Swazi Media Commentary

Wednesday, 2 March 2011

IMF STILL NOT BACKING SWAZI LOAN

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation that left the kingdom today (2 March 2011) is still not backing Swaziland’s bid for a loan to help it out of its economic crisis.

It says it might return to monitor any progress the Swazi Government is making in repairing the economy.

The government wants a $US75 million (E525 million) loan from the African Development Bank (ADB) and needs a letter of support from the IMF, but the IMF does not yet have full confidence that the Swazi Government is doing the right things to put the economy on track.

In a media statement, the IMF said once ‘a number of prior [unspecified] actions are implemented’ by the Swazi Government it could possibly return to Swaziland to monitor the government’s progress on the economy.

In the statement, Joannes Mongardini, the leader of the IMF delegation to Swaziland, said the Swazi Government was being optimistic about the amount of money it could raise in taxes in the coming year.

He also said Swaziland was in economic difficulties because of a large government deficit, partly caused by ‘a 4.5 percent unbudgeted wage increase granted to civil servants and politicians in April 2010’ and the E350 million (US$50 million) extra allocated to the building of Sikhuphe International Airport in November 2010. This was on top of the reduction in money Swaziland received from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).

He said the government was paying for the deficit by taking government deposits at the central bank, domestic borrowing, and by not paying its bills.

Meanwhile, in a separate development, it is reported in the Swaziland media that the IMF has called on the government to cut salaries for civil servants. The proposal is for a 10 percent cut for people earning E300,000 and above per year; an 8 percent cut for those earning from E200,000 to E299,999 and a 6 percent cut for those earning from E100,000 to E199,999. Those earning less than E100,000 will not have their salaries cut.

It is not reported whether these cuts should also apply to the prime minister, government ministers, MPs and political appointments.

SWAZILAND ‘PREPARES FOR UPRISING’

Swaziland gears up for "national uprising"

Afrol News

1 March 2011

SOURCE

afrol News, 1 March - The opposition in Swaziland plans a "North Africa inspired" uprising against the totalitarian regime of King Mswati III. The timing is good, as budget cuts are leading to reduced salaries.

Different opposition groups in Swaziland - all being illegal as no opposition is allowed in the kingdom - have united in a call for a "national Swazi uprising" to start with protest marches on 12 April. The goal is nothing less than forcing King Mswati to step down and the introduction of democracy in the small Southern African country.

The Swazi opposition, inside and outside the kingdom, has already launched a page in the social media Facebook, called "The April 12 Swazi Uprising", stating the goals of the uprising.

"Inspired by the North African uprisings and the fact that the Swazi economy is now on its knees, the Swazi people will on the 12th of April fill the streets of the two cities in demonstration and they will not leave until the king of Swaziland steps down and hands power to a transition government that will then prepare for the country's first free and fair elections under a multi-party government since 1973," the protest call says.

While there is very limited internet coverage in the impoverished kingdom, and even fewer Facebook users, the page has already around 600 followers and a massive traffic and number of supportive comments.

The initiators of the group say they are "not affiliated to any political party, union or similar political formations. It is the voice of the people on the streets who are sick and tired of the misrule by the Swazi regime." But the group has already gathered support from political movements for its protest call.

More important than the Facebook action, the planned mass protest is getting some limited coverage in Swaziland's mostly heavily censored press, thus spreading the information to ordinary Swazis. The 'Times of Swaziland', the country's only independent newspaper, normally is obliged to censor itself, but has nevertheless taken the great risk to report about the protest plans.

The protest call, which started as a small Facebook action, is starting to get support from key Swazi dissident groups. Most noteworthy, Swaziland's influential although outlawed trade union movement is starting to rally behind the protest call.

The Swazi unions' main international ally, South Africa's union COSATU, has already thrown in its support. COSATU's Swaziland's solidarity Network (SSN) group today said it "unconditionally" supported the mass protests and would "make concrete contributions towards making these protests a success."

The timing for a trade union-backed mass protest in Swaziland is better than ever. Due to excessive spending by the King and growing international isolation following massive human rights abuses, the Swazi government just had to announce major budget cuts to make ends meet.

Government plans to sack up to 7,000 civil servants cut salaries for other state employees and make further cuts in social spending. The planned budget cuts are starting to cause rage among the Swazi middle and working classes and could be just the needed spark of rebellion in the otherwise peaceful country.

But government also seems to prepare for the steadily increasing possibility of mass protests. While all other posts in the proposed budget foresee drastic cuts, the Swazi Ministry of Defence was to see further growth.

This, during the budget discussions, caused Swazi MP Khangezile Dlamini to ask the Finance Minister if government anticipated an uprising. "Why are we allocating so much money for defence, unless, of course we are anticipating what is happening in Egypt and Libya, which would take a long time by the look of things?" Ms Dlamini asked ironically.

Government is also trying to limit the access to information about the call for protests. Last week, the Swazi Prime Minister warned local media about "lies spread on Facebook," urging not to reprint such "lies". The PM further publicly claimed police were monitoring Facebook accounts.

However, 'Times of Swaziland' columnist Qalakaliboli Dlamini does not believe government the capability to monitor individual online activity. He said government's "lie" about the police monitoring Facebook accounts was only "aimed at bringing fear into the weaklings of the country who would dare to post honest and truthful comments online."

WILL UK SELL ARMS TO SWAZILAND?

Will British arms be sold to Swaziland?

By Mark Beacon

Progress online

SOURCE

1 March 2011

Last week it emerged that in 2008 the British government refused a $60 million licence for assault rifles, heavy machine guns, armoured personnel carriers and helicopters to be exported to Swaziland.

This disclosure, among the latest tranche of US diplomatic cables exposed by Wikileaks, will come as no surprise to many in the southern African kingdom.

Swaziland is the only absolute monarchy in sub-Saharan Africa. It has endured the restrictions of a state of emergency since 1973, has the highest rate of HIV in the world, and almost 70 per cent of the population live in absolute poverty. Political parties are banned and the country scores lower than Zimbabwe for its political rights on the respected Mo Ibrahim Index.

While investing in major vanity projects such as the $1 billion Sikhuphe International Airport and propping up the lavish lifestyles of an ever increasing royal entourage, the Swazi government is responding to the country's worsening economic crisis by increasing the tax burden on the poorest and through mass redundancies in public services.

The population of Swaziland, while being plunged deeper into poverty have rapidly seen their few remaining rights eroded with a raft of repressive legislation, designed to crush dissent. Most controversial of all is the Suppression of Terrorism Act, which is used liberally to declare anyone or anything opposed to the regime as terrorist, including the main opposition party, PUDEMO. Arbitrary arrests and torture are common place as the government responds to the growing momentum of dissenting voices with a stronger and more brutal security force.

Despite its major economic crisis the government is proposing to spend almost 10 per cent of its 2011-12 budget on the army and police. On 23 February the minister of finance Majozi Sithole said ‘Yes, we are spending a lot on the army but we are not anticipating what is happening in North Africa to come here...However, the army is there to avoid such situations'.

The arms involved in the failed 2008 deal were, according to the Swazi government, intended to be used by African peacekeeping missions for the UN, but according to the cable may have been intended ‘to build up domestic capability to deal with unrest, or was possibly acting as an intermediary for a third party such as Zimbabwe or a Middle Eastern country that had cash, diamonds or goods to trade'. In recent days it has emerged that the Swazi government remains resolute in their determination to obtain arms from Britain. According to the Swazi News John Kunene, the principal secretary in the ministry of defence, who signed the original deal in 2008, said "We have been in constant discussion with Unionlet [a UK based arms agency] in buying arms for peacekeeping exercises in other countries, and have never abandoned the idea."

Yesterday (28 February 2011) defence secretary Liam Fox said that the UK's arms sales policy was under review, in order to strike the 'right balance' between the right of countries to protect themselves and a duty to ensure 'that what we do supply is not being used for internal repression'. In the case of Swaziland we hope that the right balance is one that ensures that the regime is denied the weapons it so desperately wants to repress its own people.

Tuesday, 1 March 2011

KING GETS MORE, HIS SUBJECTS, LESS

While budgets controlled by the Swaziland Government are be slashed by 20 percent this coming year, King Mswati III is to get 23 percent MORE from the Swazi people for the upkeep of himself and his Royal Family.

And worse: the cost of King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, has INCREASED by 63 percent when compared with what he took from his subjects in 2009/2010.

This information was contained in the budget last week, but the information was carefully kept from the Swazi people.

Majozi Sithole, the Swazi Finance Minister, in his budget speech praised, ‘their Majesties for their continued support, wisdom, guidance and their insight into the emerging trends brought about by the global economic meltdown. As the socio-economic challenges continue to face the country, their Majesties concern and involvement in joining government to tackle these problems deserves acknowledgement and appreciation.’

That’s what Sithole said, but it just isn’t true. Because, while his subjects are suffering under the cosh of the economic meltdown, King Mswati and his Royal Family are set to get more this year than ever before.

And, Minister Sithole knew this, yet he claimed the King had ‘concern and involvement’ in tackling the economic crisis.

But we are not fooled: the king has no ‘concern’ for his subjects and his only ‘involvement’ in the economic crisis is to make sure that he continues to get more of Swaziland’s wealth, while everybody else suffers.

Sithole carefully avoided giving any information in his speech and media interviews later about how much the king would cost his subjects.

Here are the figures. In the budget the king and his family will get E210 million (US$30 million). That’s E40 million MORE than he got in 2010/2011, when he got E170 million. And it’s E80 million MORE than the E129.5 million he got in 2009/2010.

In a speech to the kingdom in January 2011 the king asked his subjects to pray to help get Swaziland out of its economic mess. I’ll leave it to readers to decide on an alternative solution . . .

PROBE VICIOUS SCHOOL BEATINGS

Another week, another example of children terrorised by their teachers at schools in Swaziland.

This time, a 10-year-old Swazi girl was blinded for life in her left eye after a splinter from a teacher’s stick flew and struck it during punishment.

And she wasn’t even the child being punished.

She was injured when her teacher was hitting another pupil, with a stick which broke.

Here’s what happened. The teacher was caning a pupil on the hand with a stick, when the child pulled his hand away before the stick could strike it. The stick struck the table and it broke, causing it to splinter and hit the other child who was at the back of the class in the eye.

At the back of the class! Just how hard was the teacher hitting the child? No wonder he moved his hand out of the way.

Doctors confirmed that the girl would never see in the left eye again.

Pupils at kaLanga Nazarene Primary school have been left ‘traumatised’, according to the Times of Swaziland, the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom.

Parents are now questioning how safe their children are at the school.

And who can blame them? There are far too many reports of teachers abusing children through the misuse of punishment. Only this past week it was reported that a boy collapsed unconscious after he was flogged with 20 strokes of a ‘small log’.

As I wrote on Wednesday (23 February 2011) there are many, many cases of Swazi children beaten and humiliated by their teachers. And these are just the ones that we know about. In all cases, the teachers and school principals involved have broken the rules relating to infliction of punishment.

This cannot be allowed to go on. The Ministry of Education needs to undertake a thorough investigation into the use of corporal punishment in all its schools and where it finds teachers and principals have illegally inflicted punishment they must be prosecuted. Then, Swaziland must abolish corporal punishment and substitute it for more humane sanctions.

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