SWAZI POLICE SMASH YOUTH RALLY

Swazi police were true to their word when they said they would crush the Swazi Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) rally if it went ahead yesterday (28 February 2009).

Reports from the scene of the rally in Msunduza Township in the Swazi capital, Mbabane, said members of the special police task force OSSU were determined to clean up the area and they fired teargas canisters at SWAYOCO members and ordinary members of the public. One newspaper report said Msunduza ‘was reminiscent of a battlefield in a war torn country’.

According to the Times Sunday today (1 March 2009), ‘Some of the people who were caught up in the fracas were vegetable vendors, old women who were watching the proceedings and young children who were wandering around the shopping area.’

The police were so out of control that they mistakenly fired teargas at customers in a bar.

According to a separate report in the Times Sunday, the customers were ‘literally smoked out of their favourite hangout’. Other people affected by police teargas were tenants of houses near the bar, as well as vendors who had to run with their wares as police fired the teargas.

The newspaper reported, ‘Moments after the incident, a police vehicle was seen driving towards the bar. It is suspected that they had gone there to arrest some of the members of the banned organisations, while others suspected that the officers had gone there “to remove evidence”’.

Times Sunday editor Mbongeni Mbingo, writing in his own newspaper, said before the rally started there were scores of police officers roaming the township and the city of Mbabane. ‘This was a move by the force to prevent the rally from taking place, and given the number of officers who were unleashed, you could understand government meant business—this rally was not going to take place, or if it did, the police would be there and would deal with the situation—however, they could.’

In the days before the rally, the Swazi state had made it clear it would not allow the rally, in support of Mario Masuku, President of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), who is in jail awaiting trial on charges under the Suppression of Terrorism Act, to go ahead. Both PUDEMO and SWAYOCO have been branded terrorist organisations by Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini. Members or supporters of banned organisations can face up to 20 years in jail.

The police provocation ensured a tense atmosphere before the rally started. SWAYOCO supporters took the initiative and attacked police with missiles and logs as police were trying to block the road.

Police retaliated and drove an OSSU Casper at full speed towards SWAYOCO demonstrators. Then, according to reports, ‘all hell broke loose’ and police set off tear gas indiscriminately.

The OSSU Casper was followed by another police vehicle and together they brought the rally to an end.

According to the Times Sunday, about 50 members of SWAYOCO attended the rally, but the number increased when ordinary members of the public and sympathisers joined the marchers. Other organisations that were represented were the Swaziland Union of Students, the People’s United Democratic Movement and the Swaziland Association of Students.

Police said four members of SWAYOCO were arrested and charged following the rally. This brings to six the number of people who have been arrested in connection with yesterday’s event. On Friday morning, police arrested the organisation’s President Wandile Dludlu and another party official.

SWAZI YOUTH RALLY LEADERS RAIDED

Leaders of the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) have been arrested ahead of a planned protest rally due today (Saturday 28 February 2009).

Wandile Dludlu, the SWAYOCO President and other members of the banned organization, were taken by police in dawn raids yesterday at Msunduza Township in the kingdom’s capital, Mbabane.

Thabile Zwane, SWAYOCO Secretary General, is said to be on the run from police.

Dludlu was later charged with an offence under the Suppression of Terrorism Act.

According to SWAYOC, about 50 police raided houses in search of pamphlets advertising the rally to protest at the jailing of Mario Masuku, the President of another banned organization, the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).

Phindangene Mndzebele, Deputy President of SWAYOCO, in a statement said, the home of Dumsile Masuku, the sister of former president of SWAYOCO, Bongane Masuku, was one of the homes raided.

‘Dumsile was harassed by the close to fifty police officers and her home was turned upside down by the overzealous police who don’t have anything to do but only harass and intimidate members of SWAYOCO,’ he said.

Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini had threatened SWAYOCO that it would feel the full force of the law if the rally scheduled for 2pm at Msunduza went ahead. Last November Dlamini declared SWAYOCO and three other political entities, including PUDEMO, to be terrorist organizations. This means that members and supporters could face up to 20 years in jail.

The Swazi state has been intimidating pro-democracy advocates since Dlamini was appointed Prime Minister in October 2008. A number of police raids have taken place on people suspected of being supporters of banned movements.

The US State Department, in its annual country report on Swaziland released this week, noted in the past year, ‘Government agents continued to commit or condone serious abuses, and the human rights situation in the country deteriorated.’

These abuses included, ‘police use of torture, beatings, and excessive force on detainees; police impunity; arbitrary arrests and lengthy pretrial detention; arbitrary interference with privacy and home; restrictions on freedoms of speech and press and harassment of journalists; restrictions on freedoms of assembly, association, and movement; prohibitions on political activity and harassment of political activists’.

In his statement, Mndzebele said, ‘Why is the government scared of a rally because all SWAYOCO rallies have been peaceful it is not the duties of the police to ban marches and use the same torture methods used by the apartheid regime the duties of the police is to maintain peace and order and the rally has not even begun but our leaders have been arrested.’

SWAYOCO confirmed that today’s rally will go ahead as planned.

Swazi Police spokesman Superintendent Vusi Masuku warned those who attended the rally that they would be committing an offence because SWAYOCO is a banned organization.

Masuku told the Weekend Observer, ‘We still insist that they should call the rally off as we the police will definitely crush it.’

SWAZI YOUTH RALLY VIOLENCE FEARS

Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini has threatened members of a youth organisation that they will not be allowed to hold a rally in support of jailed Swazi democrat Mario Masuku scheduled for tomorrow (28 February 2009).

Meanwhile, the Methodist Church has asked organisers, the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO), to cancel the rally because it fears there will be violence if it goes ahead.

The Prime Minister’s office released a statement saying that the government regards SWAYOCO as a terrorist organisation in Swaziland and because of this it will not be allowed to meet.

SWAYOCO is determined to hold a rally in support of Masuku, the president of another banned organisation, the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO). Masuku is presently in jail awaiting trial on charges under the Suppression of Terrorism Act.

The rally is to be held at Msunduza in the Swazi capital Mbabane, starting a 2pm.

The Methodist Church has asked SWAYOCO to call off the rally because, according to the Swazi Observer today (27 February 2009), ‘they were afraid of what would happen if there could be confrontation between the police and SWAYOCO members’.

According to the Observer, Wandile Dludlu, President of SWAYOCO, said it would not postpone the rally. He said if the church wants to talk to someone then it should be the police.

‘If they feel there is going to be violence then let them talk to the police and not us.’

SWAZI YOUTH RALLY TO GO AHEAD

The Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) is set to go ahead with its rally to call for the release from jail of Swaziland democrat, Mario Masuku.

As I reported yesterday (25 February 2009), Swazi police have vowed to stop the rally scheduled for Saturday (28 February 2009) at 2pm at Msunduza in the kingdom’s capital Mbabane. We can expect the Swazi police to be violent against the protestors.

Ahead of the rally SWAYOCO has issued the following statement.

SWAYOCO’s Statement for the Release Mario Rally

28 February 2009 Msunduza 2pm

Themed: Against all odds, the youth shall conquer!!

{Kuyawutfombha Indishi yelipulasitiki yebarnabas}

In light of the prevailing political situation in our country. The Introduction of yet another draconian piece of legislation. That being the Suppression of Terrorism Act no 2 of 2008.the youth, SWAYOCO and PUDEMO members in particular are now subjected to even greater scale of intimidation, harassment and discrimination by the Barnabas led pre-school of the tinkhundla system of oppression.

However, as per our preamble in the Youth Charter of SWAYOCO

“We the youth of Swaziland declare for all the people of our country and the world to know, that as part of the oppressed whose forebeares were conquered not only by force of arms, but also by reactionary values of subjugation, we continue to suffer all social, political ,economic and cultural deprivation of a colonized people”

We therefore wish to say to the managers of this political bastard called {Tinkhundla system of repression}

1. Release our leader Mario Masuku, for you know not what you’ve arrested him for!!!
2. Release our internationalist, Comrade Mbedzi, six months has passed for him languishing in your dirty gaiolors
3. Vacate the TROIKA chairmanship, SADC was hallucinating when they voted you to such a seat
4. Scrap off terrorism act Swaziland has freedom fighters not terrorists only Barnabas.
5. Where is the free education as you promised the bulk poor majority of Swazis?
6. Stop the exorbitant rates fees charged by Mbabane city council of thugs

The youth under the command of SWAYOCO pledges with their blood and flesh as tacit guarantees of a democratic victory for the betterment of the jobless and poor people of our country youth in particular!!!

Amandla Ngawetu, power to the youth, away with royal oppression.