LGBTI PRIDE GETS GLOBAL ATTENTION

International media extensively reported Swaziland’s first ever LGBTI Pride on Saturday. The tone of coverage about the pride parade and its organiser Rock of Hope was overwhelmingly positive, but King Mswati III, who rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, and the traditionalists who support him came under criticism.

CNN reported, ‘In Swaziland, same-sex relationships are illegal and the country maintains a colonial-era law against sodomy. The US State Department’s report on global human rights practices in 2017 stated that Swazi people open about their sexual orientation “faced censure and exclusion from the chiefdom-based patronage system.”

‘The pride celebration was not endorsed by King Mswati III.’

It added, ‘The small southern African country, recently renamed the Kingdom of eSwatini by its king, is Africa's last absolute monarchy and has a bleak record on LGBT rights. The country of 1.4 million also has the world’s highest HIV/AIDS rates and suffers from severe poverty.’

The BBC reported, ‘King Mswati III is widely reported to have called homosexuality “satanic”, while the country’s chief police communications officer, Khulani Mamba, who doubles up as a preacher, told his congregation last weekend that “this country will not tolerate the LGBTI community”, according to the Swazi Times.’

The Huffington Post reported, ‘Sodomy is illegal in eSwatini, which is also Africa’s last absolute monarchy. King Mswati III, who has ruled the country since 1986, has reportedly described homosexuality as being “satanic.”

It quoted Pride organiser Melusi Simelane who said threats and discrimination were a constant for Swaziland’s LGBTI community. 

It said, ‘There is persecution each and every day,” he told BBC last week. “We are harassed, we are violently abused, we are emotionally abused.”’

The Huffington Post added, ‘Matt Beard, All Out’s executive director, praised activists like Simelane for their courage and their ambition to hold the pride parade despite the risks and threats they’ve faced.

‘“The community and their allies painted the streets of this country rainbow, with a beautiful, colorful parade that was literally exploding with joy,” Beard wrote of the historic event in a Medium blog post. “At certain moments... the infectious joy of this community was so intense, it was difficult to hold back the tears. We were loud, proud and dignified. Nobody came to hurl hate, abuse (or worse) at us, as had been feared. Instead, this was a moment of community and personal empowerment.”’

By contrast, in the run up to the event on Saturday (30 June 2018), the Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati, ran three articles calling LGBTI people ‘a curse’ and ‘evil’ and likening them to child sex molesters and people who have sex with animals. 

The international news agency AFP quoted Swaziland Government spokesperson Percy Simelane denying the kingdom had an anti-homosexual stance and said ‘it would be unfair to view the state as homophobic.’

Buzzfeed reported, ‘As far as Pride parades go, eSwatini’s [Swaziland’s] is less about flashy floats and flag-waving, and more about showing the public that LGBT people value family and community just as much as anyone else.’

See also

KINGDOM’S FIRST LGBTI PRIDE TAKES PLACE

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/07/kingdoms-first-lgbti-pride-takes-place.html

OBSERVER STEPS UP LGBTI HATE CAMPAIGN

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/06/observer-steps-up-lgbti-hate-campaign.html

LESBIAN AND GAY MURDERS IN SWAZILAND

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/03/lesbian-and-gay-murders-in-swaziland.html 

PROOF: SWAZI KING PAID FOR HIS JET

Documents revealed publicly for the first time on Friday (20 November 2015) confirm that King Mswati III of Swaziland personally paid US$9.5 million for a jet aircraft in 2012.

The government that he handpicked had publicly said the jet was donated by ‘development partners’. 

The sale and purchase agreement contains the signature of King Mswati as the purchaser.

King Mswati, who rules the tiny impoverished kingdom of Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, has been at the at the centre of a public row over the purchase of the jet.

Last Friday (13 November 2015) the Mail and Guardian (M&G), a South-African based newspaper published details of the aircraft purchase on its website. 

Most of the M&G report was not new. In April 2015, the Swazi Media Commentary website revealed details behind the purchase. It reported that the King’s own company Inchatsavane paid the US$9.5 million cost of the McDonnel Douglas McDonnell Douglas DC-9-87 (also known as an MD-87). Later, a further US$4.1 million was spent on refurbishing the plane.

The Sale and Purchase Agreement for the plane dated 18 April 2012 stated the purchaser as Inchatsavane Company (Pty) Ltd. The agreement describes Inchatsavane as a ‘limited company formed under the law of Swaziland under certification of incorporation No 581 of 2010.’ The company’s office address is given as ‘1^st Floor, Ellerines Building, Swazi Plaza, [Mbabane], Swaziland.’ 

King Mswati’s signature appears on the document as ‘sole shareholder / owner’ of the company. For the first time Swazi Media Commentary has released a copy of the document online. 

The seller is given as Wells Fargo Bank Northwest, National Association, ‘not in its individual capacity but solely as owner trustee’.

A Bank of America Wire Transfer dated 26 April 2012, shows US$9.5 million dollars was transferred from the account of ‘His Majesty King Mswati III’, bank account number 0240037517401, at the Standard Bank Swaziland Ltd, Stanbic House, Swazi Plaza, Mbabane, Swaziland.

Swazi Media Commentary has also released online a copy of the bank transfer. 

The money was transferred to McAfee and Taft escrow account in the United States. An ‘escrow’ account is a bank account for keeping money that is the property of others.

Under US law funds wired to an escrow account must come directly from the purchaser and not a parent, subsidiary, related company, officer, governor or director. King Mswati personally signed the escrow agreement. Swazi Media Commentary has for the first time released a copy of this document online.

 

What is not clear is where King Mswati got the money to pay for the jet. In 2012, the Swazi Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini, who was personally appointed to office by the King, said on government-controlled radio that the King had been given the jet as a birthday gift, ‘from development partners and friends of the King, to be used by their majesties for travels abroad’.

The Swazi Government denied public money had been used to buy the jet. Government spokesperson Percy Simelane was reported by the BBC saying the jet was a gift to the King from, ‘people already involved in the social and economic development of the country’.

There has been speculation that the jet was donated by Kuwait, but if this was the case it has not been explained why the oil-rich state made the gift and what it expected in return.

In April 2012, the Swazi Government categorically denied that the plane was donated by the Kuwait Government.

It issued a statement saying, ‘It is true that His Majesty the King received a gift in the form of a Mcdonnell DC-9 Aircraft for his and the Queen Mother’s travels abroad on engagement on national interest. 

‘It is also true that the sponsors of this magnificent gift, exercising their rights, elected to remain anonymous.

‘It is not true that the Kuwait Government or countries and companies mentioned in the South Africa media purchased the aircraft for His Majesty the King or contributed in any form whatsoever towards this present.’

Seven in ten of the King’s 1.3 million subjects live in abject poverty, with incomes of less than US$2 per day, three in ten are so hungry they are medically diagnosed as malnourished and the kingdom has the highest rate of HIV infection in the world.

See also

WHO PAID FOR SWAZI KING’S JET?

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/04/who-paid-for-swazi-kings-jet.html

KING'S COMPANY AT CENTRE OF JET ROW

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/04/kings-company-at-centre-of-jet-row.html

Swaziland King Jet Sale and Purchase Agreement

Swaziland King Jet 9.5m Bank Transfer From King

Swaziland King Jet Sale Escrow Agreement

SWAZI GOVT WRONG ON CONSTITUTION

The Swaziland Government has rejected a report from a group of internationally respected researchers that found only seven in one hundred Swazi people were ‘very satisfied’ with the way democracy works in the kingdom.

Percy Simelane, the official Government spokesperson, said the research was designed to tarnish the image of the Swaziland.

King Mswati III rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, political parties cannot take part in elections and groups advocating for multi-party democracy are banned under the Suppression of Terrorism Act.

Research published by Afrobarometer showed that 59 percent of the people did not think they could freely express what they thought. It also showed that about 51 percent of the population doubted the kingdom embraced the tenets of democracy.

Voice of America (VoA) reported, ‘Spokesman Percy Simelane says it is obvious that the survey was conducted to tarnish the reputation of the kingdom and not intentioned to help Swazis, who he says support the monarchical governance as enshrined in the constitution.’

VoA also reported Simelane saying, ‘Even before the elections, two years ago, the King and the government allowed the people to say whether or not they still wanted to continue with the way the constitution says we should. And the people said they still want the constitution followed to the letter.’

However, no such constitutional review took place. The Swazi people have not been consulted on the constitution since it came into force in 2005.

The writing of the constitution itself was controversial. The International Bar Association , a group of experienced lawyers, was called in by King Mswati in 2003 to comment on the first draft of the constitution. It called the process ‘flawed’ and reported that one critic went so far as to call it a ‘fraud’.  

The IBA pointed out that the judiciary and non-government organisations (NGOs) were not allowed to take part in the consultation before the constitution was written. Also, individuals were interviewed in front of their chiefs so were not free to say what they really thought about the powers of the King and what he and his followers like to call Swaziland’s ‘unique democracy’, the Tinkhundla system.

IBA said the consultation did not allow for groups to make submissions and incomplete records were kept of the submissions that were made so, IBA said, there was no formal record of how Swazi citizens presented their views and of what in fact they said.

On top of this the IBA reported that the Swaziland media were not allowed to report on the submissions.

‘Furthermore, information was elicited in a highly charged atmosphere. Individuals were reportedly asked, in the presence of chiefs, whether they wanted to retain the King and whether they preferred political parties,’ IBA said.

See also

SWAZILAND NOT DEMOCRATIC, SAY SWAZIS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/09/swaziland-not-democratic-say-swazis.html

 

SWAZIS DID NOT CHOOSE POLITICAL SYSTEM

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/04/swazis-did-not-choose-political-system.html

GOVT ACCUSES EU OF ‘POLITICAL RAPE’

Percy Simelane, the official spokesperson for the Swazi Government, has described the European Parliament’s call for political prisoners in Swaziland to be freed as ‘political rape’.

Simelane said the European Union had no business interfering in the internal affairs of Swaziland and likened the European parliament to a ‘street mob’.

King Mswati III rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, political parties are banned from taking part in elections and the King chooses the government and the top judiciary. Pro-democracy campaigners currently languish in prison, many on remand awaiting trial for more than a year, under the kingdom’s Suppression of Terrorism Act.

Members of the European Parliament (MEP) meeting in plenary session on Thursday (21 May 2015) called for the immediate release of Thulani Maseko and Bheki Makhubu from jail in Swaziland. Maseko, a human-rights lawyer, and Makhubu, editor of the Nation magazine were jailed for two years after writing and publishing articles critical of the Swazi judiciary.

MEPs said ‘their imprisonment relates directly to the legitimate exercise of their right to freedom of expression’.

They also called for the release of all political prisoners, including Mario Masuku, President of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), and Maxwell Dlamini, Secretary-General of the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO).

A statement issued by the European Parliament said, ‘Parliament considers the imprisonment of political activists and the banning of trade unions to be in clear contravention of commitments made by Swaziland under the Cotonou Agreement to respect democracy, the rule of law and human rights, and also under the sustainable development chapter of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Economic Partnership Agreement, for which Parliament’s support will depend on respect for the commitments made.’

The Times Sunday, an independent newspaper in Swaziland, reported on 24 May 2015, ‘In response to the resolution, Government spokesperson Percy Simelane said they had no reasons to entertain calls for political rape on the country.’

The Times reported that Simelane said in a text message to the newspaper that the kingdom ‘had the potency to correct or sort themselves out without any pressure from street mobs’.

See also

FREE POLITICAL PRISONERS: EURO MPs

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/05/free-political-prisoners-euro-mps.html

THE TRUTH OF MONARCHICAL DEMOCRACY

Newspapers in Swaziland are deliberately misleading their readers about King Mswati III’s vision of ‘Monarchical Democracy’.

In September 2013, King Mswati, who rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, announced that he had ‘a vision’ during a thunderstorm in which he was told to change the name of the present political system in his kingdom from ‘tinkhundla’ to ‘Monarchical Democracy.’

He told media in Swaziland that this meant the king would take advice from his subjects before making decisions that affected the kingdom.

His description of  ‘Monarchical Democracy’ was vague, but in Swaziland, people, even journalists who purport to act on their behalf, are too scared of the King to ask him for clarification.

In fact, the ‘tinkhundla’ system of government puts all power in the hands of the monarchy. King Mswati chooses the Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, members of the judiciary, and he appoints all senior political posts in his kingdom.

Political parties are banned from taking part in elections and the Swazi people are only allowed to select 55 of the 65 members of the House of Assembly, with the King appointing the others. No members of the 30-strong Swaziland Senate are elected by the people.

When the King made his announcement about ‘Monarchical Democracy’, many people hoped this would mean a change from the present system to something approaching democracy.

But, the supine Press in Swaziland did not explain to their readers that this was not going to happen.

Instead, it took a proper journalist called Ed Cropley, from a proper news organisation called Reuters to get at the truth. Cropley interviewed the King and asked him outright what ‘Monarchical Democracy’ was all about and what was going to change.

The King replied, ‘No change really. It's just a name so people can understand.’

It was, Reuters reported, ‘merely a name change for foreign consumption’.

The news agency reported the King saying, ‘The world really doesn’t understand the Tinkhundla system, but everybody can understand monarchical democracy. It’s an English name. This monarchical democracy is a marriage between the traditional monarchy and the ballot box, all working together under the monarchy.’

So, the King confirmed in his own words that ‘tinkhundla’ and ‘Monarchical Democracy’ is one and the same thing.

Reuters’ report was published worldwide, as well as on social media circulating within Swaziland. Swazi newspaper editors read the report with everyone else.

But, even though the Reuters report was published in September 2013, the Swazi newspapers continue with the fiction that ‘Monarchical Democracy’ might be something new. Reports they have published include statements from the newly-elected MP Jan Sithole who thinks parliamentarians need to have a workshop to learn what ‘Monarchical Democracy’ is all about.

Even though Percy Simelane, the government’s press spokesperson, has confirmed on state-controlled radio, the King’s position, the newspapers continue to mislead their readers that there might be more to it.

No workshops on ‘Monarchical Democracy’ are necessary, because there is nothing new to learn.

However, editors in Swaziland might need to go on a workshop to learn that the prime responsibility of journalists is to tell their readers the truth.

See also

KING ADMITS NO CHANGE ON DEMOCRACY

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/09/king-admits-no-change-on-democracy.html

 

NEW NAME FOR NON-DEMOCRACY

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/09/kings-new-name-for-non-democracy.html

GOD TELLS KING MSWATI A HOME TRUTH

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/09/god-tells-king-mswati-home-truth.html