Swaziland Newsletter No. 780 – 9 June
2023
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.
Convicted
eSwatini pro-democracy MPs face more than twenty (20) years in prison, PPA
describes guilty verdict as miscarriage of justice
By
Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 3 June, 2023
MBABANE: Convicted eSwatini pro-democracy
Members of Parliament (MPs) Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube face more
than twenty (20) years inside prison.
The MPs were found guilty of terrorism,
sedition and murder this week by Judge Mummy Dlamini after King Mswati, an
absolute Monarch, ordered their arrest on the aforementioned politically
motivated criminal charges.
Judge Mumcy Dlamini who was allegedly
ordered by the King to convict the MPs,is Mswati’s sister -in-law, the Judge
has been manipulating the law throughout the trial.
Meanwhile, the Political Parties Assembly
(PPA), a coalition of political parties in eSwatini has described the guilty verdict
by Judge Dlamini as a miscarriage of justice
“The miscarriage of justice by Judge Mumcy
J Dlamini on the verdict of Honourable Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube
was expected. The incarceration of the Members of Parliament for doing their mandated
duties by the executive arm of government was a clear interference into the
legislative arm of government. Prince Judge Majahenkhaba Dlamini’s wife from
the beginning to end served the interest of the royal house hold. Absolutism
must be defeated,” reads a statement released by Thamie Hlatswako, the PPA
Acting Head of Secretariat.
Mswati is using State security officers
and/or the judiciary to silence dissenting voices.
Journalists, political activists,
pro-democracy MPs and other human rights defenders are jailed for demanding
democratic reforms or criticizing the King and his government.
Why Judge Mumcy
found MPs Bacede, Mthandeni guilty
By Mbongiseni Ndzimandze, Times of eSwatini, 2 June
2023
MBABANE: In a 147-page judgment, Judge Mumcy Dlamini has set out her
nine reasons why she found MPs Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza of Hosea and Mthandeni
Dube of Ngwempisi guilty of inciting violence during the unrest and murder.
It took the judge less than five minutes to pronounce the guilt verdict
of the duo as she did not read the whole judgment despite protestation by
Mabuza. Almost two years after being arrested, the MPs, who were arrested
on July 25, 2021, were convicted by Judge Dlamini yesterday after a trial that
commenced in November of the same year. MP Mabuza was acquitted of the offence
of breaching COVID-19 regulations, which he was accused of committing during a
community meeting that was attended by about 2 000 people at Hosea Inkhundla in
June 2021.
The murder charge emanated from the death of two men who were run over
by a motor vehicle that belonged to Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accidents Fund
(SMVA ) that hit seven people at Nkwalini at an illegal ‘roadblock’ where some
residents stopped vehicles and demanded money. During this period, illegal
roadblocks were mounted in various parts of the country.
The Crown led 65 witnesses to prove its case against the incarcerated
MPs, who have spent one year and 10 months behind bars, despite their three
unsuccessful attempts to be released on bail. The MPs led witnesses who
included Nkilongo MP Timothy Myeni and Nhlambeni MP Mazwi Zwane. In her
judgment, Judge Dlamini highlighted that, where more than one person set out to
commit a crime, in the event their purpose was achieved, each perpetrator’s
unlawful conduct should be imputed to the other. In her analysis, Judge Dlamini
said it was reasonable to conclude that Mabuza informed the nation that the
current government was not worth listening to or complying with its orders.
Judge Dlamini found that there was a common purpose between those who
committed the crimes on the ground and the two MPs who incited them. She said
where more than one person set out to commit a crime, in the event their
purpose was achieved, each perpetrator’s unlawful conduct should be imputed to
the other. In the charge of contravening the Suppression of Terrorism Act of
2008, the judge said noteworthy in the speeches of both the accused persons was
that they informed their hearers that there were ills emanating from the
appointed prime minister and all political appointees and such could only be
cured by ‘review’ of the Constitution. She further noted that Mabuza, also
pointed out that they would ‘fight’ and that ‘Swazis will be free’.
To read more of this report, click here
http://www.times.co.sz/news/140423-why-judge-mumcy-found-mps-bacede-mthandeni-guilty.html
See also
Eswatini slams US mission for
‘interference’ in country’s judiciary
Eswatini
slams US mission for ‘interference’ in country’s judiciary (aa.com.tr)
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/eswatini-slams-us-mission-for-interference-in-country-s-judiciary/2912804
Criminalising free speech
http://www.times.co.sz/feature/140448-criminalising-free-speech.html
Pro-democracy MPs guilty verdict:
Judge Mummcy Dlamini a judicial ‘prostitute’.
http://swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=4427
By Pavan Kulkarni, Peoples Dispatch, 2 June 2023
The Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) is set to launch a “Break the
Chains” campaign to demand the release of political prisoners, including its
Central Committee (CC) member Mvuselelo Mkhabela, whose bail hearing is scheduled
for June 22.
The campaign will include protests and roadblocks in rural communities,
starting with Mvuselelo’s small town of Hluti in the Hosea constituency in
Shiselweni, the poorest region in rural Swaziland, where he had
organized the communities against the monarchy. In the course of this work,
Mvuselelo has been tortured thrice by the police in the last three months, and
even shot once.
On February 7, the police broke into his house at 4 am and abducted him
along with another CPS member Bongi Mamba. They had organized a successful
demonstration and roadblock the previous day, demanding the release of
political prisoners and agitating for the boycott of the “undemocratic”
elections scheduled in August.
With all political parties banned in the country, only individuals
approved by the King’s local chiefs can contest these elections to a parliament
which has no authority to hold to account the executive, which is directly
appointed by King Mswati III, Africa’s last absolute monarch. The CPS describes
the elections as a farce, meant only to legitimize the monarchy.
As part of the CPS campaign to “Boycott, Disrupt and Stop” these
elections, Mvuselo had been carrying out regular agitations to convince his
community members to not participate in this election, and to actively disrupt
it.
After a day of torture, the police released the duo, charging Mvuselelo
with possession of marijuana and of burning property. After recovering from the
torture in a hospital, Mvuselelo returned to his community, and resumed his
organizational work.
“From our experience in detention, we are…holding discussions with
community members about the need to organize local security councils to be able
to quickly respond and defend one another when the police invade our
communities,” he had told Peoples Dispatch at the time.
Later that month, when the officials of “Election and Boundaries
Committee” arrived with police at his town on February 28 to hold a campaign to
convince people to vote, Mvuselelo quickly mobilized the youngsters in his area
to stop them from entering the community.
Carrying banners proclaiming ‘No to Mswati Election,’ ‘Democracy Now!,’
‘Mswati Must Fall!,’‘Unban political parties,’ and ‘Free all political
prisoners,’ they blocked the road, chanting a protest song against King Mswati
to a feet-stomping dance.
The police shot him in his thigh, and fired several rounds to disperse
others who were trying to grab their guns. Without stopping at the nearest
clinic, the police drove Mvuselelo in the back of a van for 40 kilometers,
beating and torturing him throughout the way, including by allegedly fingering
his bullet wounds. At Hlathikhulu police station, he was interrogated about
party activities and tortured again, before finally being taken to hospital.
When the police had briefly dropped guard that evening, another CPS
member sneaked into his ward with clean clothes. Covering his bullet wound
under a clean pair of trousers, he quietly escaped from the hospital, leaning
on his comrade’s shoulder for support.
“We made it out of the hospital quickly, but I had to sit down on the
road every now and then, because my leg was extremely painful. But I could not
sit for long. Police vehicles were patrolling the main road,” he recalled
during an interview with Peoples Dispatch a few days later.
Quickly getting off the main road into the bushes, he limped through the
forest in the night to his comrade’s homestead, from where another CPS member
drove him to a hideout where a partisan doctor treated his bullet wound.
“But Mvuselelo would not just sit quietly and wait,” recalled Mancoba
Motsa, a party commissar and CC member. Soon after recovering from the bullet
wound, he resumed anti-monarchist activities.
“Our struggle necessarily takes a guerilla form”
To read more of this report, click here
SADC elections
team was not invited by govt - Alpheous
By Nhlanganiso
Mkhonta, Times of eSwatini, 5 June 2023
MBABANE: The Government of Eswatini has distanced itself from the
programme and list of organisations and individuals that the SADC Electoral
Advisory Council (SAEC) is meeting in the country.
SADC is the Southern Africa Development Community. In a statement
issued on Saturday, Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo said the
programme, in terms of the organisations and individuals that the SADC
Electoral Advisory Council was meeting in the country, remained unknown to
government. Nxumalo said any insinuations that the government was involved
in the drawing up of the SAEC programme was incorrect and tantamount to
misleading the nation.
“This mission was not invited by the Government of Eswatini,” said
Nxumalo. Nxumalo issued the statement following concerns expressed by
various quarters on the national structures in respect to the SADC Electoral
Advisory Council’s mission in Eswatini. The concerns were that the SAEC’s
programme indicated intentions to meet political parties which were banned in
the country. The concerns were raised by organisations like Mangololo
Eswatini, who complained about the criteria used by the SAEC to select the
organisations to meet, as it reflected political parties as key stakeholders in
the elections. Mangololo raised concerns on why political parties were to be
met by SAEC whereas they were not allowed to participate in the general
elections, because in Eswatini people participate in the elections in their
individual capacity. On Thursday, SAEC met with the People’s United
Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) and the African United Democratic Party (AUDP).
On Friday, the delegation met the different media houses and leaders of
the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFFSWA) among others. This week, the SAEC
delegation, led by its Deputy Chairperson and former Chairperson of the
Electoral Commission of Namibia, Advocate Notemba Tjipueja from the Republic of
Namibia is set to meet other stakeholders, which include the Multi-Stakeholder
Forum (MSF), civil society groups, leaders of different women organisations and
trade unions. According to the draft programme, the SAEC delegation would
also meet the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC) and the Communist
Party (CPS). The SAEC delegation would then be expected to finalise and adopt
its report on Thursday and then leave the country on Friday.
eSwatini seeks
Taiwan’s help on food insecurity, climate change
China News Agency, 6 June 2023
Taipei:
Eswatini is looking for Taiwan’s assistance in addressing the challenges of
climate change, including food insecurity, facing the African kingdom, visiting
Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku said Tuesday in Taipei.
“Climate
change continues to pose increased danger to achieving food security” in
Eswatini, Masuku told President Tsai Ing-wen in a meeting at the Presidential
Office.
“What was
hoped to be a bumper harvest this season has turned out to be a season of crop
losses due to heavy rains,” he said.
The
people of Eswatini, he said, “count on your [Taiwan’s] continued support"”
to improve crop production and management methods to “withstand all the dangers
posed by climate change.”
It is
also important that both sides “explore means of disaster preparedness to
mitigate the devastating effects brought about by this climate change
phenomenon,” he said.
Masuku,
who arrived in Taiwan on Monday with a delegation, thanked Taiwan for its “enduring
cooperation and support” in the development of various fields in Eswatini, such
as information and communication technology, health, and education.
Eswatini
sincerely “commit[s] to the continuation of this friendship [with Taiwan],” he
said, adding that his country would continue to advocate for Taiwan’s inclusion
in the United Nations systems.
Meanwhile,
Tsai said Taiwan looked forward to furthering cooperation and exchanges with
the African ally, one of 13 states to maintain diplomatic relations with the
Republic of China (Taiwan's official name), especially in the areas of
economics and trade.
“Going
forward, we will continue to work with Eswatini and other international
partners to bolster cooperation and mutual assistance for prosperity in the
world,” she said.
Formerly
known as Swaziland and ruled by King Mswati III since 1986, Eswatini is Africa’s
last absolute monarchy and the ROC's only diplomatic ally in Africa.
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