KING TOOK MORE AS SPENDING CUTS BIT

As King Mswati III, Swaziland’s absolute monarch, calls for public spending cuts to save his kingdom’s damaged economy, we are reminded of a similar national crisis in 2011.

That year the King forced spending cuts in Government departments of up to 20 percent; but at the same time he awarded himself and the Royal Family a budget increase of 23 percent from public funds.

Then, as now, Swaziland was affected by cuts in income from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). Successive governments that are not elected by the people but chosen by the King have failed to manage Swaziland’s economy. The Swazi Government relies heavily on SACU income and when it falls, as this year, it has little alternative income.

In his speech opening Parliament on Friday (12 February 2016), King Mswati blamed falling SACU revenues for the crisis and called on everybody to help ensure the economy improved.

In 2011, when budgets controlled by the Swaziland Government were slashed by 20 percent King Mswati III got 23 percent more from the Swazi people for the upkeep of himself and his Royal Family.  

This was a 63 percent increase when compared with what he took from his subjects two years previously in in 2009/2010.

The information was contained in the national budget but not announced publicly. 

In 2011/2012 the King and his family got E210 million (US$30 million at the then exchange rate). That was E40 million more than he got in 2010/2011, when he got E170 million. And E80 million more than the E129.5 million he got in 2009/2010.

At the time Majozi Sithole, the then 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.’

See also

WILL SWAZI KING CUT HIS SPENDING?

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2016/02/will-swazi-king-cut-his-spending.html

WILL SWAZI KING CUT HIS SPENDING?

Swaziland’s absolute monarch King Mswati III has ordered his Government to make budget cuts as his kingdom approaches financial meltdown.

Following the King’s speech on Friday (12 February 2016), the Swazi Observer Sunday, a newspaper in effect owned by the King, reported that Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini, said ‘now that the King had spoken it was compulsory that the government implemented this’.

Dlamini was personally appointed Prime Minister by the King. He was never elected to Parliament by the people.

But, it remains to be seen whether King Mswati and his fourteen wives and vast Royal Family will also make cuts.

History suggests they will not.

The Royal budget amounts to about five percent of national spending. It increased by 25 percent between 2015 and 2016.

The Nation, an independent monthly magazine in Swaziland, reported in 2015 that for the year 2015/16, every budget of the royal household, except for the subvention to the King’s Office, had a ‘generous increase.’

The Nation reported, ‘The overall budget for King Mswati and the royal household took a significant increase of about 25 percent from E630 million [US$63 million at the then exchange rate] to E792 million. This reflects a staggering E162 million increase and accounts for just about five percent of the overall national budget. This has been the trend for some years.

‘Government increased the Royal Emoluments and Civil List by 21.9 percent from E279 million last year to E340 million. This reflect an increase E61 million. 

‘The Swazi National Treasury, a royal unit responsible for national courts and advisory committees such as Liqoqo, the idle Border Restoration Committee and others, has its budget handsomely increased by E77 million from E200 million. This is a 38.9 percent increase.

‘Government further increased budget for construction of State houses by E13 million from E131 million to E144 million. This is an increase of about 10 percent. The state houses are mainly palaces for the royal household. This budget has become a common feature in the national budget.

‘The budget for link roads to royal residence has been increased by E5 million from E25 million last year to E30 million this year. This reflects a 20 percent increase. The status of the project has never been publicly disclosed. This is another budget that has become a common feature in the national budget. 

‘Government cut down subvention to the King’s Office by E3.4 million from E5 million to E1.6 million. This is a decrease of about 68 percent. A budget of E252 million has been made for the link road to KMIII Airport and to Hlane. 

‘At the opening of the KMIII airport last year (2014), government blew over E5 million on a bash for the royal project.’

The Nation magazine is edited by Bheki Makhubu, who along with writer and journalist Thulani Maseko, were released from jail on 30 June 2015 after serving 15 months for contempt of court after writing and publishing articles critical of the Swazi judiciary.

The magazine has a long-standing reputation for covering stories about people in power in the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati, who is the last absolute monarch in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Nation reported, ‘The budget for the royal household is not debated in parliament. Not because there is any law against it but simple because it is considered unSwazi and a taboo for commoners to discuss anything pertaining to the esteemed family. 

‘Parliament is also in the dark as to how the funds are used as audited reports are only for the eyes of the King.’

See also

THE HYPOCRISY OF KING MSWATI III

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/02/hypocrisy-of-king-mswati-iii.html

SWAZI KING ATTACKS LAVISH LIFESTYLES

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/02/swazi-king-attacks-lavish-lifestyles.html

SWAZI POLICE HALT PAY PROTEST

Public servants were prevented by police from protesting about their pay levels when King Mswati III, Swaziland’s absolute monarch, opened the Swazi Parliament on Friday (12 February 2016).

Trade unionists wanted the Swazi Government, which is unelected and handpicked by the King, to release a salary review report into their pay that was completed four months ago.

Public protests are rare in Swaziland where political parties are banned from contesting elections and groups advocating multi-party democracy in the kingdom are banned under the Suppression of Terrorism Act.

Members of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), National Association of Public Servants and Allied Workers (NAPSAW) and Swaziland National Association of Government Accounting Personnel (SNAGAP) had wanted to march to the Parliament building and deliver a petition to the Clerk of Parliament.

Earlier this month two tradeunion activists were arrested and charged with obstruction when they took part in a picket organised by public service unions. 

See also 

TENSION OVER SWAZI PAY PROTEST

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2016/02/tension-over-swazi-pay-protest.html

SWAZI TERROR LAW COURT CHALLENGE

A challenge to the legality of Swaziland’s anti-terror and sedition laws is taking place in the kingdom’s High Court.

At stake is the future of the Suppression of Terrorism Act 2008 and Sedition and Subversive Activities Act 1938. 

Pro-democracy campaigners say both Acts are used to silence dissent in Swaziland where King Mswati III rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

Political parties are banned from taking part in elections and groups that advocate for multi-party democracy are banned under the Suppression of Terrorism Act. Individual protesters have also been arrested and jailed under the Act.

The hearing in the Swaziland High Court began in September 2015, but it was adjourned because there was not enough time to hear the case fully. 

Advocates against the two acts are arguing that they are unconstitutional as they infringe the right to free expression. They say the definitions of ‘terrorism’ and ‘sedition’ are too vague and can be applied at times when people have legitimate rights to speak or act.

The Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC), one of the international organisations including Amnesty International that are campaigning for a change in the laws, reported  ‘This hearing was a consolidation of four separate cases – each of which involved criminal charges in terms of these laws which had been brought against activists who had expressed opinions against the Swazi governmental system. What characterized the activities that led to these charges was that they were all peaceful.’

The case is highlighting Mario Masuku, President of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) and Maxwell Dlamini, Secretary General of PUDEMO’s youth wing, SWAYOCO. They were arrested and charged with sedition, subversion and terrorism after participating at a May Day celebration in 2014. They were accused of supporting PUDEMO, which had been banned under the Suppression of Terrorism Act. They were in pre-trial detention for nearly 15 months, before the Supreme Court released them on bail in July 2015. 

In a report from the court on Monday (8 February 2016), SALC said lawyers for the Swazi state (the Prime Minister, the Minister of Justice, the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the Attorney General) argued that the law in Swaziland was based on international standards.

The case is continuing.

Both The Suppression of Terrorism Act and The Sedition and Subversive Activities Act have been criticised by global human rights groups as oppressive.

Amnesty International in April 2015 renewed its criticism of Swaziland for the ‘continued persecution of peaceful political opponents and critics’ by the King and his authorities. 

The human rights organisation called for both Acts to be scrapped or drastically rewritten.

It said the Swazi authorities were using the Acts, ‘to intimidate activists, further entrench political exclusion and to restrict the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.’

In a public statement to draw attention to the ‘repression of fundamental freedoms’ in Swaziland, Amnesty said 14 people were currently charged in five separate trials. 

‘Ten are charged under both laws, including Mario Masuku, Maxwell Dlamini, and Mlungisi Makhanya, the Secretary General of the opposition organization, PUDEMO, along with six other co-accuseds. 

‘The authorities also initiated trial proceedings under the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act against Thulani Maseko in September 2014, on sedition charge first raised against him in 2009.’

It added, ‘The alleged offences include shouting slogans at a Workers’ Day rally, utterances made at funerals, possession of PUDEMO leaflets, wearing PUDEMO t-shirts while attending the trial of Thulani Maseko and Bheki Makhubu, or calling for a boycott of the elections held in 2013. 

Amnesty said the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act violated Swaziland’s human rights obligations. It placed the onus on the accused to prove that their alleged acts, utterances or documents published were not done with ‘seditious intention’.

The Sedition and Subversive Activities Act also obliged courts to conduct proceedings in camera relating to an offence under the Act if so requested by the prosecution. 

Amnesty also said the Suppression of Terrorism Act was incompatible with Swaziland’s human rights obligations because of, ‘The failure to restrict the definition of ‘terrorist act’ to the threatened or actual use of violence against civilians.

‘The failure of the definition to meet the requirements of legality, that is, accessibility, precision, applicability to counter-terrorism alone, non-discrimination and non-retroactivity.’

It added offences were, ‘defined with such over-breadth and imprecision that they place excessive restrictions on a wide range of human rights, including the right to hold opinions without interference and the right to freedom of expression.’

See also           

SWAZI TRIALS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED: AMNESTY

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/03/trials-politically-motivated-amnesty.html

AMNESTY ATTACKS SWAZI JUSTICE

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2014/03/amnesty-attacks-swazi-justice.html

TENSION OVER SWAZI PAY PROTEST

There is tension within Swaziland as the kingdom’s public sector workers protest over pay rises.

The government of the tiny kingdom ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, has refused to publish a report on public sector pay review.

There have been attempts to picket and to march in protest, but the draconian anti-labour laws in the kingdom prohibit such action.

Two trade union activists were arrested and charged with obstruction when they took part in a picket organised by public service unions.

They were Mcolisi Ngcamphalala, a Communist Party of Swaziland Central Committee member and member of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) and Mbongwa Dlamini, Manzini Regional Chairperson of SNAT. 

Officers from Swaziland’s serious crimes unit, also known as the Swazi anti-terrorism squad, raided their homes on Thursday (4 February 2016). They were then held in custody before being granted bail of E1,000 (US$60) each pending their trial.

Kenneth Kunene, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Swaziland said in a statement, ‘The picket, which is being held regularly every Wednesday to protest the secrecy of government pay policy for public sector workers, is part of a defiance campaign by public servants. 

‘They are banned from organising protest demonstrations and are resorting to more flexible and small-scale ways of highlighting their demands, such as pickets. Ngcamphalala and Dlamini’s offense was to have blocked the road where the picket was held, for which an arrest warrant was subsequently issued.’

Meanwhile, a proposed march to deliver a petition in Swaziland’s capital city has been put on hold after the Municipal Council of Mbabane enforced a law that makes it unlawful to protest on the streets without permission, the Times of Swaziland reported.

HEAD 'TELLS PUPILS TO BE SEXWORKERS'

A headteacher in a school in Swaziland has told his girl pupils they should consider becoming sex workers to pay their school fees, a local newspaper reported on Wednesday (10 February 2016).

He reportedly said they should offer themselves as prostitutes to passing road traffic.

The Times of Swaziland, the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, did not name the headteacher of school involved. It reported, ‘Some of the pupils, who have not paid their schools fees, are orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs).’

It added, ‘The head teacher allegedly also advised the boys to find work in construction companies and even mentioned the names of the firms, situated in Matsapha.’

The Times reported, ‘A widow, who wept during an interview, told this publication that the head teacher said the children should find work or venture into prostitution so they could help their parents pay their fees. The woman, who is a mother of two of the children, alleged that the children were told that education was very expensive and was not for the poor.’

RESPECT FOR SWAZI RULE OF LAW FALLS

‘Respect for human rights and the rule of law declined in the Kingdom of Swaziland, ruled by an absolute monarch, King Mswati III, since 1986. Political parties are banned, judicial independence is severely compromised, and repressive laws are used to target critics of the government and the King.’

These were the conclusions of Human Rights Watch in its World Report 2016, published on Wednesday (27 January 2016).

 

The report stated, ‘As in previous years, Swazi authorities severely restricted civil and political rights. In March 2015, police beat leaders of the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) and the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) and prevented them from holding a meeting, ostensibly because the discussions would have included calls for multiparty democracy. Among those severely beaten was a prominent trade unionist, the SNAT Secretary General Muzi Mhlanga.

‘The Suppression of Terrorism Act, the Sedition and Subversive Activities Act of 1938, and other similarly draconian legislation provided sweeping powers to the security services to halt meetings and protests and to curb criticism of the government, even though such rights are protected under Swaziland’s 2005 constitution. In September 2015, eight human rights defenders challenged the constitutionality of these security laws in the High Court of Swaziland. A final ruling has yet to be handed down.’

In a detailed analysis of Swaziland, HRW, highlighted media freedom as a particular problem.

It said, ‘Journalists and activists who criticized the government were often harassed and arrested. The Sedition and Subversive Activities Act continued to restrict freedom of expression through criminalizing alleged seditious publications and use of alleged seditious words, such as those which “may excite disaffection” against the king. Published criticism of the ruling party is also banned. Many journalists practiced self-censorship, especially with regard to reports involving the king, to avoid harassment by authorities.

‘On June 30 [2015], the Supreme Court of Swaziland granted an appeal by human rights lawyer, Thulani Maseko, and editor of The Nation magazine, Bheki Makhubu, and ordered their immediate release from prison. Maseko and Makhubu were arrested in March 2014 for two articles they published in The Nation questioning the impartiality of the judiciary, and sentenced to two years in prison. Civil society groups dismissed the trial as a sham.

‘In July 2014, The Nation and its publishers were fined an equivalent of US$9,500 by the Swaziland High Court for publishing “seditious” information in the two articles that Maseko wrote.

‘Authorities also barred media from reporting on issues they deemed sensitive. For example, when scores of young girls died in a road traffic accident on August 28 [2015] on their way to an annual Umhlanga festival where thousands of virgins dance before the king to celebrate womanhood and virginity, authorities blocked media reporting of the incident. The government later said 13 people had died. Regional and international media disputed the government’s figure and estimated the death toll at 65.’

See also

‘OPPOSITION TO KING IS TERRORISM

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2016/01/opposition-to-king-is-terrorism.html

 

SADC URGED TO ACT ON HUMAN RIGHTS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/08/sadc-urged-to-act-on-swazi-rights.html

OPPOSITION TO KING IS ‘TERRORISM’

All opposition to the rule of absolute monarch King Mswati III of Swaziland is treated as ‘terrorism’, according to a new analysis of the legal system in the kingdom.

Courts in Swaziland do the King’s bidding and lawyers regularly face intimidation.

The analysis was published by the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) to mark International Day of the Endangered Lawyer on Friday (22 January 2016).

The report written by Annabel Raw and Caroline James said, ‘In Swaziland, opposition to the King and the political system which prohibits political parties is treated as terrorism and the courts have often been seen to do the King’s bidding. 

‘Swazi lawyers regularly face intimidation when they challenge this status quo. 

‘In August 2014, human rights lawyer Sipho Gumedze attended a civil society event in Washington DC held at the White House to coincide with the US-Africa Summit hosted by American President Barack Obama. At the time, there had been a crackdown on free expression in Swaziland and a number of political and social activists were in prison or facing charges resulting from their criticism of the Swazi King and political system. 

‘Gumedze was photographed with a colleague from the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) holding a banner saying “Free Speech in Swaziland NOW!” Soon after, the Prime Minister of Swaziland, Barnabus Sibusiso Dlamini, said, in a speech to Parliament, that Gumedze and his colleague should be “strangled” on their return to Swaziland.

‘Another of these lawyers, Thulani Maseko, spent fifteen months in prison in 2014 and 2015 after he was charged and convicted of contempt of court for writing an article that was critical of the then-Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi. Maseko was described as a “disgrace to the legal profession” by the presiding judge, Mpendulo Simelane, when he was sentenced. Ramodibedi and Simelane have since been charged with defeating the ends of justice – in essence what Maseko was attempting to highlight in his article.’

The analysis concluded, ‘The beauty of the law and the potential of an independent judiciary is that no matter who you are, you are beholden to the same rules as everyone else. Even kings and armies must comply with the rule of law. It is vital that lawyers are able as professionals to serve the law’s potential in being free to represent their clients independently and with zeal, being able to speak freely when shining light on violations of the law, and to defend the rights of the vulnerable, even against the most powerful. It is an idea that the international community has recognised and affirmed as indispensable to the rule of law and the realisation of human rights.’

DRAFT RULES CENSOR VARSITY TEACHING

Universities and colleges in Swaziland will be censored in what they can teach to ensure they do not damage the ‘image’ of the kingdom, if new draft regulations are adopted.

Swaziland is ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

The Times of Swaziland reported on Thursday (21 January 2016) that higher education institutions should not ‘teach things which could be detrimental to the wellbeing and image of the country’.

The newspaper reported the Executive Secretary of the Swaziland Higher Education Council (SHEC) Mboni Dlamini said, ‘this did not mean that institutions should not provide political studies, if their mission was to do so’.

The Times added, ‘He said, however, they should stick to the parameters of that particular subject. He said lecturers should stick to the approved syllabus and not teach things which could be detrimental to the wellbeing and image of the country.’

In Swaziland all political parties are banned from taking part in elections. Many groups advocating democracy in the kingdom are banned under the Suppression of Terrorism Act.

In Swaziland, the King appoints the cabinet, top civil servants and judges.

Elections are held every five years, but voters get to choose only 55 of the 65-member House of Assembly. The other ten members are appointed by King Mswati. No members of the 30-strong Swaziland Senate are elected; 20 are appointed by the King and 10 are selected by the House of Assembly. 

Dlamini was presenting the Draft Higher Education Regulations to representatives of Swazi universities and colleges.

The Times quoted Dlamini saying, ‘The University of Swaziland teaches political studies, lecturers should stick to the parameters and not go outside their domain to the detriment of the country.’

The Times reported, ‘He said they should not also teach things which will harass others be it in politics, religion or local culture. He said if an institution was licensed to teach Agriculture, they should stick to that, and not be involved in any other non-agricultural activities.

‘“We do not want institutions to focus on other things that will smear the image of the country. The institutions should also not teach things which will incite students to engage in protest actions,” he said.’

‘GOD WILL BRING DOWN THE RAINS’

Kenworthy News Media, 11 January 2016 

SOURCE

Climate change has brought on a severe drought in the small absolute monarchy of Swaziland. The solution to the crisis is literally to pray for rain, says the country’s absolute monarch. No, we need a democratic government that does not treat its people as enemies, says a young activist, writes Kenworthy News Media.

In Swaziland, where two thirds of Swaziland’s population survive on less than a dollar a day, a lengthy drought has caused an extreme lack of water, subsequent falling crop yields and the death of thousands of cattle in Swaziland’s rural areas. People in the rural areas could starve to death if urgent action is not taken, two local researchers recently stated in the American Journal of Agriculture and Forestry.

In response to the increasingly precarious situation, Swaziland’s absolute monarch King Mswati III, who is one of the wealthiest monarchs in the world, said in a speech held on Saturday (9 January 2016) that the country does not need an irrigation system. “We have our irrigation system coming straight from God … God will bring down the rains to water your fields”, Mswati claimed.

An insult to the poor
A young Swazi activist whom I shall call Sibusiso says he was very dismayed when he learnt of the king’s speech. He wishes to remain anonymous because he fears reprisals in a country where freedom of expression is “severely restricted in practice” and dissenters and demonstrators “routinely face violence and arrests by police”, according to Freedom House.

“Mswati is saying all this at the height of a drought that has hit thousands of subsistence farmers in the rural areas who rely on erratic rainfall as the only source of water for their crops and animals. Most of these farmers have lost their livestock due to lack of rainfall. A sizeable number of Swazi rural farmers have not ploughed their fields because of the persistent drought”, says Sibusiso, who has himself grown up in the rural areas.

It is clear from the speech that the king clearly has no compassion for, or understanding of, Swaziland’s many poor, he says.

“I have spent my life in the rural areas where we would break our backs working hard in the fields and taking care of our livestock to make sure we had enough to eat. We did all this without any assistance from the government. These rural farmers and their families are nothing more than cheap labour in the eyes of the king and his chiefs. They are even expected from time to time to provide manual labour for them even though they are themselves struggling”.

When the people awaken from their slumber
The solution to the crisis, says Sibusiso, is thus not only food aid or a more compassionate absolute monarch, but a truly democratic government that does not treat its people as enemies.

“A government that is visionless, as this one is, cannot lead us anywhere, except to a perpetual cycle of poverty and underdevelopment. Mswati continues to celebrate the wealth that he has amassed from depriving the ordinary people a decent life, a decent education, food, health and the right to own land. But when the people awaken from their slumber and say enough is enough and demand what rightfully belongs to them it shall be too late for him to redeem himself. The party shall be over soon”, says Sibusiso.

FREEDOM DOCUMENTARY ON YOUTUBE

Swaziland – Africa’s last monarchy, the documentary about activist Bheki Dlamini by Danish journalist Tom Heinemann is now available on YouTube.  

The film describes the fight for democracy and socio-economic justice in the tiny sub-Saharan absolute monarchy of Swaziland through the eyes of Dlamini, a leading member of Swaziland’s largest banned political party, the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).

Dlamini said, ‘The documentary on Swaziland has helped to give a voice to the suffering people of Swaziland who are in a bitter struggle for freedom and democracy. My story, as captured in the documentary, is the story of most activists in Swaziland who are subjected to torture, beatings, arrests and forced exile. The nomination of the documentary is a victory for the people of Swaziland as Mswati’s regime can no longer afford to fool the world that there is no problem in Swaziland.’

In August 2015, the film won the main prize and the prize for best short documentary at the A Film for Peace-festival in Italy as part of Tom Heinemann and Erling Borgen’s series, A Heart That Never Dies. The series has been aired on Danish-, Swedish- and Norwegian national television.

Bheki Dlamini is the President of the Swaziland Youth Congress, the youth wing of PUDEMO. He currently lives in exile at a secret location in South Africa. The Swazi police’s torture of him by way of “severe beatings and suffocation torture” was mentioned in Amnesty International’s 2011 Annual Report.

Tom Heinemann has won the Danish Outstanding Investigative Journalist of the year award twice, and has been runner up for Journalist of the year in Denmark three times. In 2007 he won the Prix Italia in the current affairs selection.

See also 

DOCUMENTARY ON FREEDOM STRUGGLE

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/05/documentary-on-freedom-struggle.html