Footage obtained by the Mail and Guardian newspaper in South Africa shows Swaziland’s people, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch are suffering from starvation, displacement, intimidation and violence.
Swaziland's health sector grinding to a halt Ongoing public servant strike in southern African country takes its toll on health care industry.
AlJazeera TV 28 July 2012
Striking medical staff and depleting medical supplies are severely affecting Swaziland's health sector.
Poorly resourced, the health care system has been further impacted by a reduced number of medical staff at work and a shortage of drugs.
Civil servants including teachers and medical staff have been striking for over a month demanding a pay raise of 4.5 per cent, but authorities are refusing to increase their salaries.
Al Jazeera's, Haru Mutasa secretly captured footage from inside Mbabane general hospital, where she found that medical staff had not arrived and the hospital's dispensary was running out of drugs.
Many people are even turning to traditional medicine rather than the more costly western medicine from the local pharmacy.
The government, one of Africa's last absolute monarchs, says that they cannot afford the pay rise. Instead, they have given the striking public workers a Monday deadline to get return to work, or be fired.
However, the strikers say they will not return to work until their demands are met.
They blame the country's problems on the state-funded extravagance of King Mswati, rated by Forbes magazine as among the world's richest royals, and his refusal to implement democratic reforms.
More than 60 per cent of the country's 1.1 million people live on less than $2 a day.
Thousands of teachers and other public servants on strike, demanding a raise of 4.5 per cent.
Government employees in Swaziland are demanding better pay, but few people showed up as a protest was called outside parliament on Thursday. Heavy security deployments scared many people off, in the country where political parties are banned and little public dissent is tolerated. Public servants have been striking for more than a month demanding a raise of 4.5 per cent, but authorities are refusing to increase their salaries.
On Wednesday nearly 3,000 teachers took to the streets in two towns of Siketi and Umhlanga, according to Sibongile Mazibuko, the president of Swaziland National Association of Teachers. Police have used rubber bullets, water cannon and batons to break up marches during the strike.
Thousands of teachers are now on what they call a "go slow" - showing up to work but without teaching. They have been given Monday as a deadline to get back to work, or they will be all be fired. But Mazibuko said they would not resume teaching until their demands are met. "Teachers will not teach even under the barrel of the gun. We are not deterred," he said.
Economy stagnant In February the International Monetary Fund urged the government to cut back on public spending and reduce the size of the civil service as the economy stagnated, with growth at just 0.3 per cent. The government chose to freeze salaries. Workers blame the country's problems on the state-funded extravagance of King Mswati, rated by Forbes magazine as among the world's richest royals, and his refusal to implement democratic reforms.
More than 60 per cent of the country's 1.1 million people live on less than $2 a day.
The government said on Wednesday Swaziland may reverse a controversial pay rise that legislators awarded themselves.
The so-called Circular 1 was passed in 2010 to give members of parliament a 30 per cent salary hike. The law also included the first-ever lucrative end-term packages for cabinet members.
"Parliament has taken it up. Cabinet has discussed it," government spokesman Percy Simelane told the AFP news agency. "I believe if they discover that 'yes, it must go,' it should."
The 95 parliamentarians in Africa's last absolute monarchy earn more than 20,000 emalangeni ($2,400) a month.
The legislators' big paychecks "could be contributing towards the hefty salary bill that we have," Simelane said. "If it is not [withdrawn] amid the outcry ... discontent will be very rife."
Africa's last absolute monarch, Swaziland's King Mswati III, has closed the country's only labour federation just days before students and workers take to the streets to demonstrate on April 12. The protests are designed to mark 39 years since the banning of political parties in the kingdom.
Video discussing why the lack of democracy in Swaziland has made the HIV AIDS problem in the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, worse.
Swaziland's healthcare is under added threat due to an economic crisis in the country.
Swazi adults have the highest rate of HIV infections in the world. One in every four adults are infected. But now Swaziland cannot afford to meet the cost of its medical expenses.
HIV-infected patients have consequently been limited to just a month's supply of HIV medication, Antiretrovirals, instead of the three-month treatment that they previously received.
Other health and medical treatments have also been interrupted.
The Mail and Guardian, South Africa,has obtained footage showing how protests against the regime of King Mswati III flared up in Mbabane and across Swaziland during September's 'Global Week of Protests'.
Message of Solidarity from Marburg to the democracy activists in Swaziland on the Global Week of Action
September 5th 2011 marks the "Global Day of Action to Free Maxwell Dlamini and All Political Prisoners". Maxwell Dlamini is president of the Swaziland National Union of Students and was arrested on false accusations on April 12th this year. He is one of at least five political prisoners currently held by the absolute monarchy in Swaziland.
Besides the activities at the University of Aarhus (Denmark), the consulate in Berlin (Germany) and London (UK), the University of Prishtina (Kosovo), across South Africa and Swaziland itself, activists in Marburg (Germany) came together for a banner action and to create the following video message of support:
This video features Swazi liberation songs sung as the bail hearing of Maxwell Dlamini, President of the Swaziland National Union of Students, and Musa Ngubeni, an activist with SWAYOCO, was delayed for the second time (22 April 2011).
