As I have been reporting over the past two days, state police in Swaziland are raiding the homes of Swazi democrats fighting for democracy in the kingdom. Arrests have been made but the main aim of the raids appears to be to intimidate those who call for democracy in the kingdom ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.
The People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) an organisation banned in Swaziland and one branded as ‘terrorist’ by Barnabas Dlamini, the kingdom’s illegally-appointed prime minister, believes a prime target of the police is to seize t-shirts printed in support of Mario Masuku, the jailed PUDEMO president.
PUDEMO says the state ‘felt highly embarrassed and intimidated when scores of workers defiantly and proudly [demonstrated] clad in PUDEMO t-shirts varying messages demanding democratic change’.
Below is a statement issued by PUDEMO yesterday (13 May 2009) outlining its position on the police raids.
STATEMENT ON THE ONGOING POLICE RAIDS ON PUDEMO MEMBERS IN SWAZILAND
As is the norm with the Swazi regime that uses repressive tactics to subdue the populace, it is presently visiting another wave of harassment on our members. First on Friday, the state’s security agents raided Wandile Dludlu, the President of PUDEMO Youth League [SWAYOCO] in Mbabane and confiscated everything on the organization ranging from t-shirts to documents.
On Saturday morning, Mandla Ndlangamandla in Malkerns was also raided taking with them t-shirts and documents.
On Tuesday Sphasha Dlamini, the Secretary General of PUDEMO was summoned to the Police Headquarters in Mbabane to answer on why she made a statement on the day.s Times of Swaziland. From reliable sources, we are told the raids are still to continue on our members as the security agents have been numerous search warrants to effect the raids at will. As a result our members are living one day at a time not knowing when the brutality will be visited on them.
We note that the state is under tremendous pressure to democratize as well as release the PUDEMO President Mario Masuku. The state felt highly embarrassed and intimidated when scores of workers defiantly and proudly came clad in PUDEMO t-shirts varying messages demanding democratic change.
However, the biggest embarrassment was the loud message demanding the release of the PUDEMO President. This was a surprise to the state which had hoped by detaining him the people had forgotten about their leader!
Hence now the security agents are moving all over the country in a mission to remove all t-shirts with message demanding the release of the people’s leader! In the process they are trampling on people’s rights. This is mission impossible! The resources used to raid all the homesteads in Swaziland should best be used to investigate the numerous cases of corruption and theft of public funds, a better priority.
PUDEMO and the people of Swaziland strongly condemn this barbaric and dictatorial act by the Swazi regime. A regime that is in charge of the SADC Troika on politics and democratic governance. Indeed Swaziland is special in the region with its archaic and semi-feudal tendencies of governance which the international community must not allow to continue.
However, this regime consists of very slow learners and seriously challenged people who cannot learn from experiences of other dictatorships that they will not win, but the people shall always TRIUMPH even if they can use the deadliest of force!
