaches should be maintained and
continually strengthened,” the monarch said, speaking at an event to celebrate
the police force in Eswatini, which was formerly known as Swaziland.
Eswatini has traditionally
stifled dissent and pro-democracy movements and political parties have been
banned in the southern African country since 1973.
Last year's violence in the
country of 1.3 million people sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique
drew international condemnation.
King’s forces attack Communist Party of Swaziland
members as pro-democracy protests continue
By Pavan Kulkarni, Peoples
Dispatch, 8 August 2022.
The Operation Support
Service Unit (OSSU), a militarized police unit of King Mswati III in Swaziland,
opened fire in the crowded working-class township of Matsapha and assaulted
members of Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) on the evening of Friday, August
5.
“I was held face
down at gunpoint with my arms and legs bound behind for half an hour as they
fired shots and chased down my comrades,” CPS central committee member Vuyiswa
Maseko told Peoples Dispatch. Maseko was forced to the ground after
resisting the police with his hands up in the air, along with another member
Gcinizwi Lukhele.
Kwazi Dube was
among the other members who had managed to dodge the police encirclement and
sprint their way out. “The police chased him down, firing live bullets in this crowded
area in the evening time. People waiting for their buses had to run in all
directions for cover,” Maseko said.
“He fell down while
running under fire. They captured him, beat him with clubs, kicked him with
boots and dragged him on the ground to where we were held captive, and tied him
to us.”
The 15-20 heavily
armed OSSU men allegedly also called for army backup. Soldiers promptly arrived
and joined the assault. “We were then interrogated about party activities, our
addresses and university details, where we headed”, and also “why we wanted to
attack them?” Maseko added, explaining that the OSSU had apparently thought
that they would come under attack and panicked.
The army and police in
Africa’s last absolute monarchy, where all political parties are banned, have
been jittery since they killed over 70 people and arrested hundreds others
mid-last year to put down the anti-monarchist rebellion.
When the unprecedented
peaceful pro-democracy marches, which for the first time also spread across the
villages of Swaziland, were met with force in June 2021, an uprising erupted in
urban industrial areas. Matsapha, where the CPS members have a large presence
and were attacked on Friday, was a hotspot.
Angry workers used
petrol bombs, stones and sticks to attack properties of the King, who owns most
of the economy and runs it for his indulgences such as a fleet of Rolls Royce
cars, private jets, palaces and parties, while nearly 70% of the population
survives on less than a dollar a day. Ordering the army to crack down, Mswati
had fled his kingdom by the month-end, returning only in mid-July 2021 when his
security forces had brought the kingdom back under his control.
However, with the
churning of a strong anti-monarchist sentiment, repeated protests have continued,
especially by the student union and community organizations associated with the
CPS. The banned party also has a strong presence in trade unions which have
organized government employees for whom getting salaries is a continuous
struggle as the government pleads poverty even as the King, who controls the
government, siphons billions each year.
“Democracy Now!” and
“Mswati Must Fall!” – the slogans of the CPS – have become a cry at the
protests by students and workers, and even at the rallies in villages and small
towns in Swaziland.
King Mswati tells
police to take “an eye for an eye”
Telling his security
forces to take “an eye for an eye,” the King delivered an aggressive speech
during the ‘Police Day’ that was held at the Matsapha Police College on Friday,
August 5. This was earlier in the day, before the CPS members were assaulted.
The chief of police from Rwanda, which has close security relations with
Swaziland, was reportedly in attendance, along with the South
African police chief and police representatives from Botswana, Zambia and
Mozambique.
“The town was full of
police that day,” said Maseko, who was walking with Lukhele and Dube to the
Matsapha traffic circle where they were to meet three other members. Together,
they were to board a bus to Hhukwini, 20 kilometers from capital Mbabane, to
attend the funeral of a relative of another member.
The police in an OSSU
truck stationed at the circle “saw us approaching toward them from two sides
wearing red T-shirts with the party regalia and thought we were going to attack
them. They immediately jumped and started attacking us,” he explained. “It was
around 4:30 when they captured us, and around six when we were released.”
No charges were
pressed. For an hour and a half – when the CPS members were forced face down on
the ground, beaten and interrogated – they were not taken into custody, but
harassed in public view. “The police know Matsapha is our stronghold. So by
harassing CPS members in public, the police are trying to scare the people of
the community who support us,” Maseko said.
Young
communists remain undeterred
However, this episode
on Friday does not seem to have deterred the young communists – all in their
20s. On Saturday, Maseko and his comrades, along with over a hundred Hhukwini
community members at the funeral, held a pro-democracy demonstration: breaking into
a dance and responding with a chorus
of war cries to party National Organizer Simphiwe
Dlamini’s rhythmic chants challenging the King’s authority.
“Every site should be
a site of struggle. Funerals and any other community gatherings should be
rallies of the fight for Freedom, Democracy & Socialism,” the CPS
said. Addressing a gathering of community members
later in the evening, Dlamini reiterated the CPS’ call for the formation of
security councils and welfare councils to defy the King’s police and local
chiefs. He urged pastors and the church to play an active role in the struggle
for democracy.
Also present at this
funeral-demonstration was Bongi Nkambule, another party member who has been
forced underground since July 13 after escaping about 30 heavily armed
policemen who raided his home in Msunduza, another township on the capital’s
outskirts.
Unable to capture him,
the police had taken his wife into custody and beaten her for hours. Nkambule
had become a target of the police after he was identified as a key organizer of
the sunset rallies in his community in Msunduza.
To signify to the
communities the nearing end of the monarchist reign over Swaziland, which the
King has arbitrarily renamed Eswatini, the CPS started organizing what it calls
sunset rallies from March. Later that month, police
abducted Nkambule and, without pressing any charges, dumped
him outside the capital in an injured state after torturing him for hours
regarding these rallies.
Although small in
numbers, these rallies, where community members defy the monarch by raising the
flag of the banned party and call for his overthrow, appear to have unsettled
Mswati. By the time Nkambule’s home was raided in July, these rallies had
become a weekly protest.
“We organize rallies
in different places each week. For security reasons, we don’t reveal the venue
in advance,” Maseko explained. A day after the funeral, on Sunday, August 7,
residents marched in the sunset rally led by CPS commissar Titus Vilakati in
the Madonsa township on the outskirts of Manzini.
SWALIMO SG warns Swazis on King’s
statement
By Nontobeko Dvuba, Swati Newsweek, 9
August 2022
MANZINI:
Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) says the recent statement by Mswati III
instructing the police force to intensify the shooting and killing of citizens
is clearly a demonstration of poor leadership and a confirmation that he can no
longer be trusted to lead the people of Swaziland.
SWALIMO
secretary general Dr Siphetfo Dlamini released a statement yesterday concerning
this issue.
“SWALIMO views
this reckless statement as a deliberate attempt to frustrate and stall the
efforts for democratic reforms in Swaziland,” Dlamini said.
“The ‘eye for an
eye’ statement further confirms that he indeed ordered the soldiers to kill
over 100 innocent people, injure hundreds and imprison over 600 individuals.
The ‘iso ngeso’ statement further confirms that he is more concerned about
himself as shown in the way he amasses personal wealth while about 70% of the
people languish in poverty,” Dlamini said.
“Mswati’s
declaration of war among citizens is very costly to human life and stability.
It has become clear that the regime is adamant and determined to assassinate
citizens considering the preceding articulation of the Police Commissioner
‘akuyiwe eshashalazini’, calling everyone to the battlefield and Prince
Simelane’s articulation of ‘fire with fire’, insinuating that police must shoot
to kill,” Dlamini said.
“These national
authorities, supported by their master Mswati III, are clearly advocating for
violence and killing of citizens.
“SWALIMO appeals
to the police and other security forces to disregard this instruction that
seeks to set citizens against each other and refrain from putting their lives
into risk for an oppressor that has no interest in their welfare,” Dlamini
said.
“SWALIMO insists
that what remains as a demand from Mswati is the delivery of an all-inclusive
dialogue that will in essence mean the release of the incarcerated prodemocracy
MPs, Comrades Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube, the exoneration of the
SWALIMO President, Comrade Mduduzi Simelane from the political fabricated
charges as well as the return of all political exiles,” Dlamini said.
“In that regard,
SWALIMO calls upon the Mass Democratic Movement to intensify the fight for
liberation and to diligently work together to ensure the survival of this great
nation and attainment of freedom,” Dlamini said.
Swaziland National
Teachers’ Union calls on members to stay home due to political tension
By Mthobisi Mkhaliphi, SABC
News (South Africa), 8 August 2022
The Swaziland
National Teachers’ Union (SNAT) has called on the teachers in Eswatini to stay
home due to brewing political tension in the country. This is after a voice
note issued by an unknown person threatening to attack King Mswati the 3rd and
armed forces.
The tension
takes place amid the recent attack on police officers reported in Eswatini.
SNAT president Mbongwa Dlamini says their members will not return to work until
their safety is guaranteed.
“They gave a
specific instruction to our members, to the teachers that they should not
attend work because immediately they will start fighting anyone they come
across even at school. So, it was safe for us to make sure that our members are
safe. Because at the moment even if you can have an accident once you call the
police, they refuse to come citing that they are also afraid of being
attacked.”
Meanwhile, the
Secretary General of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) Dr Siphetfo
Dlamini has called on the Eswatini citizens to be cautious and avoid unnecessary
movements.
“There’s a
number of sectors or categories that have been affected by what is currently
happening in Swaziland. The tensions have eventually led to quite a number of
Emaswati especially those who are also working for the government, and the officials
in a number of departments where services should be rendered for the people of
Swaziland that have been shut down. Therefore as the Swaziland Liberation
Movement, we have encouraged and requested all Emaswati to stay indoors and to
ensure that their safety is a priority.”
Editor
meets with Solidarity Forces Commander during an inspection of weapons
By
Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 11 August 2022
MBABANE: On Wednesday,
the Executive Command of the Swaziland International Solidarity Forces (SISF)
invited this journalist to witness the inspection of weapons to be used during
underground operations.
King Mswati, an absolute
Monarch incited a civil war by refusing to engage in a political dialogue and
subsequently unleashed his soldiers and police to shoot and kill dozens of
civilians merely for demanding democratic reforms.
Despite efforts by the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) to facilitate a peaceful
resolution in the eSwatini crisis, King Mswati refused to attend a SADC meeting
and continued to brutalise protestors.
The King recently instructed
his police officers to meet “an eye for an eye”.
“I therefore advise you that
as you go about your very important duties, you go out in full alert and in
readiness to respond effectively and decisively against any criminal elements
and you must meet them eye for an eye,” he said.
On another note, the
Commander of the Solidarity Forces said the weapons would be used in the next
stages of the ongoing operations.
“These weapons would be used
in the next stages of the ongoing operations. We don’t want to reveal our
strategies, but we just want our people to know that the process of liberating
the country from the hands of Mswati is ongoing,” said the SISF Commander, who
was accompanied by other senior members commanding other units.
The Swaziland International
Solidarity Forces (SISF) recently received a one hundred thousand Rand
(R100,000.00) donation from a Swazi businessman, and it has been revealed that
other businessmen are coming-in with monetary support to liberate Swazis.
A questionnaire was sent to
Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo, however, he had not responded at the
time of compiling this report.
Eswatini is in the midst of
a political crisis as a result of King Mswati's deployment of his security
forces to shoot and kill scores of civilians merely for demanding democratic
reforms. Recently, he refused to appear before SADC, a regional body that is
encouraging a peaceful resolution to the ongoing crisis.
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