COMMUNISTS MEET FOR FIRST SESSION

A statement from the recently-formed Communist Party of Swaziland, reporting its recent Central Committee meeting.

‘The tendency in some sections of the international press simply to present King Mswati as a buffoon masks the hard realities facing our people and the struggle for freedom and democracy in our country,’ it says.

SOURCE

Statement of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Swaziland, 8 May 2011

The Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Party of Swaziland met in Mpumalanga Province in South Africa over the weekend of 7-8 May for its first session since the founding conference of the Party on 9 April this year.

The CPS reviewed the process of building the party’s structures and the work of its office holders, the current situation in Swaziland and the state of the broad movement for democratic change.

The CC of the CPS welcomes the growing unity within the trade union movement in Swaziland shown by the merging of the two union federations to form the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland. The CC noted that this is the result of persistent efforts to achieve unity within the Swazi labour movement and is an important advance for the working class. This will allow greater coordination among workers and their unions in fighting the efforts of the Mswati regime to slash wages and impose worse working conditions in an effort to stave off its economic collapse. It will also enable the working class to mobilise more effectively on the broad political agenda of democratic change in Swaziland and to increase the militancy of the working class against Mswati and his corrupt and useless government.

The CPS will work hard to help build TUCSWA [Trade Union Congress of Swaziland] to achieve the strongest possible base of unity within the organisation.

The CC discussed the state of the pro-democracy movement in Swaziland and the need for a more concerted socialist perspective and agenda within the movement. The CC noted that recent and past protests in Swaziland on labour issues and for democratic change were carries first and foremost by the working class and the poor. It is their representation within the broad movement for democracy – including within PUDEMO – that needs to be strengthened.

The CC discussed the growing efforts internationally to draw attention to the callous and wasteful behaviour of the Mswati court and welcomed calls by the ANCYL on artists to boycott the celebration of Mswati’s birthday. The CC further calls for a comprehensive commercial, cultural and sports boycott of Swaziland. Much of the campaigning work of the CPS will be devoted to raising support for such a boycott, in addition to stepping up the use of border blockades to disrupt the economic lifelines of the Mswati regime.

The CC noted that the increased attention on the behaviour of the Mswati regime internationally needs to be augmented by more information on Swaziland’s political and economic situation. The tendency in some sections of the international press simply to present Mswati as a buffoon masks the hard realities facing our people and the struggle for freedom and democracy in our country.

The CC examined the development of the CPS’s work and discussed how to make it more effective despite the situation of scarce resources. The Party is in the early stages of its development and needs to work simultaneously on a number of fronts to build its capacity while advancing the form and content of the struggle in Swaziland – principally among the working class and the poor – and in cooperation with key structures of the pro-democracy movement. The CC also looked at the efforts of the CPS to develop its international and solidarity work and information work, as well as the organisation and work of the CPS commissions on women, workers, peasants and land workers, and youth.

Members of the CPS based in South Africa will assist the SACP and the Alliance movement as a whole in ensuring a robust ANC victory in the local government elections on 18 May. We view the success of the ANC-led Alliance in furthering the National Democratic Revolution as being crucial not only to progress in South Africa but ultimately to the progressive development of the Southern African region, including Swaziland.

Long Live Socialism!

Long Live the CPS!

Long Live working class internationalism!

Down with the Mswati regime!

Yes to a Socialist Swaziland!

SWAZILAND CULTURAL BOYCOTT BITING

The cultural boycott of Swaziland has intensified with news today (8 May 2011) that musician L’Vovo Derrango has pulled out of a performance next Saturday.

L’Vovo was booked to perform at the Swazi Premier Soccer League closing.

His manager Thobela Dlamini told the Sunday World, a South African newspaper, they decided to back off after they were asked by the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) to join other artists in solidarity with the ‘suffering people of Swaziland’.

Dlamini said, ‘We are loyal to our country and government. It’s not always about money. It’s about self-respect and pride.’

Dlamini says they will return the money they have been paid as part of the pre-booking process.

The news comes (coincidentally) at the same time that the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) asked for a total boycott of sporting and cultural ties with the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

The boycott is aimed at the Swazi king, his family and friends.

SSN said in a statement, ‘Concerned human beings must bar Swaziland from cultural and sporting activities. This is a stand that the world took against Apartheid South Africa and it helped to put pressure on the ruling regime.’

The Swaziland Democracy Campaign has also called for a boycott of the Bush Fire Festival, a major cultural event in Swaziland, that is due to take place on 27 – 29 May 2011.

Last month, a concert featuring Jadakiss organised for Prince Lindani, the eldest son of King Mswati, flopped after ANCYL called for a boycott.

ROYAL CONCERT BOYCOTT DETAILS

Times Live, South Africa

30 April 2011

SOURCE

Song and dance as ANCYL bans concert

A Swazi prince is hopping mad after Metro FM radio personality Tbo Touch and other local artists snubbed his benefit concert.

Prince Lindani, 21, the son of King Mswati III, contracted Metro FM's afternoon drive show host to book US rapper Jadakiss and local performers DJ Tira, Teargas and Jozi to perform at a concert which was to have been held on April 23 to raise funds for Swazi charities.

But Jadakiss was the only one to pitch up. Prince Lindani's spokesman, Nokulunga Simelane, claimed that Tbo Touch, whose real name is Thabo Molefe, was paid more than R500,000, but failed to honour the contract.

Simelane said Tbo Touch had informed her a day before the event that the South African artists would not be available because the ANC Youth League had advised them to boycott it.

"We booked all the artists through Tbo Touch's company, Touch Lives, and when we asked for a refund, he told us to go to the ANCYL, as they had stopped them from coming.

"We had dealings with Touch Lives, not the ANCYL. All we want is our money, and if he doesn't give it to us, we will take legal action," said Simelane.

She said Tbo Touch had asked her to contact ANCYL president Julius Malema if she wanted the money back. "I asked him if Malema was his king to tell him what to do."

Four days before the concert date, ANCYL spokesman Floyd Shivambu released a statement asking the artists not to perform in Swaziland because it would be "a celebration of the suffering and starvation of the people of Swaziland by the king, his friends and family".

He said those who did business with the Swazi royal family could not be associated with the ANC.

Tbo Touch confirmed that he obeyed the ANCYL call. "Things were beyond my control. As a loyal South African citizen, there are principles one cannot go against."

He confirmed he had been paid by the prince's foundation to organise the event, but declined to disclose the amount.

Jozi's manager, Lance Stehr, said he would take legal action against the promoters, as his band had been booked "illegally".

Shivambu said Tbo Touch would be discouraged from paying the money back. "That money belongs to the people of Swaziland, and the son of the king has never worked for it."

EDITOR’S NOTE.

In a separate development, the Southern Africa Report says the concert lost a total of more than E15 million (US$2.7 million).

SWAZIS BOYCOTT ROYAL CONCERT

AFP

24 April 2011

SOURCE

Swaziland's monarchy-linked rap concert flops

MBABANE — US rapper Jadakiss gave a concert linked to the embattled royal family early today (24 April 2011), performing in a nearly empty hall in Swaziland's main city Manzini following an opposition boycott call.

The event, billed as a fundraiser for a charity bearing the name of the son of King Mswati III, Lindani, was supposed to start at 6:00 pm Saturday.

But Jadakiss finally took to the stage around 1:00 am Sunday, giving an "excellent" performance to a small audience of under 500 people, including several princes and princesses, according to Mphikhelele Msibi, a reporter of the state-run Observer newspaper.

VIP tickets for the Jadakiss show were sold for 100 dollars (69 euros), the equivalent of a month's salary for many workers in this impoverished African nation.

The banned Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO), who had called on young people to shun the "royal" event, hailed the poor turnout as a success.

Several big name South African acts who had been billed to perform -including DJ Tira and Jozi, did not travel to Swaziland for the concert.

Neighbouring South Africa's ruling ANC party's Youth League also called for a boycott of the event, saying it is a "celebration of the suffering and starvation of the people of Swaziland by the king, his friends and family".

"We have no problem with Jadakiss personally we have a problem with taxpayers' money being used to organise activities of this kind," SWAYOCO's national organiser Mxolisi Nghamphalala told AFP, adding: "Jadakiss performed and he got his money."

But he dismissed the concert as "a publicity stunt by the royal family," saying: "It is about winning the hearts and minds of the Swazi youth. Bear in mind the timing -- it comes immediately after April 12th."

On that date Swazi police stopped anti-government protests from going ahead by detaining, beating and tear-gassing demonstrators.

Swaziland's trade unions have embarked on a campaign of mass action demanding that the government step down and that multi-party democracy be introduced in sub-Saharan Africa's last kingdom.

King Mswati III, at 43 Africa's last absolute monarch with a fortune estimated at $100 million by Forbes magazine, has ruled tiny Swaziland for 18 years.

The landlocked country wedged between Mozambique and South Africa is fast running out of money to pay for the day-to-day running of state, including civil servants' salaries.

The economy depends almost entirely on South Africa, which finances most of the Swazi government's income through a regional customs union that sees Pretoria lavish money on its smaller neighbours.

Jadakiss is no stranger to controversy. He attracted criticism in 2004 when the lyrics of his biggest hit "Why?" expressed a belief that former US president George W Bush coordinated the September 11th attacks.