Swaziland@Newsletter 82

Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

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Access to: International Crisis Group (Independent, non-profit,
non-governmental organisation), BBC News, CNN International, IFEX
Digest on Freedom of Expression (Global network), IRIN (UN
Humanitarian news and analysis), In Defence of Marxism (International
magazine covering all continents), MISA (Media Institute of Southern
Africa), Swazi Media Commentary (Blogspot: Swazi media), The Swazi
Observer (Press), Tinchapheli (Blog dedicated to struggle of the
people in Swaziland), Communist University (South Africa), VOA (Voice
of America), Pambazuka News (Weekly on social justice in Africa),
International Commission of Jurists (ICJ).

Photo section with thirteen albums: Swaziland. Historical. Occupation,
exploitation and rebellion. Colonial times. Sobhuza. Settlers in the
colony. People of Swaziland. Images of power. Women of the land.
Children. Men of the land. The struggle for democracy. Images of a
democratic movement.

Support the democratic movement in Swaziland: MANDELA FUND: Den Danske
Bank, Norre Voldgade 68, 1358 Copenhagen K, Denmark. SWIFT-BIC:
DABADKKK. Registration Number: 0274. Account Number: 3327000. The
MANDELA FUND is a registered national collection in Denmark.

_______________________________________

1. Mario Masuku, Sphasha Dlamini, A country at war with itself.
Swaziland from a wider eye. 24 October 2008.

2. Journalists barred from attending meeting on legislators' pay.
Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek). 31 October 2008.

3. Journalist harassed, his photos deleted by police while covering
border protest. Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek), 28
October 2008.

4. Swaziland: A tale of two countries. Mbabane, 28 October 2008 (IRIN).
5. Government fails to stop "terrorist" meeting (IRIN), 20 October 2008.

6. Swazi king names staunch royalist as prime minister. AFP October 17, 2008

7. Swaziland's new Prime Minister distrusts democracy movement .
Associated Press 17 October, 2008.

8. King declares war on terror. Timothy Simelane. The Swazi Observer.
October 17, 2008.

9. Swazis take a stand against king's political repression. Eugene
Puryear, Party for Socialism and Liberation, October 8, 2008.

________________________________________

1. Mario Masuku, Sphasha Dlamini, A Country at war with itself.
Swaziland from a wider eye. 24 October 2008.

PUDEMO observed with great concern the country's leadership's reaction
to the political turn of events in our country in the past few days,
in particular following the recent people's actions including marches,
protests in their quest for their freedom. PUDEMO and, no doubt
thousands others, heard with profound dismay the utterances to the
effect that the state will and must ruthlessly fight and 'throttle'
those with diverging views, including their families and relatives.

Most shockingly this speech came from the throne, the one who is
(supposedly) a uniting figure and is Head of State, urging citizens to
take up arms - a very unfortunate situation! PUDEMO expected that, if
it was necessary, the authorities to call for calm, unity and dialogue
in spite of anger, disaffection and conflict - for that is his duty.

Now, only six days later, on Tuesday a former Royal Policeman, a
Zionist priest, thief, thug and former convict, one Magongo a recently
turned legislator echoed the Head of State's call and committed
himself and other so-called legislators to 'pick up guns' against
those labeled enemies and proponents of a democratic dispensation.
Our leadership have commissioned a war, and we in PUDEMO believe there
is still space for a constructive dialogue, but if war is declared (as
has been) it is unfortunate.

Let the whole country, the SADC region, the Continent and the
International Community see for themselves and decide as to who the
aggressor is after all. War is waged by the Chairman of the Organ
Troika for Security, Defense and Peace under SADC! Who will be the
commander of this war? Who will be in the battlefront and who will be
the enemy to be maimed, displaced, shot at and throttled?

The Swaziland 2008 National Elections Report

We are neither surprised nor excited but reassured by the explicit
report of the Commonwealth Expert Team on the national elections
conducted on the 19th September 2008 in Swaziland. The Team
delivered according to The Terms of Reference given it by the
Secretariat which, according to the Report was:

"to consider the various factors impinging on the credibility of the
electoral process as a whole, and to determine in its own judgment
whether the elections have been conducted according to the standards
for democratic elections to which Swaziland has committed itself, with
reference to national election-related legislation and relevant
regional, Commonwealth and other international commitments".

True to its mandate, the Team's Report goes through the Adoption of
the National Constitution, Executive Power and the Monarchy, the Bill
of Rights, Powers of Parliament, Appointment of the Judiciary, the
Elections and Boundaries Commission, Constitution and Court Judgments,
the Electoral Law and Assessment. In most of these topics, the Team
discovered inherent contradictions that would hardly render the
national elections anywhere near democratic, let alone free and fair.
The root cause here is the National Constitution.

As we have humbly been saying in the past, while the current
Constitution was demanded by the people of Swaziland, its crafting did
not involve them and as a result the objectives of coming up with a
supreme document to fuse both the modern democratic and cultural
demands were defeated. Instead, the King's Proclamation of 1973 was
merely rewritten and constitutionalised. Following their General
Congress at Ipelegeng Centre in Soweto in 1992, PUDEMO suggested
constitution making process under a proposed methodology as indicated
in our document The Way Forward To a Constituent Assembly Through a
Negotiated Settlement. This was proposed to the highest authority and
government, but it was arrogantly rebuffed.

The overview on the Political Environment reaffirms the universal
belief that national elections conducted in an environment subduing
fundamental rights will always be suspect, as in:-

"Political organizations are currently unable to register and
participate as political parties in elections in Swaziland. Instead
the electorate votes for individuals. Minimal voter education has
been provided and the voters appear to have little knowledge of the
democratic systems which are available to other countries in the
region and the whole world".

"WE CANNOT THEREFORE CONCLUDE THAT THE ENTIRE PROCESS WAS CREDIBLE" ?
says the Report.

The conclusion by the CET gives hope that our constant demands for
broader democratization deep-seated within the full people's
participation is not unfounded. No national elections or any project
for that matter can succeed if not intertwined within that country's
social fabric. Swaziland must systematically move towards a more
democratic dispensation and modernize our culture to fall in line with
the rest of the civilized world or we shall experience harsh changes
as history teaches us.

PUDEMO remains committed to the peaceful democratization of our
country, and that nobody else will liberate us but ourselves. Denying
this as those in authority prefer to, is like merely burying our heads
in the sand. There are no mercenaries. But the world is full of those
people and organizations acting in international solidarity with the
poor, marginalized and oppressed, everywhere.

For more information please contact: Mario Masuku, PUDEMO President,
+268 608 83338, or Sphasha Dlamini, PUDEMO Secretary-General, +268 608
9783
_______________________________________

2. Journalists barred from attending meeting on legislators' pay.
Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek). 31 October 2008.

On 29 October 2008, Swazi journalists were kicked out of a meeting in
which the newly-elected and appointed Members of Parliament discussed
their pay. The journalists had been allowed to cover the earlier
discussions, but when the legislators began to discuss their pay, the
media was shown the door.

Clerk at Table, Ndvuna Dlamini, who was chairing the proceedings, told
the journalists that they would not be allowed to cover the part in
which the parliamentarians would be discussing their salaries. The
journalists were then asked to leave the meeting.

The meeting had been called to orient the new parliamentarians about
parliament procedures and code of conduct. The 95 MPs and senators are
each expected to receive in excess of E25,000 (approx. US$ 2,000) per
month in salaries, excluding sitting allowances.

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Swaziland chapter views
the expulsion of the journalists from the MPs' meeting as a serious
violation of the public's right to know and freedom of the press. The
MPs will be paid from the public purse and the public had a right to
know on how much the MPs would be getting from the public funds.

Therefore, the action to expel journalists from such a session was
uncalled for. MISA-Swaziland expresses concern at actions, by public
or private bodies that undermine the fundamental principles of freedom
of information which the Swazi constitution guarantees. MISA hopes to
soon engage parliamentarians on the role of the media and issues of
the public's right to know and access to information.
______________________________________

3. Journalist harassed, his photos deleted by police while covering
border protest. Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek), 28
October 2008.

On 27 October 2008 Sisho Magagula, a journalist with the state-owned
"Swazi Observer" newspaper was harassed and had his digital camera
confiscated and prints deleted by South African police while covering
a border blockade protest by Swazi and South Africa trade unions. This
harassment took place at the Swaziland and South Africa border post of
Oshoek.

According to Magagula, the police demanded to know why he was taking
pictures in South Africa when he was a Swazi journalist. His
explanation that the Swazi press had an interest in the issue as the
border blockade was targeted at Swaziland fell on deaf ears.

The officers forcibly grabbed Magagula's camera and went on to delete
all pictures before handing it back to him. The journalist said his
appeals to the police superiors present were ignored. Magagula says he
was shaken by the ordeal.

Background:

Swazi and South African trade unions had planned to block all goods
destined for Swaziland to step up pressure on the Swazi government to
embrace multi-party democracy. However, the event failed to take place
as the unions said they did not intend to blockade the border, but
merely to enforce a stoppage in the processing of goods from South
Africa to Swaziland.
_______________________________________

4. Swaziland: A tale of two countries. Mbabane, 28 October 2008 (IRIN).

The irony is not lost on Swazis: the population is among the world's
poorest, and yet the kingdom is classified as a "middle-income
country". How come?

According to Musinga Timothy Bandora, resident coordinator of the UN
Development Programme (UNDP), "A nation's wealth is measured by
several factors; this includes gross national product." In the case of
Swaziland, ruled by sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, if the
nation's wealth were equally distributed, each Swazi would receive
US$100,000, he said.

In per capita income terms, Swaziland ranks somewhere between Armenia
and Paraguay, with export earnings based on agriculture and textiles;
but, in terms of the share of the national wealth, the richest 10
percent of Swazis control over 50 percent of the country's income, a
level of inequality worse than in Brazil or South Africa, and beaten
only by Namibia.

"Swaziland isn't a poor nation when you measure its gross domestic
product; the problem is that the wealth is being siphoned off by a few
people, with the king and the royal family top of the tree. What's
left, and it isn't much, goes to the people," said Richard Rooney,
associate professor of Journalism and Mass Communication at the
University of Swaziland.

UNDP figures show that about 70 percent of Swaziland's one million
people live in chronic poverty. A record 60 percent of the population
relied on food assistance from the World Food Programme and other aid
groups in the past year due to drought, and the country has the
world's highest HIV prevalence rate.

The Coordinating Assembly of Non-Governmental Organisations (CANGO),
an umbrella organisation of local NGOs, has expressed concern that
Swaziland's classification as a middle-income country - despite the
desperate need of its people - hinders fund raising for development
projects.

"It is not fair that poor people be denied aid because Swaziland is so
small that a handful of super-rich skew the income demographics to
make the country look richer than it is. The truth is, most Swazis
live in a misery of AIDS, poverty and food shortages from drought and
other factors," said Lindiwe Mabusa, a food aid coordinator in the
central Manzini region.

The royal conglomerate, Tibiho TakaNgwane (wealth of the nation), owns
shares in most of the significant business enterprises in Swaziland,
and the king controls all mineral rights in the country.

- If King Mswati III does not seize the opening he still has to
initiate reform ? albeit at the cost of some of his own power ? the
alternative is likely to be a gradual crumbling of the country.

The thrust of pro-democracy groups has been to thwart further income
erosion by objecting to the planned privatisation of public
parastatals, while labour groups fear the privatisation championed by
the government will lead to job losses.

Getting angry

Some of the largest demonstrations in Swaziland's history, against
growing poverty, took the shine off twin celebrations to mark King
Mswati's 40th birthday and 40 years of the kingdom's independence last
month.

At least 10,000 pro-democracy activists took to the streets of Manzini
on 3 September, before reassembling in the capital, Mbabane, the
following day. The march in Mbabane was marred by the detonation of
two small explosive devices.

Those protests followed on from a demonstration in August by people
living with HIV calling on the government to focus on the country's
humanitarian crises. The activists had been spurred by reports that
eight of King Mswati's 13 wives had taken a trip to the Middle East
and Asia.

"This is the first time commoners have risen up to say, 'Enough! The
country's resources must not just be used by royalty. What about the
masses?' said Amanda Dlamini, one of the marchers.

Terence Corrigan, a researcher at the South African Institute of
International Affairs, commented: "Swaziland's low international
profile means its problems receive little exposure, and its opposition
little support."

Writing in the latest edition of the independent weekly newspaper,
Swazi News, he noted: "Right now, Swaziland's royal order faces no
imminent threat, internal or external. If King Mswati III does not
seize the opening he still has to initiate reform ? albeit at the cost
of some of his own power ? the alternative is likely to be a gradual
crumbling of the country."

___________________________________

5. Government fails to stop "terrorist" meeting (IRIN), 20 October 2008.

An international conference of NGOs dedicated to social change took
place in Swaziland despite the government banning the meeting on
grounds of public safety; it had alleged some of the delegates were
supporters of terrorism.

The Southern African Social Forum (SASF) holds its annual meeting in a
different country each year. The greatest attendance was achieved in
2005, when the forum convened in Zimbabwe and 4,000 people participated.

This year only about 200 delegates convened in Manzini, Swaziland's
commercial hub, from 16 to 19 October, after a High Court ruling
overturned the government's ban.

The low attendance was attributed to confusion by foreign delegates
over the government's original restriction, announced by Acting Prime
Minister Bheki Dlamini, and the reluctance of local groups to attend a
function officially disallowed by their political leaders.

The first day of the forum also conflicted with King Mswati's
summoning of Swazis to a meeting at the traditional royal village at
Ludzidzini, where he angrily denounced political radicals, alleging
that they had vowed a campaign of bombings to press for democratic
reform. He said such elements would be "strangled". Mswati is
sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch.

No political group has claimed responsibility for a bomb blast last
month at a road bridge close to King Mswati's Lozitha palace, in which
two of the bombers died and one was wounded in the premature explosion.

One of the deceased was a member of the People's United Democratic
Movement (PUDEMO), one of the country's banned political parties, but
PUDEMO denied any organisational involvement. At least two South
African nationals were among the bombers.

Acting Prime Minister Dlamini, a member of the royal clan and regarded
as a hardliner, ordered the SASF meeting to be banned on the grounds
that participating labour groups - South Africa's Congress of South
African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the Swaziland Federation of Trade
Unions (SFTU) - had approved of the 21 September explosion.

Bombing campaign

Dlamini alleged that a campaign of bombings was sanctioned to press
for political reform at an August 2008 meeting of labour groups in
South Africa. "Soon after the [highway bombing] incident, supporters
of the bombers came out, congratulating the bombers for their
so-called 'heroic' act. Some of the formations are the very ones that
will be participating in the Southern African Social Forum," he told a
press conference.

"The Swaziland government is not aware of any government in the world
that would sit and fold its arms, and allow strategies that would
negatively affect the peace and security of the country concerned to
be developed within its own borders."

Dlamini told the forum's Swaziland sponsor, the Coordinating Assembly
of Non-Government Organisations (CANGO), an umbrella body of the
country's NGOs, to inform SASF delegates that the conference was
cancelled.

Instead, CANGO's director, Emmanuel Ndlangamandla, along with the SFTU
and the Swaziland Federation of Labour, successfully petitioned the
High Court to overturn the prohibition. The court declared that the
government had acted beyond its power by imposing the ban, which was
unconstitutional.

However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revoked an agreement with
CANGO allowing them to use Manzini's International Trade Fair, which
the ministry runs, for the SASF meeting. The delegates convened in
marquees on the sports ground of a Manzini high school, where they
discussed poverty alleviation strategies, HIV/AIDS issues and other
humanitarian matters.

The forum's historic anti-capitalism thrust, established at its
outset, was fuelled by the current global economic crisis, which
delegates said would negatively impact on the poor in African nations.

"We were told that your coming would cause anarchy in the Kingdom of
Swaziland," Comfort Mabuza, chairman of the CANGO board of directors,
said in his address to the delegates. "We were told that bombs would
explode, but no bombs exploded and there was no anarchy."

However, the police reported that a bomb was discovered and removed on
Friday beneath a highway bridge in Ezulwini, five kilometres east of
the capital, Mbabane. SASF officials said they had no knowledge of the
incident.

________________________________________

6. Swazi king names staunch royalist as prime minister. AFP October 17, 2008
Mbabane (AFP.

Swaziland's King Mswati III reappointed a staunch royalist to the post
of prime minister Thursday, dashing hopes among activists for
political reforms in Africa's last absolute monarchy.

The king named Barnabas Dlamini, 66, as prime minister, a position he
left four years ago after seven and a half years in power, in a
traditional ceremony held in the national cattle corral -- an
important cultural and religious site.

Dlamini has been serving in the king's advisory council since his
departure as prime minister in 2003. The council advises the king on
statutory appointments and finance and chieftainship matters.

"The man is known for his strong-hand tactics and lack of respect for
the rule of law. He was one of the longest-serving prime ministers who
did his best to suppress political organisations and advance the
strong rule of the monarchy," said Jan Sithole, leader of the
Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions.

"We are appalled that he has made his way back, it means he impressed
the king with his autocratic leadership style," Sithole told AFP.
On September 19, the impoverished landlocked southern African country
elected parliamentarians, but no political parties were allowed to run.
Political organisations in Swaziland have been banned since 1973, and
the king makes all key government appointments.

"We are bracing ourselves for hard times. As expected, the prime
minister was not appointed on merit but on his level of allegiance to
the king," said Mario Masuku, president of the banned Peoples
Democratic Movement (Pudemo).

Barnabas Dlamini replaces Absalom Dlamini who stepped down after his
term expired earlier this year.
_________________________________

7. Swaziland's new Prime Minister distrusts democracy movement .
Associated Press 17 October, 2008.

Swaziland's king has appointed a new prime minister who shares the
absolute monarch's distrust of democracy campaigners.

King Mswati III announced Sibusiso Dlamini as his prime minister at a
rally attended by around 10,000 Swazis on Thursday. Dlamini, a former
IMF official, then gave a speech denouncing those calling for
democratic reform as "a threat to the peace and stability of the
country."

Dlamini's appointment followed elections Sept. 19 for a 55-seat
National Assembly that is subservient to the king.

Constitutional lawyer Muzi Masuku says Dlamini is little more than "an
extension" of the king.

Trade unions and pro-democracy groups in Swaziland see the parliament
and prime minister as rubber stamps of the king.

_________________________________

8. King declares war on terror. Timothy Simelane. The Swazi Observer.
October 17, 2008.

His Majesty King Mswati III has declared war on terror, prompting the
nation to strongly resist all elements that undermine national peace
and security.

In a speech motivated by hatred for crime and terrorism, His Majesty
said the recent spate of bombing was aimed at creating anarchy and
violence in the country. Similarly, he said the E6 million robbery at
the Pigg?s Peak Police station was a travesty to national security. He
said Swazis should meet fire with fire when dealing with terrorism.

The king was speaking at the Ludzidzini Royal Residence when he
announced a new Prime Minister.

His Majesty said some of the terrorism was perpetrated by Swazis,
whilst others were from outside the borders of the country.

He lamented that a certain organisation that had been linked to the
Lozitha Bombing incident had not refuted the accusation. So far the
two people killed by a bomb under the Lozitha bridge were said to be
members of the Swaziland Solidarity Network.

- Kufuneka kukhanyanwe nangabe kukhanyanwa,- (if they are choking us,
let us choke them).

- There are people who intent on destroying this country. They come
with explosives and destroy the structures that we have set us to
develop the Swazi nation. We thank God and the ancestors for saving us
from the recent bombing incident. If it had not ended the way it did,
who knows, this country could be in a mess by now.

- What is worrying is that some people have the audacity to talk about
such incidents and condone them as if they were right. They even say
the bombers were heroes.

- Uyatibuta kutsi sebayayinika yini. (the question to ask is: are they
now declaring war on this country). Some organisations from Swaziland
are also involved in this. I urge these organisations to do an
introspection of
themselves to see where they derive such bravery).

- No where else has such acts of terrorism been treated with kid
gloves. Internationally, terrorism is dealt with with the contempt it
deserves. Why should we be lenient on it.

- These terrorist have to learn a lesson they would never forget.
Nakute sifundziso batawudzangama (If they are not taught a lesson,
they will be proud of their actions).

His Majesty says the Swazi nation cannot afford to delay retaliation
to terrorism, whilst claiming to be following procedure. He says time
for action is now.

- One of the people responsible for these actions was said to be a
member of an organisation in another country. Such an organisation has
not come out to deny this.

The King lamented that the people involved in terrorism were also
expecting him to protect them, yet they were destroying the very
country they lived in.

- We cannot afford to have terrorists walking about as heroes.
Butawphelela ebaleni lobuhero babo (this heroism will vanish).

His Majesty said the law should take its course on all the bombers.

- All these recent occurrences warrant action from all Swazis. Let
there be tough action to end such occurrences until the terror is
weeded out of the Swazi nation completely.

________________________________________


9. Swazis take a stand against king's political repression. Eugene
Puryear, Party for Socialism and Liberation, October 8, 2008.
http://www.pslweb.org

The September parliamentary elections in Swaziland injected new energy
into the political struggle against the country?s absolutist monarchy.

The elections?the first since a new constitution was put in place in
2005?have been widely denounced as a sham. Political parties are
outlawed and candidates can only run as independents. Banned parties
and organizations are engaged in a struggle against the absolutist
monarchy and political repression.

Former South African anti-apartheid activist Jack Govender was laid to
rest on Oct. 5. He and a Swazi activist died when their car exploded
days earlier under a bridge in Swaziland. Around 1,000 people attended
the funeral for Govender, a founding member of the Swaziland
Solidarity Network.

The monarchy claims they were "terrorist bombers" and has turned the
incident into a pretext to strengthen police deployments, but others
are sceptical of the official version. "We reject the notion that they
killed themselves," said SSN spokesman Lucky Lukhele. "Between them,
they had a lot of experience. We demand answers, and we will leave no
stone unturned to seek the truth behind their untimely deaths." (The
Times, Oct. 5)

Opposition forces point out that the incident only highlights mass
dissatisfaction and frustration with a repressive monarchy that
suffocates peaceful and legitimate forms of political expression.

Swaziland, with a population of just over 1 million people, is a tiny,
mountainous and landlocked country surrounded by South Africa and
Mozambique. It is one of the last absolute monarchies left on earth,
with total power resting in the hands of the royal family. King Mswati
III, ruler of the country since 1986, owns 60 percent of the land,
with much of the remaining 40 percent controlled by his minions. The
royal family plays the leading role in most economic activity.

In sharp contrast to the king?s lavish lifestyle, around 69 percent of
the population lives in poverty. Most of those in rural areas are
frequently ravaged by natural disaster, which creates widespread
hunger. The International Monetary Fund reports that at least 25
percent of the population requires some sort of food assistance.

The majority of Swazis rely on subsistence agriculture to survive. The
country has a vigorous sugar export industry, and the export of
concentrate used in soft drinks is the country?s main export. King
Mswati often travels to Atlanta to meet with top Coca-Cola executives
at the company?s headquarters.

Swaziland is a textbook example of neo-colonialism. National industry
is wholly oriented toward foreign corporations. King Mswati welcomed
the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act, claiming it would enrich
Swaziland by providing preferential treatment for Swazi products.
Instead, with the blessing of the U.S. government, the king opened up
the country to corporations from Taiwan. Factories that pay low wages
were built, with some workers reportedly making as little as $19 a week.

Those companies market the products in the United States as made in
Swaziland. Instead of benefiting the Swazi people, Taiwanese
capitalists and U.S. corporations like Wal-Mart make enormous profits
off the super-exploitation of the local population.

While foreign corporations reap astronomical profits, little is being
done to address the needs of the population. Swaziland has one the
highest rate of HIV/AIDS in the world with 38.6 percent of the
population infected. As a result, life expectancy has dropped to 39
years.

The response of the royal family to the crisis has been woefully
inadequate. While the first case was documented in 1986, it was not
until 1999 that the king declared the epidemic a national emergency.
In 2001, he decreed a 5-year period of abstinence for females under
the age of 18 as the response to the epidemic that would kill 13,000
people that year.

Swazi people fight back

King Mswati III relies on his own cynical manipulation of
"traditional" culture to maintain his rule. This has resulted in acute
oppression of Swazi women. The prime minister was quoted by the Inter
Press Service News Agency as saying, "Even when women are aggrieved,
according to our culture, men have to speak on their behalf."

On Aug. 27, however, around 1,000 Swazi women challenged King Mswati
in the capital of Mbabane by protesting the ostentatious lifestyle of
the royal family while the average Swazi lives in abject poverty
amidst deteriorating social services.

The protest was sparked by an expensive shopping spree in Dubai for
the king?s 13 wives. The wives were accompanied by a large retinue and
flown in a private jet to the Middle Eastern kingdom to buy items in
preparations for the king?s birthday celebration.

Swazi activists highlighted the fact that the trip cost an estimated
$4 million, while the average Swazi lives on around 50 cents a day.
The protesters marched to the Finance Ministry demanding government
action.

On Sept. 3 and 4, anger boiled over again in the largest
demonstrations Swaziland has ever seen. Led by the Swaziland
Federation of Trade Unions, at least 10,000 people marched in the
capital, Mbabane, demanding democratic rights and protesting the
upcoming sham elections. Organizers announced a road blockade for
Sept. 18?the day before the scheduled elections. In response, the
monarchy jailed a number of pro-democracy activists, thwarting the
civil disobedience action.

It is absolutely critical that those opposed to imperialism in the
United States stand with the Swazi people as they fight foreign
oppression. The struggles of small African nations to free themselves
from neo-colonial bondage are often overlooked. We must do all we can
to popularize and support the resistance of the Swazi people in their
struggle to pursue development free of reactionary regimes that
collaborate with imperialism.

____________________________________________________________________________