SWAZI CIVIL SERVICE POLITICS PURGE

Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini has threatened to sack Swazi civil servants who campaign for democracy.

He announced yesterday (9 March 2009) that his unconstitutionally-constructed government is drafting a charter that will compel civil servants who are members of political parties to either renounce their membership or resign from the civil service.

‘If they refuse to resign from these organisations, they will be pushed out,’ Dlamini told Swaziland’s House of Assembly.

The move is another attempt by Swaziland’s ruling elite to stifle political dissent in the kingdom. Last November, Dlamini branded four political entities as ‘terrorist’ organisations and now members and supporters face up to 25 years in jail.

Mario Masuku, President of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), one of the branded entities, has been in jail since November awaiting trial on a charge under the Suppression of Terrorism Act.

Leaders of the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) have been harassed by police and a rally at the end of February intended in support of Masuku was smashed by police.

In the latest development, Dlamini said his government was aware that some civil servants were ‘fighting the system’.

The Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s only independent daily newspaper, today (10 March 2009) reports Dlamini saying, ‘This should not happen. In the Commonwealth (former British colonies) countries, civil servants are not supposed to publicly declare their alignment with political parties. It is even worse, especially here in Swaziland where these civil servants even occupy prominent positions in these organisations.’

The Prime Minister was responding to a question from MP Patrick Gamedze who asked why civil servants with anti-government political views were kept in the civil service and why Swaziland’s Intelligence Branch allowed it to happen unchecked.

The Times reported Dlamini saying his government was drafting a charter and also amending the General Orders to prevent this from happening. He advised those civil servants involved to resign from the civil service if they wanted to be politicians.

The newspaper said it was then that he stated that they would be given a chance to put their houses in order failing which they would be ‘pushed out’.

The Swazi Observer, the newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III, reported that MPs were ‘thrown into rapturous laughter’ when the PM made his threat.

The newspaper reported that it is ‘public knowledge’ that many civil servants, including school teachers were critical of the government.

SWAZI POLICE THREATEN TO KILL

A top member of the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) has been threatened with death by Swazi police.

Mduduzi ‘Shwarz’ Mamba, former Secretary General of SWAYOCO, was stopped yesterday (8 March 2009) by police at the kingdom’s border as he returned to Swaziland from a private trip to South Africa.

Mamba was taken to Sigodvweni police station for questioning.

Mamba later reported that police had told him, ‘we are now going to kill you …. for your political activities and “movements” into South Africa’. He was told he should not move from his normal place of abode.

When arrested, Mamba phoned some friends to report what had happened to him. One of his friends went to Sigodvweni. At first police denied they had Mamba in custody, but later conceded that Mamba was being held for ‘questioning’.

Mamba was later released by police and told that police patience with him had run out and was told ‘not to forget’ what they had said.

SWAYOCO is one of four political entities in Swaziland branded as ‘terrorist’ organisations by illegally-appointed Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini. Members and supporters face up to 20 years in jail.

The Swazi state has been harassing SWAYOCO members and eight days ago police broke up a rally called to support Mario Masuku, President of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), who has been in jail since November 2008, awaiting trial on terrorism charge.

SWAZI MINISTERS UNCONSTITUTIONAL

It is not only Swaziland’s Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini who is in office illegally, so are his ministers.

I wrote yesterday (7 March 2009) that Dlamini was trying to convince Swazis that he and the Deputy Prime Minister were not actually ‘ministers’. The reason it is important to Dlamini for this falsehood to be believed rests on the Swazi Constitution.

Section 67 (iii) says that a half of government ministers must have been elected to parliament. If you count the Prime Minister and his deputy, the number of ministers appointed to office by King Mswati III, unelected, exceeds half.

It comes as no surprise in Swaziland’s ‘unique’ democracy that the King reckons he can put anyone he chooses in the Cabinet. But, Swaziland does now have a constitution and even King Mswati needs to abide by it.

Of course, he doesn’t care. He will continue to do what he likes. He did after all illegally appoint Barnabas Dlamini as Prime Minister last year.

So there you have it: Swaziland has an illegitimate Prime Minister and illegitimate ministers. Who now can call Swaziland a democracy?

SWAZILAND PM NOT CONSTITUTIONAL

Barnbas Dlamini, Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister, has been telling Swazi editors that he is not a minister.

That’s ‘minister’ as in political leader, not ‘minister’ as in man of the church.

Dlamini went to great length to make his case when he met Swazi media editors at their regular monthly editors’ forum this week.

I’m not too sure why he felt the need to say this, but according to a report in today’s Weekend Observer he quoted the Swazi Constitution section and sub section.

This exercised Weekend Observer editor Alec Lushaba so much he wrote at great length in his newspaper today (7 March 2009) to point out that Dlamini is indeed a minister.

Good for Lushaba, but he and Barnabas Dlamini missed a vital point.

Barnabas Dlamini is not a legitimate Prime Minister. Section 67 (i) of the constitution says ‘The King shall appoint the Prime Minister from among members of the House [of Assembly] acting upon the recommendation of the King’s Advisory Council.’

Barnabas Dlamini was not a member of the House of Assembly. He was elected by nobody. He was appointed to the House only so he could be Prime Minister.

Dlamini is not therefore legally Prime Minister.

TEACHER WHIPS SWAZI GIRL TO DEATH

Last week I wrote about the abused lives children in Swaziland lead.

I commented that hardly a week goes by without news about another atrocity committed against children.

How right I was. Today (7 March 2009) comes news that a nine-year-old primary school child was whipped so badly by her teacher she died of her injuries.

The Swazi News reports the child from the Mafucula area in the Lubombo region was whipped with a sjambok.

In Swaziland, teachers are not allowed to inflict corporal punishment on children, only school principals are allowed to and they are forbidden to use whips.

Police are investigating.

To see the full report click here.