SWAZILAND NEWSLETTER 23
Published by Southern Africa Contact (Denmark)

1. Spate of petrol bombings hits Swaziland. Mail&Guardian (SA), 29 October
2005.
2. Government willing to engage civic societies on new constitution.
Demonstration called off, 27 October 2005 (IRIN).

3. Anti-terrorism bill resubmitted to Swazi parliament after fire
bombings, 14 October 2005 (IRIN).
4. AIDS activates women in Swaziland (Excerpt). Chronicle (Zimbabwe), 28
October 2005.
5. Reporting on AIDS Orphans a Balancing Act. James Hall/ Inter Press
Service News Agency, 27 October 2005.
6. Government suspends cow branding after farmers protest. James
Hall/IRIN, 26 Ocober 2005.

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1. Spate of petrol bombings hits Swaziland. Mail&Guardian (SA), 29 October
2005.
A police officer was critically injured in one of three petrol bombings in
Swaziland on Friday, the latest in a series of arson attacks that Africa's
last absolute monarchy blames on banned political groups.
There have been at least six explosions targeting police, government
officials and court houses since last month in the kingdom of about one
million people.
The latest attacks occurred at the homes of two police officers in the
capital, Mbabane, and one in the eastern town of Siteki, police
spokesperson Vusie Masuku said. They were the first to cause casualties.
The spate of petrol bombings comes at a time of mounting frustration in
the impoverished, Aids-ridden kingdom, which has been ruled by royal
decree since 1973, when the late King Sobhuza II banned political parties.
A new Constitution that comes into effect in January strengthens human
rights protections, but entrenches the power of Sobhuza's son, King Mswati
III.
Mswati continues to command widespread loyalty despite criticism of his
lavish spending, including fine homes and cars for his 12 wives.
Police blame the attacks on opposition groups, including the banned
People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo).
Pudemo president Mario Masuku denied any involvement, but said the
explosions were a sign of frustration over the government's refusal to
hold a referendum on the new Constitution.
"Some people are not happy with the way Swaziland is governed," he said.
"There will come a time when the bombings would become a day-to-day
occurrence, like in Palestine."
Prime Minister Themba Dlamini has labelled the spate of arson attacks as
terrorism.
Last week, he attempted to revive heavily criticised legislation first
proposed in 2002 to strengthen the government's hand. But parliamentarians
deferred consideration of the Internal Security Bill until after the new
Constitution comes into effect, arguing that it could violate some of the
Constitution's human rights provisions. -- Sapa-AP
------------
2. Government willing to engage civic societies on new constitution.
Demonstration called off. 27 October 2005 (IRIN).
MBABANE, 27 October - The Swazi government has called on a pro-democracy
pressure group protesting a new national constitution to prove it has a
popular mandate, but for the first time has offered to talk to its
critics.
"We do not believe that they have the numbers to warrant their assertion
that they have the backing of a significant portion of the population they
claim is dissatisfied with the constitution," a senior government official
told IRIN on Thursday.
However, the official said the government was committed to engaging the
Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations in a dialogue over
their concerns about the new constitution, due to come into force in
January next year.
The coalition was planning a march on Friday to King Mswati's palace at
Lozitha, 30 km east of the capital, Mbabane, to voice their opposition to
the document, which preserves royal rule and bans opposition parties.
An attempt by Swaziland's labour federations to rally support for a
general strike to protest the constitution at the beginning of this year
was a dismal failure.
Leaders of the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations, an
umbrella body of pro-democracy trade union federations, banned political
parties and human rights groups, said on Wednesday that they had suspended
their plans for the demonstration.
"We know that the nation and our membership are waiting with bated breath
to find out the way forward regarding the proposed protest action on the
constitution. The situation, as it stands, is we are still engaged in
talks with government and the King's office regarding the issues," said
coalition executive Musa Dlamini, president of the Swaziland National
Association of Teachers.
Dlamini told a press conference that while political strikes were
technically banned under a 1973 royal decree, the march was to have been
held under Section 40 of the Industrial Relations Act, which permits
industrial action.
He said he was optimistic that an impasse over the constitution was at an
end, and that the government might consider criticism that the
constitution was assembled without the input of civic society groups.
"We are pleased to announce that there is a window of hope, as all parties
have agreed on a structure to take us forward. We are negotiating in good
faith - we want a solution," Dlamini said.
The agreement to "talk about talks" marked a shift by the government,
which previously refused to discuss the constitution issue.
The government has held the stance that all Swazis were given a chance to
submit their views to the Constitutional Review Commission, headed by King
Mswati's brother, Prince Mangaliso.
------------------------

3. Anti-terrorism bill resubmitted to Swazi parliament after fire
bombings, 14 October 2005 (IRIN).

A post-9/11 anti-terrorism bill submitted to the Swazi parliament but then
suspended without passage has been tabled again in the wake of two recent
fire bombings in the capital, Mbabane.

The Internal Security Act, described when it was first introduced in 2002
by former Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini as "Makhundu" (a heavy
bludgeon), was criticised by pro-democracy groups for its suspension of
civil liberties, harsh penalties, and too broad a definition of what
constitutes terrorism.

"The law was brought to parliament a long time ago, and after consultation
there was a public outcry that it would infringe on human rights. The act
was put aside. We are bringing it back to parliament, and the issue of
human rights will be looked into," current premier Themba Dlamini assured
MPs this week.

Police have not announced any progress in the investigation into the two
fire bombings earlier this month. The attacks caused no injuries, but
resulted in a burnt office at the National Court Building in downtown
Mbabane, and a scorched wall outside the home of government spokesman
Percy Simelane. The Human Rights Association of Swaziland said on Friday
that the perpetrators of the arson incidents should be pursued, and
draconian legislation should wait. But on Thursday the House of Senate
congratulated the prime minister for reintroducing the anti-terrorism
legislation.

Opposition groups said there were concerns that the law would be used by
King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, to stifle
dissent. "It is very unfortunate that we are going to revive laws that are
trampling on people's rights," said Alex Langwenya, president of the
Swaziland Youth Congress, the youth wing of the banned opposition party,
People's United Democratic Movement. Jan Sithole, secretary-general of the
Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, commented, "The Internal Security
Act of 2002, which government is reviving, has nothing to do with fighting
terrorism - it is directed at infringing on rights and freedoms."
---------------
4. AIDS activates women in Swaziland (Excerpt). Chronicle (Zimbabwe) 28
October 2005.
AIDS has also given new impetus to women’s rights in Swaziland, another
tiny Southern African country that now has the world’s highest
HIV-infection rate. The country’s king has 13 wives and fiancees, some
just in their teens.
The country’s Health Minister, Chief Sipho Shongwe, blames the rapid
spread of AIDS in Swaziland on the demise of traditional culture.
But Lomcebo Dlamini, an articulate young lawyer who is national
coordinator of the Swaziland branch of Women in Law, a legal aid and
advocacy group, said it is no coincidence that Swaziland has the world’s
worst HIV infection rate and some of the continent’s most traditional
views on the status of women.
“Clearly, there must be some relationship there,” said Dlamini, from
behind her desk at the organization’s offices near downtown Mbabane,
Swaziland’s capital city. “The inhibitions that don’t allow women to be
free are the things that keep them in a place where they are then open to
vulnerability,” she said.
Like Raditapole in Lesotho, Dlamini and her colleagues in Swaziland are
working to rewrite the legal framework that makes women legal minors.
Under Swazi law, for example, women cannot inherit property or open bank
accounts without the permission of their husband or father.
Much of their effort so far has been focused on ensuring that the
country’s new constitution — which comes into effect at the beginning of
next year — protects women.
Under the new constitution, women will gain many new rights, although the
group did not get everything they asked for. But changing the law, Dlamini
says, is only part of the battle.
“The law is great, but you need a broader understanding of women’s rights
in the community,” she said. As a result, much of her work is education.
“One of the things we’ve discovered in doing our work is that while the
law can be progressive, it means nothing if the attitudes remain the
same,” she said.
------------------
5. Reporting on AIDS orphans a balancing act. James Hall, Inter Press
Service News Agency, 27 October 2005.
MBABANE, Oct 27 (IPS) - The plight of AIDS orphans in Swaziland, currently
labouring under the world's highest HIV prevalence rate, is an issue that
demands coverage. Journalists often find themselves in a quandary
concerning how best to tackle it, however.
"A child could be scarred for life by something that is written about him
or her, even if the intention is to draw attention to a sorry situation in
order to find assistance or a remedy," says Sara Page, assistant director
of the Southern African AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS),
a Harare-based non-governmental organisation (NGO).
According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Swaziland's
HIV infection rate stands at 38.8 percent. About 60,000 children have been
orphaned by the pandemic in this Southern African country, a number that
is expected to double in the coming four years. (Swaziland's total
population is currently estimated at about 1.1 million.)
By 2010, one out of six people in the nation will be a child under the age
of 15 who has lost both parents to AIDS.
"Media reports on the plight of these children that have been published in
an effort to sensitise society on the seriousness of the problem, have
tended to increase the trauma these children face in their lives," says
Sazikazi Thabade, an AIDS reporter for the 'Times of Swaziland'.
This is especially true of reports that feature images of the AIDS orphans
concerned -- or of children who have been victims of abuse.
While the Swazi media often black out the eyes of a child in a photograph
with an opaque rectangle, this has proved largely ineffectual in
concealing its identity.
"It is disappointing to come across a story about a child who has been
raped by a teacher, and there is an accompanying colour photo of the child
in her school uniform with a small blinder placed over her eyes," says
Hlobsile Dlamini, a counselor with the Swaziland Action Group Against
Abuse, which offers medical assistance and legal and psychological
counseling for victims of abuse.
"With very little effort, people from its community can pinpoint the
identity of the child," Dlamini adds.
"He/she may then be a subject of ridicule to their peers, and sometimes
stigma from the community because of their ordeal. This, and the follow-up
reports, are more traumatizing to the child -- and they are not in the
public interest, as some editors may argue."
A freelance photojournalist interviewed by IPS has noted that certain AIDS
orphans even feel uncomfortable with being photographed -- irrespective of
the problems that may occur once the images are published.
"Kids like to have their pictures taken, but not the orphans," said the
photojournalist. "They are shy and self-conscious. They don't want
attention."
Editors convened under the auspices of SAfAIDS and the Media Institute of
Southern Africa (MISA) recently to thrash out a policy for reporting on
AIDS orphans and children who were otherwise vulnerable. (MISA is an NGO
which promotes media freedom. It is active in 11 member states of the
Southern African Development Community.)
According to MISA Swaziland Director Comfort Mabuza, journalists are not
the only ones to blame as far as insensitive coverage of children is
concerned.
"Some awareness training is still needed by non-governmental social
welfare organisations themselves who deal with children, in terms of the
ethical issues (about) reporting on children," he noted.
"These organisations often feed the media sensational stories to generate
sympathy and raise funds."
Perhaps the greatest harm is done, however, by the perception that
coverage of vulnerable children -- insensitive or not -- is largely
futile.
During a recent tour by Deputy Prime Minister Albert Shabangu of community
care points where orphans are given meals and school lessons, a group of
children sang the following song:
The people come They take our pictures They go away and write stories But
for us nothing changes.
Journalists respond that a sure way to maintaining the status quo
concerning AIDS orphans is to leave their stories unreported.
But, even those who embark on this topic with the best of intentions, may
find that no good deed goes unpunished.
----------------
6. Government suspends cow branding after farmers protest. James
Hall/IRIN, 26 Ocober 2005.
MBABANE, 26 Oct 2005 - The Swazi government has given in to pressure from
cattle owners and indefinitely suspended a law requiring all animals to be
branded for identification. The move is another blow to the local meat
industry, which is still reeling from the impact of a European Union (EU)
ban on Swazi meat in April this year.
"People want to know where the meat they are eating comes from. If we
could adhere to the branding law our markets would increase", Agriculture
Minister Mtiti Fakudze told a group of cattle owners at the Farmers
Development Centre in Ngonini, 40 km northwest of the capital, Mbabane.
Cattle owners told the minister that branding hurt their cattle, and left
permanent marks on the hides.
Fakudze said indelible marking was the point of branding, and was a
security measure. "The aim of branding is to make cattle easily
identifiable, even when they are smuggled into neighbouring countries," he
pointed out.
Swaziland enjoys a quota of 3,363 mt of boneless beef sales to the EU,
guaranteed under a bilateral treaty, but the EU was forced to halt imports
after Swaziland failed to produce the necessary paperwork needed to track
the provenance of slaughtered cattle, including their inoculations. The
unresolved situation has hobbled entry to new markets.
Swazi farmers exported just over US $1 million of beef in 2004/05, down
from $4.4 million in 2003, because of the EU ban.
"A large number of cattle were killed overseas because of the outbreak of
cattle diseases, especially mad cow [disease]. This has prompted them to
want to know where the beef came from," Fakudze explained.
A spokesman for Swaziland Meat Industries defended Swazi beef, saying it
was not diseased, but the absence of veterinary records and other data has
continued to block foreign sales.
The agriculture ministry's failure to enforce the branding law echoed its
failure a decade ago to make cattle owners pay for veterinary services,
which the government could not afford. Angry farmers had called for the
removal of the agriculture ministry, arguing that by custom all cattle
belonged to the Swazi king, who could not be taxed. The government
currently provides free veterinary services.
Cattle are an integral part of Swaziland's culture: small-scale farmers
measure their wealth by the number in their kraal and few are slaughtered
for profit. Despite a national cattle population of over 600,000 head,
compared to a human population of about one million, Swaziland is a net
importer of meat.
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