Mario Masuku, veteran Swaziland democracy leader, dies, reportedly from coronavirus

Mario Masuku,the former President of Swaziland’s People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), has died. No cause has been given but local media report it was from coronavirus.

PUDEMO, a prodemocracy group that is banned in Swaziland, made the announcement on Tuesday (12 January 2012). He was aged 70 and had been a founder of PUDEMO and President until 2018.

He was one of the best known prodemocracy activists in the kingdom ruled by King Mswati III as an absolute monarch.

He has been arrested many times and charged, though never convicted, with terrorism and sedition.

In May 2014, Masuku and Maxwell Dlamini (a student leader and member of the PUDEMO youth league, the Swaziland Youth Congress, SWAYOCO) were charged under the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act (SSA) and the Suppression of Terrorism Act (STA) for having addressed workers on May Day in Manzini, and shouting slogans in support of PUDEMO. Initially denied bail, they were kept in pre-trial detention and were eventually granted conditional bail and released by the Supreme Court 14 months later.

Masuku was no stranger to the jails and lawcourts. In 2001 he was charged with two counts under the SSA, accused of allegedly making statements that were seditious. At the close of the Crown’s case he was acquitted and discharged of the first count and later also acquitted on the second count.

Mario Masuku

 

In 2008, following a spate of bombings of some Government buildings and some local government centres, the STA was enacted. Immediately PUDEMO and three other organisations were listed as terrorist organizations.

In the same year Masuku was charged under the STA and, alternatively, under the SSA. In September 2009 he was acquitted and discharged by the High Court of Swaziland, because the State failed to prove the its case. He had been in jail on remand for 10 months.

See also

Swaziland’s democracy activist is the real ‘Super Mario’

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/11/swazilands-democracy-activist-is-real.html

 

Democracy leaders freed on bail 

http://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/democracy-leaders-freed-on-bail.html

Terror charge for shouting slogan 

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

 

Big rises in coronavirus cases predicted in Swaziland by month’s end

As coronavirus (COVID-19) cases continued to rise in Swaziland (eSwatini) Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula predicted there could be another 7,000 cases before the end of the month.

The eSwatini Observer reported on Sunday (10 January 2021) Magagula, who is at the Swazi Ministry of Health, said a lack of resources especially staffing would be a contributing factor on the death rate.

He warned people to take the virus seriously. He said, ‘The number of cases and mortality from the pandemic in the next three weeks depends on how fast we progress, which is determined by how communities follow the laid down prevention procedures. If more people follow the prevention measures the rate will be low but if they behave otherwise the cases will shoot up.’

New tougher lockdown restrictions were introduced on Saturday with nearly all gatherings, including religious services, banned. The Times of eSwatini reported on Monday that Swazi police closed at least six churches that had defied the new regulations. A spokesperson told the newspaper police would continue to arrest church members if they were found to have contravened the regulations.

Police continued to teargas and assault people found breaking regulations. In the latest incident the Swaziland News, an online newspaper, reported that on Saturday police officers used teargas to disperse a group that was drinking alcohol at kaQobonga. It reported an 80-year-old woman was left struggling to breathe all night after stray teargas choked her.

Official Ministry of Health statistics released on Sunday showed there had been a total of 11,435 people testing positive for the virus and 295 deaths since the crisis started.

On Friday the Swaziland Communist Party said there was serious under-reporting of infections and deaths in the kingdom. In a statement it said, ‘Funeral homes have already reported on the extreme shortage of coffins as well as the lack of space in their mortuaries due to the increased number of deaths, most of which are Covid related, prompting them to direct that funerals must be held on daily basis, no longer on a Thursday to Sunday basis. Clinics and hospitals are also unable to cope with the overwhelming number of patients.’

It added, ‘The facts also show that [King] Mswati helped spread the virus through his annual ritual, incwala, a super spreader which has already overseen the infection and death of many of those who attended the ritual.’

 

See also

Swaziland bans all gatherings as Govt. struggles to stem rise in coronavirus deaths https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2021/01/swaziland-bans-all-gatherings-as-govt.html

 

As coronavirus deaths rise, Swaziland Royal Family remain indifferent, new review finds https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2021/01/as-coronavirus-deaths-rise-swaziland.html

 

Swaziland coronavirus deaths climb but vaccines might be three months away https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2021/01/swaziland-coronavirus-deaths-climb-but.html

 

Swaziland coronavirus deaths climb, security forces to arrest rule breakers on sight https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2021/01/swaziland-coronavirus-deaths-climb.html

Swaziland bans all gatherings as Govt. struggles to stem rise in coronavirus deaths

All gatherings in Swaziland (eSwatini) have been banned as the government tries to get a grip on the coronavirus crisis as deaths continue to climb.

Only funerals, with restrictions on numbers of people attending, will be allowed to go ahead. Church and other religious gatherings are banned.

A new legal notice was issued on Thursday (7 January 2021). The regulations come into force on 9 January and will be reviewed after 14 days.

The Swazi Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku announced there would also be a curfew on travelling between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. Public transport cannot operate after 7 p.m.

Public transport operators, drivers or conductors must ensure passengers are sanitized and correctly wear masks.

There will be stricter rules at retailers with social distancing and shorter opening hours. Alcohol can be sold for home consumption only.

There will be restrictions at the border. Swaziland is a landlocked kingdom with borders to South Africa and Mozambique. Only essential travel will be allowed for people seeking medical attention, schooling, work and business purposes. Special permits for cross-border travel will be needed.

Deaths from coronavirus (COVID-19) in Swaziland have risen sharply over the past month. The Ministry of Health announced on Thursday there had been a total of 268 deaths and 10,773 cases of people testing positive for the virus since the crisis began in March.

In a statement, Masuku said, ‘We have witnessed the devastating impact of the second wave of the novel coronavirus. Since the beginning of December 2020, the Kingdom of eSwatini has experienced a huge surge in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and related deaths. We have recorded 139 deaths over the period and 4120 new infections.’

He added, ‘As the second wave persists to its peak, more people are presenting with symptoms categorised by rapid deterioration in clinical condition. Evidently, we are at the belly of a beast and decisive action needs to be taken to save lives and to ease the pressure on our health system. We need to clearly understand that this pandemic is aggressively challenging our survivability as a nation.’

See also

As coronavirus deaths rise, Swaziland Royal Family remain indifferent, new review finds

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2021/01/as-coronavirus-deaths-rise-swaziland.html

Swaziland coronavirus deaths climb but vaccines might be three months away https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2021/01/swaziland-coronavirus-deaths-climb-but.html

 

Swaziland coronavirus deaths climb, security forces to arrest rule breakers on sight https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2021/01/swaziland-coronavirus-deaths-climb.html

 

As coronavirus deaths rise, Swaziland Royal Family remain indifferent, new review finds

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis in Swaziland intensified, the numbers of positive cases and deaths rose. Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini died of the virus. He had an underlying diabetes condition.

Large numbers of people ignored the Swazi Government’s lockdown regulations to try to curb the spread of coronavirus. As in the past, police and other security forces violently attacked those who did not obey orders.

These are some of the main stories from Swaziland over the past three months and contained in Swaziland: Striving for Freedom, volume 40, a compilation of reports posted from October to December 2020 on the Swazi Media Commentary website.

It can be downloaded here.

Despite the rise in the death toll, members of the Swazi Royal Family continued their lavish lifestyles. Video of the Prince Majaha being showered with cash at his 30^th birthday party was widely distributed on the Internet.

King Mswati III, who rules Swaziland as an absolute monarch, appointed at least nine members of his family to top positions in government and on influential committees. In 2018, following national elections at which political parties were banned, he appointed 36 members of his family to top posts.

Elsewhere, the World Food Programme (WFP) helped feed 109,449 people in a month, about one in ten of the population, as hunger continued to grip the kingdom. Separately, Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku revealed one in three people were in need of immediate food aid.

The kingdom’s universities and college were once again in turmoil as the government failed to pay students allowances and more than 1,500 of them were refused scholarships.

There were again reports of community police officers abusing their power and physically assaulting suspects. Also, armed riot police used teargas and rubber bullets to break up a peaceful gathering called to ‘clean-up’ a township and arrest its leaders.

 

Swazi Media Commentary is published online, updated most weekdays. It is operated entirely by volunteers and receives no financial backing from any organisation. It is devoted to providing information and commentary in support of human rights in Swaziland.

 

Swaziland Striving for Free... by Richard Rooney

 

See also 

Swaziland coronavirus toll rises, economy in freefall, no end in sight, new review shows

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/10/swaziland-coronavirus-toll-rises.html

 

Coronavirus pandemic highlights human rights abuses in Swaziland, new review shows https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/07/coronavirus-pandemic-highlights-human.html

 

Assault on human rights follows coronavirus lockdown in Swaziland https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/04/assault-on-human-rights-follows.html

Swaziland coronavirus deaths climb but vaccines might be three months away

As deaths from coronavirus continue to climb in Swaziland (eSwatini) Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku hinted vaccines might not be available for up to three months.

He said the Swazi Government planned to vaccinate the whole population of about 1.1 million people. Swaziland is relying on outside help to get the vaccines.

In a media conference on Sunday (3 January 2021) he said Swaziland was relying on the the COVAX Advanced Market Commitment that was coordinating the availability of vaccines to low and middle income countries.  

He said the government was preparing a kingdom-wide programme of vaccination. There was a budget of at least E200 million (US$14 million) towards securing coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines.

No timetable for the arrival of vaccines is in place. Masuku said, ‘The first batch of the COVID-19 vaccines is expected to be made available in the first quarter [of 2021].’

In December 2020, The People’s Vaccine Alliance, a coalition of global and national organizations, forecast nine out of ten people in Swaziland would not be able to get a coronavirus vaccine in 2021. This was because the kingdom was poor and richer nations had made deals with manufacturers and will get vaccines ahead of others.

Deaths from coronavirus continue to rise in Swaziland. On Sunday the Ministry of Health reported a further four deaths, bringing the total to 231.

Separately, the Times of eSwatini reported Dups Funeral Home and Crematorium was at full capacity. It reported Chief Operations Officer Mzingaye Ndlovu, ‘said the funeral parlour’s storage capacity was slightly over 100 bodies; however, due to the increase in the number of people succumbing to COVID-19-related illnesses daily, they had stretched their resources and could no longer afford to meet the demand’.

Previously the Times reported Dr Simon Zwane, Principal Secretary at the Ministry of Health, said Swaziland was under strain for space for beds to accommodate severely critical patients. Zwane said currently there was no space at the Lubombo Referral Hospital and at the Luke Commission at Sidvokodvo.

In a statement Masuku said there was not enough oxygen available to treat patients but an effort had been made to double local production in December 2020. He said there were sufficient ventilators but these needed volumes of oxygen.

He said, Government intended to hire an additional 70 health workers. These would include people who had recently graduated from local health training institutions.

See also

Swaziland coronavirus deaths climb, security forces to arrest rule breakers on sight

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2021/01/swaziland-coronavirus-deaths-climb.html

Only one in ten people in Swaziland will get coronavirus vaccine in coming year https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/12/only-one-in-ten-people-in-swaziland.html

Swaziland coronavirus deaths climb, security forces to arrest rule breakers on sight

The Swaziland (eSwatini) Government is sending security forces across the kingdom to arrest people ‘on sight’ who flout tight regulations as deaths from coronavirus continue to climb.

Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku said it would consider ‘further harsh decisions’ including closing sectors of the economy that do not comply with regulations.

These include a ban on gatherings after 7 p.m., a night time curfew on travelling, and a ban on community sporting activities.

The number of deaths from coronavirus (COVID-19) has risen sharply in recent days. According to the Ministry of Health as of 2 January 2021 there had been 227 reported deaths. As of 6 December 2020, the number had been 123. The population of Swaziland is about 1.1 million.

Masuku, who became Acting Prime Minister after the death from coronavirus of PM Ambrose Dlamini, said in a statement, ‘People continue to blatantly disregard COVID-19 health protocols, by refusing to wear masks appropriately, allowing reasonable social distancing and sanitising properly.

‘Gatherings and alcohol consumption continue unabated as if things were still normal. Swimming pools are teeming with throngs of people. Community sporting activities still continue in some places. Churches continue to worship beyond the stipulated two and a half hours and church leaders still pray for people by laying hands, while worshippers refuse to wear masks.’

Masuku said, ‘We cannot continue like this because if we do, we risk wiping away the entire eSwatini population and future generations with it.’

The Swazi Government has introduced ‘Operation Bopha’, a campaign including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice and security forces such as the police and army.

Masuku said the operation tightened the enforcement of the regulations that were recently put in place. ‘We target all Emaswati and residents who continue to flout the COVID-19 health protocols and a team of inspectors and security forces are moving around countryside to arrest, on sight, anyone who continues to put the lives of other people at risk.

‘This operation also covers business establishments, particularly those selling liquor and allowing people to congregate and consume alcohol at the liquor outlets.’

See also

Tougher coronavirus restrictions in Swaziland as cases increase

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/12/tougher-coronavirus-restrictions-in.html

 

Swaziland PM who died of coronavirus was diabetic, his father reveals

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/12/swaziland-pm-who-died-of-coronavirus.html

 

Only one in ten people in Swaziland will get coronavirus vaccine in coming year https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/12/only-one-in-ten-people-in-swaziland.html

Swaziland police halt democracy march, ‘torture’ leader

Police in Swaziland (eSwatini) blocked a march for democracy and arrested leaders, torturing at least one of them, according to reports.

A group called The New Parliament tried to hold a march in Manzini, the kingdom’s main commercial city, but two leaders Phila Fakudze and Sibongile Mazibuko, President of the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC), were arrested and taken to Sigodvweni Police Station.

Swati Newsweek, a news website, reported, ‘Mazibuko was questioned and released after spending over five hours with the police officer who grilled her for calling for multiparty democracy.’

Swaziland News, an online newspaper, reported Fakudze was arrested on 24 December 2020 and ‘was tortured the whole night and later taken back to Manzini police station for further torturing’.

Fakudze told the Swaziland News, ‘While suffocating me, one of the police officers told me to pray and tell my God that I'm coming, he said we can kill you and then said you were trying to escape.’

Swati Newsweek reported Fakudze saying, ‘I was suffocated with a plastic bag by 12 police officers. I was tied to a bench and assaulted. I was kept in police custody for 48 hours. The police told me to pray and tell God that I am coming. They forced me to admit to being a robbery suspect. I was forced to name innocent people. However, they released me after their evidence crumbled.’

Swaziland is not a democracy and is ruled by King Mswati III as an absolute monarch. One of the aims of The New Parliament is that the king hands back power to the people.

Separately, Swati Newsweek reported Thulani Motsa, the Swaziland Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) Deputy President, was allegedly assaulted and suffocated by police. It said it had a copy of a doctor’s report detailing injuries.

Swati Newsweek quoted Motsa saying, ‘Police officers from Sigodvweni and Manzini came to my home, accompanied and confiscated my cellphone before bundling me into a police van without any warrant of arrest. When we arrived in the police station I was tightly tied by a black rope and suffocated by 10 male cops.’

Swati Newsweek reported Swazi police made a number of raids on homes of activists during the recent holiday period.

See also

Swaziland journalist ‘tortured by police after criticising absolute monarch in newspaper articles’

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/03/swaziland-journalist-tortured-by-police.html

 

Swaziland police hold and ‘torture’ students after protest march on Govt ministry https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/08/swaziland-police-hold-and-torture.html

 

Reasonable grounds two Swaziland police officers killed suspect in custody, coroner reports https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/04/reasonable-grounds-two-swaziland-police.html