With Poverty, The King’s Greed And Human Rights Abuses There’s Nothing To Celebrate On Swaziland’s 50th Anniversary Of Independence

Swaziland (recently renamed Eswatini bythe kingdom’s absolute monarch King Mswati III) marked the 50^th anniversary of independence from Great Britain on 6 September 2018. But there’s not much to celebrate.

Swaziland is holding elections on 21 September but political parties are banned from taking part. Only 59 members of the House of Assembly are elected by the people; the King appoints another 10. None of the 30 members of the Swazi Senate are elected by the people. The elections are recognised across the world as fake. King Mswati chooses the Prime Minister, the government and all top judges and civil servants.

Seven in ten of the 1.1 million population live in abject poverty with incomes less than the equivalent of US$2 per day. The global charity Oxfam named Swaziland as the most unequal country in the world in a report that detailed the differences in countries between the top most earners and those at the bottom.

The World Food Program estimated 350,000 people (a third of the population) in Swaziland were in need of food assistance. WFP helped 65,473 of them. It said it was regularly feeding 52,000 orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) aged under eight years at neighbourhood care points. About 45 percent of all children in thought to be OVCs.

It reported chronic malnutrition affected 26 percent of all children in Swaziland aged under five. 

In a report published at the end of May 2018, WFP said it needed US$1.13 million for the six months to November. It reported that due to lack of funds it had to halt indefinitely the Food by Prescription programme that assists people living with HIV and TB. The programme offers nutrition assessments, counselling and support services to 24,000 malnourished people receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), treatment for TB, prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) services, as well as support to their families through a monthly household ration.

At his 50^th birthday in April the Queen Mother gave the King Mswati a dining room suite made of gold. It went alongside a lounge suite trimmed with gold that he was given by senior members of his government. 

He also received cheques totalling at least E15 million (US$1.2 million) to help pay for his birthday celebration that took place on 19 April 2018.

On that day he wore a watch worth US$1.6 million and a suit weighing 6 kg studded with diamonds. Days earlier he had taken delivery of his second private jet. This one, an Airbus A340, cost US$13.2 to purchase but with VIP upgrades was estimated to have cost US$30 million.

The King has 13 palaces in impoverished Swaziland. He also owns fleets of top-of-the range Mercedes and BMW cars. His family regularly travel the world on shopping trips spending millions of dollars each time.

The Swazi Observer reported that more than E15 million had been given to pay for the so-called 50-50 Celebration that marked the King’s 50^th birthday and the 50^th anniversary of Swaziland’s Independence from Great Britain.

At least E1.6 million came from public funds. The Royal Swaziland Police Service and the Royal Correctional Service gave E300,000 each and the Public Service Pension Fund gave E1 million.

The Observer reported King Mswati was in ‘a jovial mood as he received the gifts’.

To mark the 50^th anniversary of independence the Swaziland Human Rights Network UK wrote an open letter to the High Commissioner of Swaziland in Great Britain.

It read in part,  ‘The 50th Independence Day finds the country mired in myriad socio-economic and political problems: The economy of the kingdom of eSwatini is on a spiralling downturn, worsening human rights record, an alarmingly widening gap between the rich and the poor, an ever increasingly powerful political elite headed by King Mswati III and the Dlamini royal family, rampant government corruption, poor ease of doing business index, record crime statistics including ritual murder, lack of any notable foreign direct investment to name but a few of the significant problems facing the nation. Given the foregoing we ask ourselves if there is anything worth celebrating on the 06th September 2018! 

‘We hereby call upon your office to express our collective concerns to the eSwatini government particularly on the issues of human rights and democratic change into a people-driven political plurality. We are alarmed by the most recent and continuing police brutality against peaceful demonstrators. The use of live ammunition by the police against members of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers represents a dangerous and unprecedented nadir on industrial matters and public security. 

‘The government’s continuing lavish spending on such projects as the Prime Minister’s retirement home, the aircraft hangar at King Mswati III airport and the expensive luxury vehicles for top government officials against a decline on student scholarships, poor spending on elderly grants and heavy reliance on foreign aid and massive borrowing for capital projects defines a government of upended priorities. 

‘We also note with alarm the ever-growing security budget and the acquisition of arms by the security forces at a time when the nation is not at war. Poverty levels remain stubbornly high while the government turns a blind eye to the plight of the poor. Hospitals often have to do without vital medical and equipment supplies. Therefore, we contend that on the 50th Anniversary of the Kingdom of eSwatini’s Independence, there is very little to celebrate!’

Richard Rooney

See also

King Eats Off Gold, Children Starving

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/06/king-eats-off-gold-children-starving.html 

Swazi Cabinet’s Gift Of Gold

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/06/swazi-cabinet-gift-of-gold-to-king.html 

Kingdom Bottom In World Health Ranking

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/11/kingdom-bottom-in-health-ranking.html

Swazi Govt ‘Killing Its Own People’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/05/swazi-govt-killing-its-own-people.html

Vote-Rigging Claims During Swaziland’s Election Grow. Calls For Some Polls To Be Re-Run

More allegations of vote-rigging and malpractice have surfaced in the wake of the first round of Swaziland’s election.

 

Voters at Mabantaneni in Lubulini called on the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) to nullify the election there. They said the total number of votes counted was more than the number of voters registered.

They also said voting lasted until 11.00 pm instead of 7.00 pm; some people voted more than once and one person boasted they voted six times. The Observer on Saturday newspaper reported (1 September 2018) they said people who had cast their votes were not marked with ink on their thumbnails to make it impossible for them to vote again.

The Observer reported voters also alleged the presiding officer colluded with one of the candidates to ensure that the elections were rigged.

It quoted voters saying, ‘It all happened right in front of our eyes and we were left helpless as the presiding officer dismissed our concerns as minor every time we raised them with him.’

It added, ‘Furthermore, the voters allege that a certain resident, who had not registered for the elections, managed to enter the ballot box and cast votes using another registered voter’s card, something that is not permissible by law. 

‘They say after realising that it had become a free-for-all affair at the polling station with one of the voters even boasting that he had voted six times already they tested the situation by sending one voter to cast his vote again, which he successfully did without any hindrance.’

EBC Communications Officer Mbonisi Bhembe confirmed the EBC was investigating.

Meanwhile, some candidates at KaLanga in Lugongolweni walked out of the count alleging they had been harassed by two EBC presiding officers. Most of them did not sign to approve the results as required by election regulations, the Observer on Saturday reported (1 September 2018).

The newspaper said the count at Matsetsa School for the Deaf took about 17 hours.

Candidates had raised concerns about some ballot papers that were a different size to the majority. The Observer reported, ‘When the counting of votes for was about to be concluded, candidates asked the presiding officers to first declare the total number of votes entered, then subtract the total number of spoilt votes.

‘“While we were raising other concerns, the presiding officers seemed to be losing their cool, and one of them threw the spoilt ballot papers at my face,” claimed one of the candidates who eventually walked out.

‘Another candidate said after this incident, they felt threatened; hence they decided to walk out of the hall.

‘“We decided to walk out of the hall after that incident because we did not want to be accused of disturbing the national elections,” explained another candidate.

‘In separate interviews, the candidates claimed to have been harassed by the presiding officers.’

The newspaper reported candidates said they would not make a formal complaint to the EBC ‘as they believed that would not change the results’.

There have been many complaints about vote-rigging and malpractice in the days following the first round of the election (known as the Primary Election) that took place on 24 August 2018 in Swaziland (recently renamed Eswatini by the kingdom’s absolute monarch King Mswati III).

There were claims at the Ezikhotheni chiefdom in the Shiselweni 1 constituency that candidates brought strangers to vote. EBC polling officials were reportedly notified but did nothing about it.

There were riots at the Mshingishingini polling station due to the lack of electricity, election candidates have called for fresh elections to be conducted.

Candidates at Mvembili claimed the winner of the constituency executive (Bucopho) election was an imposter. They said Martin Magagula was not from the Northern Hhohho area but Dvokolwako, and therefore he stole the election victory. They want him stripped of his victory.

Meanwhile, Ayanda Shiba, aged 22, was fined E1,000 by the Siteki magistrate after he admitted trying to vote twice using two different voting cards at Good Shepherd polling station, at Makhewu in Siteki.

At Kwaluseni about 16 candidates and their agents walked out of the counting in protest at cheating and called for the election in the constituency to be cancelled. There were complaints that ballot papers were tightly interlocked and could not be easily removed from ballot boxes. Candidates questioned how a thick package of papers could have been in the box when it was half empty.

There were also allegations at Kwaluseni that during the voting polling station officers had told people who to vote for.

Candidates and voters from the Buka Chiefdom and Lobamba Lomdzala marched on the offices of the EBC calling for the votes in their areas to be recounted. At Buka they said the number of votes cast did not tally with the number of registered voters and some rejected ballot papers were counted. They also said some ballot boxes were late arriving at the count after voting ended at Buka.

EBC Commissioner Ncumbi Maziya told local media many complaints had been received from across the kingdom. ‘We have received complaints from Ezulwini, Lobamba Lomdzala, Kwaluseni and some from Mpolonjeni in the Lubombo region.

Members of the Operational Support Service Unit (OSSU), the paramilitary police wing, were called to Nkhaba Old Inkhundla polling station and Matsanjeni South to calm the situation where voters blocked the exit of electoral officials who were transporting ballot papers to a central command place where counting could take place.

There was confusion at KaMethula, a newly created constituency, and many people were unclear where they had to vote. Some decided not to vote at all. 

Independent observers at Swaziland’s elections were refused access to some polling stations until they had signed secrecy forms restricting what they could report.

The final round of voting (the Secondary Election) takes place on 21 September 2018. Swaziland’s elections are recognised outside the kingdom to be undemocratic. Political parties are banned from taking part and the King appoints the Prime Minister and government ministers.

People are only allowed to elect 59 members of the House of Assembly, the other 10 are appointed by the King. None of the 30 members of the Swaziland Senate are elected by the people.

 

See also

Swaziland’s Independent Observation Group Says Election ‘Free And Fair’ But Identifies Many Shortcomings

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/09/swazilands-independent-observation.html

 

Polling Station Riot and Fresh Accusations of Vote-Rigging Reported at Swaziland Election

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/polling-station-riot-and-fresh.html

 

Fears Grow of Vote-Rigging and Malpractice in Swaziland Election. Ballot Boxes Not Properly Sealed

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/fears-grow-of-vote-rigging-and.html 

Independent Election Observers in Swaziland Barred From Some Polling Stations, Told to Sign Secrecy Forms

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/independent-election-observers-in.html 

First Round of Swaziland Election Marred by Inefficiency and Fear of Vote-Rigging

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/first-round-of-swaziland-election.html

Chaos and Violence Reported Across Swaziland as Voters go to the Polls

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/chaos-and-violence-reported-across.html

Organised Certainty, Why elections in Swaziland are not democratic

https://www.scribd.com/document/384752084/Organised-Certainty-Why-Elections-in-Swaziland-Are-Not-Democratic

Swaziland’s Banned Political Party PUDEMO Elects New President, Leadership

Kenworthy News Media, 4 September 2018

SOURCE

The People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), the largest democratic movement in Swaziland, elected a new leadership at its General Congress last weekend. Mlungisi Makhanya was elected new President, writes Kenworthy News Media.

 

In his opening address, outgoing President Mario Masuku highlighted the need for the rebuilding of PUDEMO and condemned the corruption of Swazi King Mswati’s absolute rule at PUDEMO’s 9th General Congress, held in Witbank.

“No amount of ritual pseudo electoral processes can redeem such an inherently flawed system”, Masuku said in a press release from PUDEMO.

According to the press release, PUDEMO will launch campaigns against land evictions, the Swazi government’s corruption, gender based violence and unemployment.

Sacrifice and resiliance
Mario Masuku was PUDEMO President for many years. He has been arrested on many occasions and charged, though never convicted, with terrorism and sedition, the latter for shouting “Viva PUDEMO” at a May Day rally. He has spent several years in prison awaiting trial.

He was, however, a well-respected figure outside Swaziland, meeting with heads of state in the region and receiving a democracy award in the Danish Parliament from former Danish Speaker of the House, Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the UN General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoft.

“This congress was an historic moment indeed, also for Comrade Mario Masuku, who is now ready for different roles as the epitome of sacrifice and resilience in the struggle for freedom in Swaziland,” said new Secretary General Wandile Dludlu.

Masuku is currently working at a home for orphans and vulnerable children here at Mbabane on a daily voluntary basis and plans to continue his work to promote human rights in Swaziland.

New leadership
Former Secretary General Mlungisi Makhanya was elected President of PUDEMO, and Zodwa Mkhonta Deputy President.

Former youth leader Wandile Dludlu was elected new Secretary General and Jabulani Malinga National Organising Secretary.

Stalwart activist Mphandlana Shongwe remained on the National Executive Committee.

Swaziland is a small semi-feudal absolute monarchy with a population of 1.3 million. More than two thirds of the population live in poverty, many on food aid. 

Amnesty International has called the Swaziland’s Suppression of Terrorism Act, which is used to charge many PUDEMO members for trivial offenses, “inherently oppressive” and Freedom House ranks Swaziland as one of the repressive countries in the world in regard to political rights. 

See also

PUDEMO Leader Defies Bail Conditions

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/07/pudemo-leader-defies-bail-condition.html 

Release Of Leaders ‘Changes Nothing’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/release-of-leaders-changes-nothing.html

Terror Charge For Shouting Slogan

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/08/terror-charge-for-shouting-slogan.html

Police Spy Discovered And Ejected From Swaziland Teachers’ Union Conference

Teachers in Swaziland discovered a police spy at their union conference and threw him out.

His name and photograph and a picture of the car he was using was published on social media.

It was one in a number of cases where police and security forces in Swaziland (recently renamed Eswatini by the kingdom’s absolute monarch King Mswati III) have been discovered spying on legitimate meetings.

It happened at the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) conference at Esibayeni Lodge in Matsapha on Sunday (2 September 2018). 

A week before the conference police shot and wounded a schoolteacher when they fired into a group of teachers during a protest over pay. 

This is only one in a long list of cases of police and security forces spying in Swaziland. In July 2018 it was reported that police were video recording and keeping data of protest marches by political parties and labour federations. They then used the information to deprive people of college scholarships, jobs in the army, police, and correctional services or promotions in government departments, the online newspaper Swaziland News reported.

The newspaper said the Police Intelligence Unit had been captured filming a protest march organised by the Trade Congress Union of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) in June 2018.

In September 2017 police in Swaziland disguised themselves as news reporters at a march of public servants in Mbabane. The Sunday Observer in Swaziland at the time called it ‘spying’ and said it had happened before at other public demonstrations, ‘They [police] are always plain clothed and carry traditional journalistic tools including cameras and notebooks,’ the newspaper reported.

The march was legal. A police spokesman said they were not spying because the march took place in a public place.

In August 2017 it was reported that police infiltrated a Pensioners’ Association meeting to make notes on proceedings.

In June 2017 some senior politicians in Swaziland reported fears their phones were being tapped. One also thought his car might be bugged.  

In July 2013 it was reported that police in Swaziland were spying on the kingdom’s members of parliament. One officer disguised in plain clothes was thrown out of a workshop for MPs and one MP reported his phone had been bugged. Ntondozi MP Peter Ngwenya told the House of Assembly at the time that MPs lived in fear because there was constant police presence, in particular from officers in the Intelligence Unit. 

The Times of Swaziland newspaper reported at the time that at the same sitting of the House Lobamba MP Majahodvwa Khumalo said his cellphone had been bugged ever since he started being ‘vocal against some people’. 

In May 2013 the Media Institute of Southern Africa reported that police spies had infiltrated journalism newsrooms in Swaziland, which had led to a heightened climate of fear. 

It is legal in certain circumstances to tap phones in Swaziland. The Suppression of Terrorism Act gives police the right to listen in on people’s conversations if they have the permission of the Attorney General.

When the Act came into law in 2008 Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini said that anyone who criticised the government could be considered a terrorist sympathiser.

In 2012 it came to light that the Swaziland Army had attempted to buy cameras and phone monitoring equipment worth US$1.25 million. The Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF) – the formal name of the Swaziland Army – was sued  in the Swaziland High Court because it ordered the equipment, but did not pay for it.

In 2011 a journalist working in Swaziland for the AFP international news agency reported on her blog that her phone calls were being listened in to. 

In August 2011 Wikileaks published a cable from the US Embassy in Swaziland that revealed the Swazi Government had tried to get MTN, the only mobile phone provider in the kingdom, to use its network for ‘surveillance on political dissidents’. 

Tebogo Mogapi, the MTN chief executive officer (CEO) in Swaziland, refused to comply and later did not have his work permit renewed and so had to leave the kingdom.

See also

Top Swazi Politicians’ ‘Phones Bugged’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/06/top-swazi-politicians-phones-bugged.html

State Police Spy On Swazi MPs

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/07/state-police-spy-on-swazi-mps.html
 

Police Spies Infiltrate Media

http://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/police-spies-infiltrate-media.html

 

AFP Journalist’s Phone Bugged

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/06/afp-journalist-phone-bugged.html
 

Security Forces ‘Spy On Candidates’

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/security-forces-spy-on-candidates.html 

Swaziland ‘Becoming Military State’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/04/swaziland-becoming-military-state.html

King Uses Military For Own Feud

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2010/08/king-uses-military-for-own-feud.html

Swaziland’s Independent Observation Group Says Election ‘Free And Fair’ But Identifies Many Shortcomings

The Coordinating Assembly of NGOs (CANGO) which led 10 local groups as an Elections Network to observe the first round of Swaziland’s election found a list of shortcomings including voter bribery, illegal voting, late opening of polling stations, poor IT facilities and drunkenness.

Nonetheless, it concluded the polls known as the Primary Election, ‘were held peacefully and were undertaken in an atmosphere that is free and fair’.

CANGO had 120 observers visit 170 polling stations across 44 of 59 constituencies in Swaziland (recently renamed Eswatini by the kingdom’s absolute monarch King Mswati III) for the national and community elections on 24 August 2018.

In its report it identified ‘the most urgent issue’ was in Nkilongo where a candidate who was not eligible to contest one of the community offices stood and received 69 votes. A formal complaint by rival candidates has been lodged with the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC).

CANGO also noted that ‘a lot of polling stations opened late’ especially in Siphofaneni, Hlutse, Phonjwane and some other areas in the Hhohho region. The delay was caused by late delivery of ballot materials. Some polling stations opened five hours late.

Other polling stations such as Mphundle High school in Matsanjeni North opened late because there was no electricity. In Ekuphakameni High School polling station the delay was caused by the late arrival of election officials. In other areas including Bethany Mission Primary School the delay was caused by the absence of nominees and their agents who were supposed to be there to view the sealing of the ballot boxes. 

In Shewula voting was stopped for an hour later in the day because there was no electricity.

CANGO reported, ‘Delays lead to disgruntled voters who then turn away from polling stations due to frustrations.’

At Somnjalose High School polling officers failed to balance the numbers of used and unused ballot papers. CANGO said some people might have been given two ballot papers. 

CANGO noted that many voters across Swaziland were seen trying to take photos of their ballot papers. It stated the illegal practice could be linked to voter bribery or extortion.

CANGO doubted that all presiding officers at polling stations were capable of doing their job properly. It stated, ‘Most presiding offers, polling officers generally seemed well versed in most polling stations in terms of the steps undertaken to set up polling stations, registration of serial numbers for ballot papers and ensuring that all polling stations guarantee the secrecy of the vote. However some presiding and polling officers still need to be capacitated on electoral procedures as seen in Phonjwane where procedure was flaunted as people casted their ballot only for the Bucopho position due to late arrival of other ballot materials for the two other positions.’ 

 

It noted that most of the presiding officers in the Lubombo region could not provide the number of registered voters for that particular polling station. It said that while some polling stations had the IT support, other polling stations did not. 

Most presiding officers struggled to seal ballot boxes. CANGO reported, ‘Poor seals allow for the ballot boxes to be manipulated and damage the credibility of the results.’

The verification of voters was slow in most polling stations in the early hours of the day and this was caused by IT technical glitches delaying the process. In most of the polling stations, technical glitches were common with laptops freezing.  

Campaigning, which is illegal in Swaziland until after the primary was witnessed in Mfanyana Hall where a nominee agent was soliciting for votes.  The police were called to deal with the matter.

At Ngculwini in Mhubhe High School, material available that listed the candidates who were standing at the election was tampered with in an attempt to influence voters. At Mbekelweni high school, nominees and their agents were seen greeting every voter which was illegal. ‘One nominee even greeted one of CANGO observers and told the observer whom to cast her vote to without realising that she is an observer,’ CANGO reported.

CANGO said it observed a lot of campaigning on Whatsapp groups especially around the Hlatsi, Kambhoke, Khubutha areas. It added, ‘Attempts to influence voters were also seen around Ngonini Inkhundla where relatives of certain nominees were seen transporting eligible voters to polling stations. At Ngcoseni High School polling station, a lot of voters were seen receiving varying vegetables from tomatoes, cabbages, onions etc. and it was not clear whether they were being sold and or were gifts meant to influence voters. When observers sought more information, the process of handing the cabbages was abruptly stopped and no information could be obtained.’

Some members of CANGO’s independent election observation team were asked to sign secrecy forms and were denied access to polling stations if they did not do so. They were told they had to go to the police to declare an oath.

CANGO stated, ‘EBC should clearly communicate to all polling stations that observers only sign the visitor’s book to limit misunderstandings as the country will now be joined by other regional observer missions like SADC EOM and such confusion will not paint a good image for the country.’

Fights outside polling stations were witnessed but CANGO reported these were not related to the elections but were ‘normally misunderstandings between highly intoxicated individuals standing nearby polling stations’.   

At Nkhaba Old Inkhundla polling station and Matsanjeni South the paramilitary police OSSU were called to calm the situation where voters blocked the exit of electoral officials who were transporting ballot papers to a central command place where counting could take place. 

Elections in Swaziland are generally recognised outside of the kingdom as undemocratic. Political parties are banned from taking part and King Mswati appoints the Prime Minister and Government. People are only allowed to elect 59 members of the House of Assembly, another 10 are appointed by the King. None of the 30 members of the Swazi Senate are elected by the people.

The final round of voting (the Secondary Election) takes place on 21 September 2018.

See also

Polling Station Riot and Fresh Accusations of Vote-Rigging Reported at Swaziland Election

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/polling-station-riot-and-fresh.html

 

Fears Grow of Vote-Rigging and Malpractice in Swaziland Election. Ballot Boxes Not Properly Sealed

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/fears-grow-of-vote-rigging-and.html

Independent Election Observers in Swaziland Barred From Some Polling Stations, Told to Sign Secrecy Forms

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/independent-election-observers-in.html

First Round of Swaziland Election Marred by Inefficiency and Fear of Vote-Rigging

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/first-round-of-swaziland-election.html

Chaos and Violence Reported Across Swaziland as Voters go to the Polls

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/chaos-and-violence-reported-across.html

Organised Certainty, Why elections in Swaziland are not democratic

https://www.scribd.com/document/384752084/Organised-Certainty-Why-Elections-in-Swaziland-Are-Not-Democratic

Swaziland Police Beat-Up Journalist Photographing Them Attacking, Shooting At Textile Workers

Police in Swaziland beat up a journalist and demanded he delete photographs he took of them attacking and shooting at striking textile workers.

It was one of many cases of police and state forces attacking and harassing journalists in the kingdom ruled by King Mswati III as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch. Broadcasting is severely censored and one of only two national newspaper groups in the kingdom is in effect owned by the King.

It happened on Thursday (30 August 2018) at Nhlangano where workers, mostly women, were protesting about poor pay.

Andile Nsibande of the Times of Swaziland, the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom (recently renamed Eswatini by King Mswati), was viciously attacked by police officers and prison warders who had been sent to assist them, the Times’ companion newspaper the Times Sunday reported.

 

‘The officers kicked and punched the defenceless newsman until he fell to the ground,’ it said. ‘They further hurled expletives at him.’

Nsibande was treated in hospital.

More than 200 paramilitary police and correctional facility warders with riot shields, helmets and batons were in Nhlangano on Thursday. Police fired several gunshots. It was the third police attack on workers in a week and one of many in recent times.

Police and security forces in Swaziland routinely physically attack or harass journalists.

In July 2018, the Health Minister Sibongile Ndlela-Simelane called on police to arrest a Swazi Observer journalist who was photographing government ministers’ cars outside the Deputy Prime Minister’s office. She demanded that the photographs be deleted which the journalist did. The newspaper had previously published a report about government ministers’ BMW cars being in a bad state of repair. It was checking a government claim that the vehicles had been repaired and were back on the road.

In February 2018 prison warders attacked a journalist in a public street near Kwaluseni when he took photographs of them travelling in the backs of overcrowded vehicles.

In December 2017 editor of Swaziland Shopping Zweli Martin Dlamini fled to neighbouring South Africa after he received death threats. He had written a story about the King’s dealings in the telecommunications industry.

In January 2017 the editor of the Times Sunday Innocent Maphalala and senior reporter on the paper Mfanukhona Nkambule received threats of grievous bodily harm, ‘possibly even leading to death’, according to the Times of Swaziland newspaper. It said, ‘The threats emanate from a story the publication is pursuing regarding one of the country’s security forces which has engaged in an action that has compromised this country internationally.’

Thulani Maseko and Bheki Makhubu gained international attention when in 2014 they were sentenced to two years in jail after writing and publishing articles in the Nation magazine that were critical of the Swazi judiciary. They were released by the Swazi Supreme Court on 30 June 2015 after they had served 15 months of their sentences.

There is no media freedom in Swaziland, according to the latest annual report from Reporters Without Borders which ranked the kingdom at number 152 out of 180 countries in the world ranking. It stated the kingdom, ‘prevents journalists from working freely and obstructs access to information. No court is allowed to prosecute or try members of the government, but any criticism of the regime is liable to be the subject of a prosecution. For fear of reprisals, journalists censor themselves almost systematically.’

The US State Department in a review of human rights in Swaziland for 2017 stated, ‘Officials impeded press freedom. Although no law bans criticism of the monarchy, the prime minister and other officials cautioned journalists against publishing such criticism with veiled threats of newspaper closure or job loss.’

The report stated, ‘Broadcast media remained firmly under state control. Most persons obtained their news from radio broadcasts.’

In 2015, Lawyers for Human Rights (Swaziland) and CIVICUS, an international human rights group, in a submission to the United Nations listed a number of media freedom violations in Swaziland. It said the Swazi Government, which is not elected but appointed by the King, ‘strictly controls freedom of expression and the media’. 

They added, ‘Reporting on royal and political matters is severely restricted. Further, regular threats emanating from senior government officials and the royal family to journalists also lead to government censorship and self-censorship by the media further curtailing democratic freedoms’.

The joint report added, ‘On 15 January 2014, the government-controlled Swazi Observer newspaper suspended its editor Thulani Thwala and weekend editor Alec Lushaba after they were accused of failing to adhere to the mandate of the newspaper by publishing negative news stories about the King.

‘The journalists were accused of failing to heed several warnings not to publish damaging reports about the King. Prior to the suspension, they published reports indicating that the Swazi government had solicited a financial bailout from South Africa. Eight months after their suspension, the Board of Directors of the Swazi Observer Newspaper Group reinstated them. 

‘The Swazi Observer newspaper is controlled by the Tibiyo Taka Ngwane conglomerate, which is owned by the King. News items published are highly censored.’

See also

‘EDITOR FLEES AFTER DEATH THREAT’

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/editor-flees-after-death-threat.html
 

SWAZI GOVERNMENT FORCES NEWSPAPER TO CLOSE

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/swazi-govt-forces-newspaper-to-close.html
 

JOURNALISTS ‘SCARED TO DO THEIR JOBS’

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/journalists-scared-to-do-their-jobs.html

Swaziland Election Officer Reveals MPs Sell Their Votes When Electing Kingdom’s Senators

A senior election official in Swaziland said corrupt members of the House of Assembly were selling their votes when they elect the kingdom’s senators.

In Swaziland no member of the 30-member Senate is elected by the people. King Mswati, the kingdom’s absolute monarch, appoints 20 and members of the House of Assembly elect the other ten.

Ncumbi Maziya, a Commissioner at the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), told a workshop that members of parliament charged E60,000 (US$4,000) for their vote, the Swazi Observer newspaper reported on Friday (31 August 2018).

It reported, ‘He said parliamentarians are the most corrupt people. He said he has since gathered that parliamentarians are swindling money from people who want to make it into Senate. 

‘Maziya said he learnt that people are made to fork out money amounting to E60,000 if they want to get a vote to be elected into Senate. “If you have no money you won’t make it into Senate,” Maziya stated.’

He was addressing a workshop for candidates for the national election due in Swaziland (recently renamed Eswatini by King Mswati III) on 21 September 2018.

He also said there was a lot of corruption and bribery during the first round of the election (known as the primary election) that took place on 24 August.

The newspaper reported, ‘He said he learnt that there were people who were ferried in buses from the textile sector to vote in some areas around Manzini.

‘The commissioner said in some places he visited, people were bribed with beers in order to vote for people they didn’t even know.’

The Times of Swaziland reported Maziya said irregularities had been reported to the EBC from Manzini South, Kwaluseni, Ngculwini, kuhambanjani bafana constituencies. He said the EBC knew of cases of people being ferried in in buses or kombis. He said outgoing government ministers had illegally used government vehicles during the election.

The Times reported Maziya said there were also problems with people being drunk at polling stations. He said that at two places, Enjabulweni and Ngevini, he personally found voters intoxicated and some passed out on the voting booths.

The Times reported Maziya saying, ‘It is unfortunate that as much as we are aware that some aspiring MPs and candidates buy votes from textile workers and other people, the EBC does not have the rightful resources to tackle some of the acts of corruption.’

See also

Polling Station Riot and Fresh Accusations of Vote-Rigging Reported at Swaziland Election

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/polling-station-riot-and-fresh.html 

Fears Grow of Vote-Rigging and Malpractice in Swaziland Election. Ballot Boxes Not Properly Sealed

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/fears-grow-of-vote-rigging-and.html

Independent Election Observers in Swaziland Barred From Some Polling Stations, Told to Sign Secrecy Forms

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/independent-election-observers-in.html

First Round of Swaziland Election Marred by Inefficiency and Fear of Vote-Rigging

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/first-round-of-swaziland-election.html

Chaos and Violence Reported Across Swaziland as Voters go to the Polls

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/chaos-and-violence-reported-across.html

Organised Certainty, Why elections in Swaziland are not democratic

https://www.scribd.com/document/384752084/Organised-Certainty-Why-Elections-in-Swaziland-Are-Not-Democratic

Swaziland Police Fire Gunshots During Textiles Dispute, Third Attack on Workers in a Week

Swaziland police fired several gunshot blasts while textile workers, mostly women, protested about poor pay. It was the third police attack on workers in a week and one of many in recent times.

More than 200 paramilitary police and correctional facility warders with riot shields, helmets and batons guarded the entrance to Juris, one of the major factories, according to a local media report.

It happened on Thursday (30 August 2018) at Nhlangano when five firms closed after management locked gates after workers gathered.

The Times of Swaziland reported, ‘Police were called to the scene and several gunshots were fired.’

It added, ‘Some of the employees said batons were also used by the police to disperse the workers, which resulted in the crowd becoming aggressive.

‘The workers felt they were being aggressively intimidated by the police and threatened with violence, while their union leaders were locked up in a series of meetings with management.

‘There was complete pandemonium after the gunshots were fired as a group of workers confronted the police, demanding answers on why some of their colleagues had been beaten up.’

Social media later reported that a pregnant woman had to be taken to hospital.

This was the third attack in a week by police on workers in Swaziland (recently renamed Eswatini by the kingdom’s absolute monarch, King Mswati III). On the previous Friday police shot and wounded a schoolteacher during a march in Manzini. On Wednesday in Mbabane nurses were tasered. Both groups were protesting at the Swazi government’s decision to offer a zero increase in their salary cost of living adjustment.

Swaziland police often fire live weapons and rubber bullets during worker protests. In November 2017 they shot a woman in the head with a rubber bullet at a Poly Pack textile factory at Ngwenya where workers were asking for a 20 percent pay rise.

Police in Swaziland, where political parties are banned from contesting elections, often intervene on behalf of management in labour disputes.

In February 2017, police fired live gunshots and teargas at Juris in Nhlangano where workers had been locked out during a dispute. There had been a long-running row at the factory about management style and accusations of racism by one boss in particular.

In September 2016, media in Swaziland reported women strikers were ambushed by armed police and ‘brutally attacked’ at the Plantation Forest Company, near Pigg’s Peak. Police had previously used rubber bullets and teargas against the strikers and had fired live rounds to disperse a crowd. 

In 2013, the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) reported that Swaziland was becoming a police and military state.

It said things had become so bad in the kingdom that police were unable to accept that peaceful political and social dissent was a vital element of a healthy democratic process, and should not be viewed as a crime.

These complaints were made by OSISA at an African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) meeting in The Gambia on 10 April 2013.

OSISA said, ‘There are also reliable reports of a general militarization of the country through the deployment of the Swazi army, police and correctional services to clamp down on any peaceful protest action by labour or civil society organisations ahead of the country’s undemocratic elections.’

OSISA was commenting on the trend in Southern Africa for police and security services to be increasingly violent and abusive of human rights.

In 2015, Swaziland was named as one of the ten worst countries for working people in the world, in a report from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

See also

Swaziland Teacher Who Stopped Police Chief Shooting Into Unarmed Crowd Appears in Court

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/swaziland-teacher-who-stopped-police.html 

Police in Swaziland Attack Nurses With Taser During Peaceful Protest Over Pay

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/police-in-swaziland-attack-nurses-with.html 

More Police Guns Against Workers

http://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/more-police-guns-against-workers.html

 

Police Fire Rubber Bullets on Strikers

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2016/09/police-fire-rubber-bullets-on-strikers.html
 

Police Fire Shots at Workers’ Protest

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2016/08/police-fire-shots-at-workers-strike.html

Kingdom One Of Worst in World For Workers

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/06/kingdom-in-top-ten-worst-for-workers.html