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Swaziland@Newsletter 84

Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SAK-Swazinewsletter together with documents and other materials not included in the regular newsletter.
If you wish to receive the newsletter, please send a mail to: SAK-Swazinewsletter-subscribe@.... Suggestions as to content, themes and photographic section of the newsletter are welcome to sak@....

Swaziland@Newsletter is published by Africa Contact (Denmark) and distributed to more than 1700 national and international organisations, research institutes, universities, trade unions and
labour movements, political parties, church organisations, print and electronic media, governments, diplomatic missions, members of parliament, parliamentary committees and private individuals in
Southern Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

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.

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1. Anti-Terrorism Law an Excuse to Suppress Freedom of Expression, Says Article 19 .

PRESS RELEASE, Aricle 19 (London) 25 November 2008

2. AIDS ACTIVISTS TO MARCH ON TERROR LAW
By Faith Vilakati, www.observer.org.sz
25. November 2008

3.  SWAZILAND ‘IN STATE OF EMERGENCY’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com, Tuesday, 25 November 2008

4. Bombings 'a cry for attention', says Swazi bishop

www.totalcatholic.com, Monday, 24 November 2008

5. Swaziland’s Opposition Leader Expected in Court Over Terrorism Charges

By Peter Clottey, Washington, D.C.  VOICE OF AMERICA
24 November 2008

6. PUDEMO CHIEF'S KILLER CONFESSES
Sowetan, South Africa, 25. November 2008

7. Swaziland’s battle in the shadows of world news 
Priti Patel, Business Day - Johannesburg,South Africa, 24 November 2008

8. Mario’s children left in the cold

By MANQOBA NXUMALO The Times, November 26, 2008

9. Justice Minister Ndumiso defends Terrorism Act

By MBONGISENI NHLEKO The Times November 25,2008

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1. Anti-Terrorism Law an Excuse to Suppress Freedom of Expression, Says Article 19

PRESS RELEASE, Aricle 19 (London) 25 November 2008

ARTICLE 19 is seriously concerned about the constricting environment the government of Swaziland is imposing on freedom of expression. Under a controversial Suppression of Terrorism Act that has been passed by the Parliament in May 2008, Swazi journalists, political activists and human rights defenders have apparently become persona non-grata, battered and/or arrested.

The Swaziland Act is the latest in a series of anti-terrorism laws that have been enacted since the September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Freedom of expression has been especially challenged by the adoption of these new laws which prohibit speech that is considered "extremist" or supporting of terrorism. Under the guise of the fight against terrorism, these new laws are used to suppress political and controversial speech.

As recently as September at the 40-40 celebration, the Monarch's 40th birthday and Swaziland's 40 years of independence, King Mswati III promised his people better governance for economic renewal. ARTICLE 19 asserts that the restriction of free expression and pro-democracy activities of human rights defenders will hinder genuine economic progress.

"Frankly, terrorism is a specious argument for repression of free expression in Swaziland. At issue in the recent crackdown are legitimate political grievances which, instead of being addressed through the democratic process, are demonized," said Dr. Agnes Callamard, executive director of ARTICLE 19. In recent weeks, political activities have been outlawed, marches and demonstrations have been banned, and television camera crews, journalists and political activists have been arrested on suspicion of making remarks in support of terrorism.

ARTICLE 19 strongly urges the government of Swaziland to reverse this course of action. Its resources would be much better used in strengthening democracy and the rule of law, and addressing Swaziland's significant social challenges, including poverty and HIV/AIDS. "The serious imperative to fight terrorism and the use of violence against citizens must not be used as an excuse to repress dissent and undermine freedom of expression. On the contrary: the protection of human rights and freedom of expression are central to political and social change, democracy and development in Swaziland and anywhere else in the world," said Dr. Callamard.

For the full statement, see: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/swaziland-counter-terrorism-not-a-pretext-for-repression.pdf

For further information on the Suppression of Terrorism Act, see: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/98624

2. AIDS ACTIVISTS TO MARCH ON TERROR LAW
By Faith Vilakati, www.observer.org.sz
25. nobember 08.

THE Swaziland Positive Living (SWAPOL) members, who live with HIV and
AIDS, say the existence of the Anti Terrorism Act of 2008 dropped their
CD4 count immensely.

As a result, they have decided to march to Prime Minister Sibusiso
Barnabas Dlamini to deliver a petition against this piece of legislation.

The march will be held early next year shortly after the Incwala. The
resolution was taken yesterday during a meeting held at the Tum’s George
Hotel attended by over 300 members. The members said they had since
discovered that the Act was not fit for the country. They stated that
there were no terrorists in the country and lamented that they were not
involved when the Act was formulated.

“We believe that the law can be re-drafted because, as citizens of the
country, we are not happy with it. We will march to the PM’s office
where we would demand an explanation as to what it means to us as women
and the country as a whole because we foresee a situation whereby it
will bring negative consequences that would affect us a lot,” said one
member.

It was agreed that the PM would be expected to explain why the trial of
alleged serial killer David Simelane is still not concluded - seven
years after his arrest.

They will also demand that grants for senior citizens be improved and
paid on a monthly basis and that people living with HIV get monthly
grants. They said they would demand that the minister of finance, Majozi
Sithole, include the grants on his budget speech of 2009.

“I believe that we have chosen the right time to march to the PM given
that when Simelane was arrested, Dlamini was serving as prime minister.
We will raise the issue now that he has been re-appointed,” said another
participant.

Others wanted the march to be held there and then - but it was explained
that they would probably find no-one at Cabinet offices to give their
petition to.

SWAPOL Chairperson, Siphiwe Hlophe said they were aware that there would
be some people who might join the march who are not members of SWAPOL
and they would see how to deal with that. She added that they did not
want people who would make the march a violent one because they wanted a
peaceful march.

“We are optimistic that the march will be a success if we are together
as a team, we so much believe that there will soon be change after the
march,” she said. It was finalised that all the women who would
participate in the march would be clad in traditional attire as Lutsango
LwaKangwane.

The petition

* Shortage of drugs in Hospitals.

* Bogogo must get their grants on a monthly basis.

* People living with HIV and AIDS must get monthly grants.

* Shortage of water and firewood while people are assaulted and killed
for trying to access such basic needs in the country.

* Killing of innocent citizens and sometimes beating of the elderly in
the presence of police - one is innocent until proven guilty.

* David Simelane to be immediately tried and sentenced.

* The cancellation of the Terrorism Act of 2008 and that it be revisited
and re-drafted.

* To demand the finalisation of a matter involving a certain Make
Ngcamphalala whose husband was shot to death by people and the matter is
still with the police, 16 years ago.

* Water Party.

* The IGCSE system of education is not good for children of the country
which is why the ministers and top government officials’ children go to
schools outside the country where there is no IGCSE system of education.

* Bagcugcuteli and Banakekeli’s monthly salaries should be reviewed.

3. SWAZILAND ‘IN STATE OF EMERGENCY’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com, Tuesday, 25 November 2008

Swaziland is now in a permanent state of emergency, following the enactment of the Suppression of Terrorism Act.

The Act has the same effect on Swaziland as King Sobhuza II’s notorious proclamation of 1973 in which he tore up the Swazi Constitution and ruled by decree.

Vusi Sibisi, writing in the Times Sunday (23 November 2008), says, ‘The stupendous paradox between the two eras—post-1973 and since the enactment of the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008—being that while the coup against the Westminster-styled independence constitution in 1973 was entirely an operation of the ruling class to the exclusion of the ordinary people, the same cannot be said of the anti-terrorism law yet in all honesty the objectives of these instruments remain the same—to silence the nation and retain the political playing ground as an exclusive preserve of the ruling class.

‘The King’s Proclamation to the Nation to which the people had no input, which effectively outlawed democracy and the people’s individual rights and freedoms, was dictated from the throne. And to ensure compliance with the string of decrees that made up the King’s Proclamation to the Nation was the draconian indefinite 60-Day Detention Order the fear of which inculcated the culture of silence that is permeating Swazi society even today.

‘It is the culture of silence inculcated by the King’s Proclamation and its accompanying draconian laws that the ruling class has perversely marketed to the outside world as peace and tranquillity, a trademark of the Swazi nation. Frankly there never was peace in this country, but pervasive fear of the terror of the ruling regime that engendered silence on the citizenry.

‘And from 1973 onwards it was easier to cow the nation into supplication and, therefore, silence because not so many people were as educated and enlightened as they are today. Thus an educated and enlightened elite prone to challenging anything and everything that the ruling elite stands for has replaced the generation that could accept the imposition of dictatorship in 1973 without putting up any form of challenge or resistance.’

He goes on, ‘The paradox is that when in 1973 the ruling class used naked aggression to forcefully appropriate to itself all political power not to speak of all faculties of the nation’s human resource, in 2008 it used the poverty-alleviating institution of Parliament to rubber stamp its unconstitutional and just as draconian Suppression of Terrorism Act that is the successor to the notorious 60-Day Detention Order.

‘And if anyone was in doubt about the Tinkhundla Parliament as an effective legislative institution, now that doubt has been evaporated by the facts that just about confirm its role as a rubber stamp of whatever is desired by the ruling class. For if it was not, the 8th Parliament would have refused to be party to the draconian anti-terrorism legislation that is inherently also in breach of the constitution that is supposedly the supreme law of the land.’

He goes on, ‘And that silence can never translate into peace and tranquility even with the Suppression of Terrorism Act that has essentially thrust this country into a permanent state of emergency in tow. ‘

To read the full article, click here.

4. Bombings 'a cry for attention', says Swazi bishop

www.totalcatholic.com, Monday, 24 November 2008

The recent series of bombings in Swaziland is "a cry for attention and recognition" by marginalised people in sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarchy, a Catholic bishop said.

Bishop Louis Ndlovu of Manzini said the Church believes some people have adopted "crude and violent methods so as to force change in the country."

Two bombings in November coincided with a march by 15,000 trade union members in the capital, Mbabane. A September blast near Swazi King Mswati III's palace killed two men thought by police to have planted the bomb.

Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini recently branded several liberation movements as terrorists and said that "anyone found to be a member or even associating with them would face the full might of" the 2008 Suppression of Terrorism Act.

The Church in Swaziland calls "on all people of good will and (the) Parliament to reject" the terrorism act, said Bishop Ndlovu.

Swaziland is a tiny landlocked kingdom in south-eastern Africa with a population of 1.2 million, two-thirds of whom live in chronic poverty. Political parties are banned, but candidates are permitted to contest elections, held every five years. The king chooses his prime minister.

Political appointments since the country's September legislative elections have been given to relatives and friends of the ruling class and are "a clear indication" of the king's intention to maintain the status quo, Bishop Ndlovu said.

"Such nepotism can only" drive the marginalised "to a point of despair," Bishop Ndlovu said.

"The recent bombings are a manifestation of the failure by the ruling elite to engage in serious and honest dialogue with the citizenry," he said.

Noting that "the Church condemns all forms of violence," including terrorism, which "shows complete contempt for human life and can never be justified," Bishop Ndlovu said the Church "also pays attention to the causes of terrorism" and "wishes that all should work together to avoid these unfortunate acts”.

"Excessive economic, social and cultural inequalities among people arouse tensions and conflicts and are a danger to peace," he said, noting that "to wage war on misery and to struggle against injustice is to promote, along with improved conditions, the human and spiritual progress of all persons, and therefore the common good of all humanity”. 

5. Swaziland’s Opposition Leader Expected in Court Over Terrorism Charges

By Peter Clottey, Washington, D.C.  VOICE OF AMERICA
24 November 2008

The leader of Swaziland's main opposition, People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) party is expected at the country's High Court today (Monday) to defend terrorism charges brought against him by King Mswati III's government. Mario Masuku was recently arrested as part of a crackdown under the country's new anti-terrorism laws. He is alleged to have verbally supportered recent bombings of government institutions by some members of his party and has reportedly urged those bombings to continue. But PUDEMO condemned the arrest, claiming it is another attempt by the absolute monarch to clamp down on dissenting views. Majahenkhaba Dlamini is Swaziland's attorney general. He tells reporter Peter Clottey that the idea is not to punish political opponents, but to punish entities and persons involved in terrorist acts.

"It is a bit broad because the act (terrorism act) has got various activities defined as constituting an offense under the act. Not only that of causing terror by an application or by violence of one form or another, including explosives, bombs or whatever means of description, it's a whole list of activities intended to suppress terrorism," Dlamini noted.

He denied that the new terrorism law is violating the opposition leader's constitutional rights.

"If you look at the act, it has got absolutely nothing to do with the criticism of the government. In fact it excludes certain political groups if they ever express whatever views they might be expressing like unions and all those groups those are excluded. It says absolutely nothing about political party of any description it is only concerned with entities responsible for doing the various acts or activities, which constitute an offence. And as we understand it is in line with international convention," he said.

Dlamini said the opposition PUDEMO seems not to understand the terrorism act which its leader Masuku is currently facing.

"The unfortunate thing is that in the first place like we are saying, the act itself makes an offence of what he (Masuku) is supposed to have said. That is the starting point, and secondly the person who is said to have perpetrated the offense, at least those who have been found are of course in custody and I hope they would be tried in due course. But not for a terrorist act because at the time the act happened the Suppression of Terrorism Act had not come into force. So, they would probably find some other offense that might have been committed, I don't know what it would be ultimately. So, that is the position," Dlamini pointed out.

He said those who have been critical of government policies have not been charged for doing so.

"Of course there are other political parties who have been criticizing the government and they don't of course agree with the government polices, nothing has been done to those because they haven't committed offense by merely criticizing government. But if they go beyond criticizing and take up arms against the citizens of the country, there is noting that the government can do except to respond in terms of the law," he said.

Dlamini said the current terrorism law would support the government charges against the opposition PUDEMO leader.

"I can only say it is unfortunate if other laws are drafted in different term. But the law in question will seem to support the charge. I don't know what the court will do at the end of the day because they are responsible for interpreting the law. But it seems that the acts that are supposed to have been perpetrated by Masuku are acts, which the law presently condemn as being in support of a terrorist group or a terrorist act. That I think is what they are being charged with," Dlamini noted out.

Mario Masuku is the first person to be arrested under the new anti-terrorism law, which was introduced last September. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Meanwhile, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has condemned the Swaziland attorney-general's threatening statement that journalists who criticize King Mswati III's government could be arrested under a new anti-terrorism law that has just been used to crack down on opposition groups.

Attorney-General Majahenkhaba Dlamini warned last week that journalists critical of the government could be viewed as supporting terrorists and could be arrested under the Suppression of Terrorism Act, which provides for sentences of up to 25 years in prison.

Clottey Interview With Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini - Download (MP3)
Clottey Interview With Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini - Listen (MP3)

6. PUDEMO CHIEF'S KILLER CONFESSES
Sowetan25. Nobember 2008

JOHANNESBURG - The South African police reservist accused of killing a medical doctor who was deputy president of PUDEMO has confessed to a crime spree involving attempted murder and rape.

Dumisane Mvhelase Maduna, 31, appeared briefly before the packed KaBokweni magistrate's court last monday on charges of murder and rape. He was remanded until his next court appearance on December 5, when he is expected to apply for bail.

Spokesman for the Mpumalanga organised crime unit, Captain Leonard Hlathi, said Maduna had confessed before a magistrate and detectives about his involvement in the murder of the doctor, Gabriel Thandokuhle Mkhumane, and the rape of his companion.

"He also confessed that he [had] used his state-issued firearm to shoot at his mother-in-law."

Maduna allegedly found Mkhumane, deputy president of Swaziland’s People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo), sitting in his car with the young woman at 2am on March 5 in KaNyamazane. He drew his gun and demanded cash.

He locked the doctor inside the boot before repeatedly raping the 18-year-old woman inside the car.

Maduna later hauled Mkhumane out of the boot and instructed him to lie down on the ground next to the woman, then asked them who wanted to die first. He shot Mkhumane twice in the head.

Maduna then drove with the teenager to a petrol station where he tried to withdraw cash using Mkhumane's bank cards, but the doctor had given him false Pin numbers. The woman escaped while he was at the ATM.

Maduna also faces attempted murder charges after he allegedly shot at Solomon Msimango and his wife Phumzile on April 1. He is also charged with firing six shots at his mother-in-law, which all missed.

7. Swaziland’s battle in the shadows of world news 
Priti Patel, Business Day - Johannesburg,South Africa, 24 November 2008

IN THE past few weeks we have been inundated with news of the historic US elections. From reports describing the worldwide euphoria at the election of an African-American man to the highest ranking office in the US, to data noting one of the highest voter turnouts in US history, the US election has become an example of democracy done right.

Maybe because of the fascination with and excitement of the US elections, we have missed the recent struggle for democracy and the rule of law happening closer to home.

The High Court in Swaziland recently heard a case challenging the independence of the Swazi Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and its members. Under the constitution, the EBC ensures fair and free elections by, among other things, overseeing the registration of voters, and facilitating civic and voter education. Requiring that the EBC be independent, the constitution sensibly requires that it cannot be subject to the direction or control of another person or authority.

The constitutional challenge, brought by the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations, a coalition representing a wide array of civil society groups in Swaziland, argued that not only was the EBC not independent as required by the constitution, but that a number of its members were too enmeshed with King Mswati to be independent as they fail to meet the minimum qualifications required under the constitution.

The government has responded to this challenge by arguing, in part, that the decisions of the king in choosing the EBC members are above the constitution.

This all may not seem like much, especially in the wake of election news from the US and the continuing saga of the African National Congress split. But the EBC holds a powerful position in ensuring that the political process and future elections in Swaziland are free and fair. The independence of the EBC from the government and the monarchy is vital to guarantee democratic elections in light of the unsurprising interest of Mswati in the outcome of elections.

We have seen in Africa the horrific ramifications of illegitimate elections and the role compromised electoral commissions play in attempting to legitimise them. In the past year, Kenya and Zimbabwe have struggled in the aftermath of deeply flawed elections. In Kenya, the decision of the electoral commission to declare Mwai Kibaki the winner after a number of independent organisations raised concerns regarding the free and fair nature of the elections led to mass violence ending in a fragile power-sharing agreement in February. In Zimbabwe, widespread voter intimidation marred the original elections in March and the run-off in June. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s failure to release the March election results in a timely manner served to further raise concerns about the legitimacy of the elections. We are not yet at that crossroads in Swaziland, but this is the time to be vigilant before any future elections.

This case is particularly important in Swaziland, where the rule of law and democracy are still relatively young concepts and the country is in the midst of a struggle between monarchical power and the rule of law as embodied in the constitution. Three years ago, Swaziland enacted its constitution which, though flawed, contains numerous guarantees of fundamental rights. And yet in the years since the enactment of the constitution, Mswati remains the primary holder and wielder of power. And it doesn’t look like he will willingly concede that power and be held accountable to the constitution. The government has put the very nature of a constitutional democracy at stake in this case by claiming that decisions of the king cannot be interrogated by a court. This has become even clearer with the recent arrest of Mario Masuku, the leader of People’s United Democratic Movement, a day after the movement and three other organisations were labelled as terrorists by the government. The label makes it illegal for people to be members of these organisations or for the organisations to hold public meetings.

Though marred with their own problems of voter registration and misinformation, the US elections have highlighted the critical importance of widespread civic participation in the elections, free and open discussion of the issues and the stances of each candidate, and the freedom of the press to report on the elections. Free and fair elections are the linchpins of democracy and, unfortunately, the evidence shows that Swaziland is moving in another direction.

We now await a verdict from the court, which is likely to be appealed. But let’s hope that as a first and important step, the High Court chooses to uphold the pre-eminence of the constitution and democracy. If the constitution is to have any meaning in this emerging democracy, it is the courts that will have to limit the power of the monarch and bring the country towards a working constitutional democracy.

- Patel is the acting director of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre.

8. Mario’s children left in the cold

By MANQOBA NXUMALO The Times, November 26, 2008

MBABANE- Incarce-rated political activist Mario Masuku’s children have been locked out of the flat they were occupying at Mobeni.

Nobantu has been living at the old Mobeni flats with her brother Mzwandile and sister Thandiswa for about a year now.

She has since been locked out and told to move but has instructed lawyer Thabsile Vilakati from Robinson Bertram Attorneys to file an urgent application at the High Court where she demands to be reinstated back to the house.

In papers filed at the High Court, she says she entered into a one year renewable lease with the Swaziland National Housing Board on April 24, 2008 and has been paying monthly rentals of E660.

She says she has been staying with her sister Thandiswa and brother Mzwandile until November 2, 2008.

She said while she was visiting a friend at Eveni, her brother Mzwandile sought the assistance of a friend, Wandile Dludlu, to help move Thandiswa’s belongings out of the flat to her new flat.

"I am advised that whilst he and his friend Wandile Dludlu were moving Thandiswa’s belongings out of the flat, they were approached by a security personnel, Mduduzi Khumalo. I am further advised that the said Khumalo enquired about the destination of the furniture being moved out, to which he was duly informed," reads Nobantu’s affidavit filed at the High Court.

She added: "The security personnel then left, only to return a few minutes later with Mr Motsa, an estate manager based at the Matsapha branch of the respondents. Mr Motsa stated to Mzwandile that the lease provided that any furniture being removed from any of the leased premises should be made known to the respondents. return, I am advised he entered the apartment and went into all the rooms and eventually ordered everyone out of the apartment so that he could lock. Mzwandile then requested that he waited until I had been contacted as the lessee. Mr Motsa refused and left.

Changed

"On my arrival I found the doors locked and the locks presumably changed as I could not open same with the keys given to me, we then asked around for Motsa’s premises and were duly advised of same."

She said when she finally got hold of Motsa she was told that she had lost the apartment and was advised to go to the Swaziland National Housing Board.

The Swaziland National Housing Board has filed an opposing affidavit where they allege that Nobantu wanted to leave the flat and hand it over to her sister, something that they said was illegal.

They also argued that by doing so she had breached the contract she entered into with the SNHB.

There has been an order of court signed by the High Court Registrar Lorraine Hlophe where the SNBH is asked to motivate why the order sought by Nobantu should not be granted.

9. Justice Minister Ndumiso defends Terrorism Act

By MBONGISENI NHLEKO The Times November 25,2008

MATSAPHA – The new Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008 should not be seen as a tool sharpened by government to target certain individuals in the country.

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Ndumiso Mamba said it should be understood that the law is aimed at protecting the entire nation.

"It is not that the laws are targeting anyone.

"Government has an obligation to protect citizens of this country," he said.

Mamba said some people were wondering how the laws came into force but they should understand that they were part of the UN conventions, which Swaziland signed and ratified.

He said in other countries such as England, it was a serious offence just to utter a joke about explosives.

The minister said there was a need to ensure that protective measures for citizens were in place in view of the fact that certain entities and individuals had already underlined their interests to see change in the system of governance.

Change

"We don’t know what the people seeking regime change need because we don’t know where they consulted," he said.

Mamba said it was most unfortunate that whenever such laws were put in place and effected, people complained that they were aimed at suppressing their democratic rights.

He commended government particularly the Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini for ensuring that the law is passed because it will help keep citizens safe from acts of terrorism.

"Acts of terrorism have been there for a long time and this law came timely. Some of us will recall the 1998 incident when someone (a security guard) lost his life at the DPM’s offices (during a bomb blast)," he said.

 
He said law enforcement agencies needed to understand the new law very well.

Mamba said the workshop held at Police College for senior officers and other stakeholders was going to help a lot. Facilitators in the workshop included the Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini and Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Mumcy Dlamini.

Swaziland@Newsletter 84

Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SAK-Swazinewsletter together with documents and other materials not included in the regular newsletter.
If you wish to receive the newsletter, please send a mail to: SAK-Swazinewsletter-subscribe@.... Suggestions as to content, themes and photographic section of the newsletter are welcome to sak@....

Swaziland@Newsletter is published by Africa Contact (Denmark) and distributed to more than 1700 national and international organisations, research institutes, universities, trade unions and
labour movements, political parties, church organisations, print and electronic media, governments, diplomatic missions, members of parliament, parliamentary committees and private individuals in
Southern Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

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.

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1. Anti-Terrorism Law an Excuse to Suppress Freedom of Expression, Says Article 19 .

PRESS RELEASE, Aricle 19 (London) 25 November 2008

2. AIDS ACTIVISTS TO MARCH ON TERROR LAW
By Faith Vilakati, www.observer.org.sz
25. November 2008

3.  SWAZILAND ‘IN STATE OF EMERGENCY’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com, Tuesday, 25 November 2008

4. Bombings 'a cry for attention', says Swazi bishop

www.totalcatholic.com, Monday, 24 November 2008

5. Swaziland’s Opposition Leader Expected in Court Over Terrorism Charges

By Peter Clottey, Washington, D.C.  VOICE OF AMERICA
24 November 2008

6. PUDEMO CHIEF'S KILLER CONFESSES
Sowetan, South Africa, 25. November 2008

7. Swaziland’s battle in the shadows of world news 
Priti Patel, Business Day - Johannesburg,South Africa, 24 November 2008

8. Mario’s children left in the cold

By MANQOBA NXUMALO The Times, November 26, 2008

9. Justice Minister Ndumiso defends Terrorism Act

By MBONGISENI NHLEKO The Times November 25,2008

--------

1. Anti-Terrorism Law an Excuse to Suppress Freedom of Expression, Says Article 19

PRESS RELEASE, Aricle 19 (London) 25 November 2008

ARTICLE 19 is seriously concerned about the constricting environment the government of Swaziland is imposing on freedom of expression. Under a controversial Suppression of Terrorism Act that has been passed by the Parliament in May 2008, Swazi journalists, political activists and human rights defenders have apparently become persona non-grata, battered and/or arrested.

The Swaziland Act is the latest in a series of anti-terrorism laws that have been enacted since the September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. Freedom of expression has been especially challenged by the adoption of these new laws which prohibit speech that is considered "extremist" or supporting of terrorism. Under the guise of the fight against terrorism, these new laws are used to suppress political and controversial speech.

As recently as September at the 40-40 celebration, the Monarch's 40th birthday and Swaziland's 40 years of independence, King Mswati III promised his people better governance for economic renewal. ARTICLE 19 asserts that the restriction of free expression and pro-democracy activities of human rights defenders will hinder genuine economic progress.

"Frankly, terrorism is a specious argument for repression of free expression in Swaziland. At issue in the recent crackdown are legitimate political grievances which, instead of being addressed through the democratic process, are demonized," said Dr. Agnes Callamard, executive director of ARTICLE 19. In recent weeks, political activities have been outlawed, marches and demonstrations have been banned, and television camera crews, journalists and political activists have been arrested on suspicion of making remarks in support of terrorism.

ARTICLE 19 strongly urges the government of Swaziland to reverse this course of action. Its resources would be much better used in strengthening democracy and the rule of law, and addressing Swaziland's significant social challenges, including poverty and HIV/AIDS. "The serious imperative to fight terrorism and the use of violence against citizens must not be used as an excuse to repress dissent and undermine freedom of expression. On the contrary: the protection of human rights and freedom of expression are central to political and social change, democracy and development in Swaziland and anywhere else in the world," said Dr. Callamard.

For the full statement, see: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/swaziland-counter-terrorism-not-a-pretext-for-repression.pdf

For further information on the Suppression of Terrorism Act, see: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/98624

2. AIDS ACTIVISTS TO MARCH ON TERROR LAW
By Faith Vilakati, www.observer.org.sz
25. nobember 08.

THE Swaziland Positive Living (SWAPOL) members, who live with HIV and
AIDS, say the existence of the Anti Terrorism Act of 2008 dropped their
CD4 count immensely.

As a result, they have decided to march to Prime Minister Sibusiso
Barnabas Dlamini to deliver a petition against this piece of legislation.

The march will be held early next year shortly after the Incwala. The
resolution was taken yesterday during a meeting held at the Tum’s George
Hotel attended by over 300 members. The members said they had since
discovered that the Act was not fit for the country. They stated that
there were no terrorists in the country and lamented that they were not
involved when the Act was formulated.

“We believe that the law can be re-drafted because, as citizens of the
country, we are not happy with it. We will march to the PM’s office
where we would demand an explanation as to what it means to us as women
and the country as a whole because we foresee a situation whereby it
will bring negative consequences that would affect us a lot,” said one
member.

It was agreed that the PM would be expected to explain why the trial of
alleged serial killer David Simelane is still not concluded - seven
years after his arrest.

They will also demand that grants for senior citizens be improved and
paid on a monthly basis and that people living with HIV get monthly
grants. They said they would demand that the minister of finance, Majozi
Sithole, include the grants on his budget speech of 2009.

“I believe that we have chosen the right time to march to the PM given
that when Simelane was arrested, Dlamini was serving as prime minister.
We will raise the issue now that he has been re-appointed,” said another
participant.

Others wanted the march to be held there and then - but it was explained
that they would probably find no-one at Cabinet offices to give their
petition to.

SWAPOL Chairperson, Siphiwe Hlophe said they were aware that there would
be some people who might join the march who are not members of SWAPOL
and they would see how to deal with that. She added that they did not
want people who would make the march a violent one because they wanted a
peaceful march.

“We are optimistic that the march will be a success if we are together
as a team, we so much believe that there will soon be change after the
march,” she said. It was finalised that all the women who would
participate in the march would be clad in traditional attire as Lutsango
LwaKangwane.

The petition

* Shortage of drugs in Hospitals.

* Bogogo must get their grants on a monthly basis.

* People living with HIV and AIDS must get monthly grants.

* Shortage of water and firewood while people are assaulted and killed
for trying to access such basic needs in the country.

* Killing of innocent citizens and sometimes beating of the elderly in
the presence of police - one is innocent until proven guilty.

* David Simelane to be immediately tried and sentenced.

* The cancellation of the Terrorism Act of 2008 and that it be revisited
and re-drafted.

* To demand the finalisation of a matter involving a certain Make
Ngcamphalala whose husband was shot to death by people and the matter is
still with the police, 16 years ago.

* Water Party.

* The IGCSE system of education is not good for children of the country
which is why the ministers and top government officials’ children go to
schools outside the country where there is no IGCSE system of education.

* Bagcugcuteli and Banakekeli’s monthly salaries should be reviewed.

3. SWAZILAND ‘IN STATE OF EMERGENCY’

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com, Tuesday, 25 November 2008

Swaziland is now in a permanent state of emergency, following the enactment of the Suppression of Terrorism Act.

The Act has the same effect on Swaziland as King Sobhuza II’s notorious proclamation of 1973 in which he tore up the Swazi Constitution and ruled by decree.

Vusi Sibisi, writing in the Times Sunday (23 November 2008), says, ‘The stupendous paradox between the two eras—post-1973 and since the enactment of the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008—being that while the coup against the Westminster-styled independence constitution in 1973 was entirely an operation of the ruling class to the exclusion of the ordinary people, the same cannot be said of the anti-terrorism law yet in all honesty the objectives of these instruments remain the same—to silence the nation and retain the political playing ground as an exclusive preserve of the ruling class.

‘The King’s Proclamation to the Nation to which the people had no input, which effectively outlawed democracy and the people’s individual rights and freedoms, was dictated from the throne. And to ensure compliance with the string of decrees that made up the King’s Proclamation to the Nation was the draconian indefinite 60-Day Detention Order the fear of which inculcated the culture of silence that is permeating Swazi society even today.

‘It is the culture of silence inculcated by the King’s Proclamation and its accompanying draconian laws that the ruling class has perversely marketed to the outside world as peace and tranquillity, a trademark of the Swazi nation. Frankly there never was peace in this country, but pervasive fear of the terror of the ruling regime that engendered silence on the citizenry.

‘And from 1973 onwards it was easier to cow the nation into supplication and, therefore, silence because not so many people were as educated and enlightened as they are today. Thus an educated and enlightened elite prone to challenging anything and everything that the ruling elite stands for has replaced the generation that could accept the imposition of dictatorship in 1973 without putting up any form of challenge or resistance.’

He goes on, ‘The paradox is that when in 1973 the ruling class used naked aggression to forcefully appropriate to itself all political power not to speak of all faculties of the nation’s human resource, in 2008 it used the poverty-alleviating institution of Parliament to rubber stamp its unconstitutional and just as draconian Suppression of Terrorism Act that is the successor to the notorious 60-Day Detention Order.

‘And if anyone was in doubt about the Tinkhundla Parliament as an effective legislative institution, now that doubt has been evaporated by the facts that just about confirm its role as a rubber stamp of whatever is desired by the ruling class. For if it was not, the 8th Parliament would have refused to be party to the draconian anti-terrorism legislation that is inherently also in breach of the constitution that is supposedly the supreme law of the land.’

He goes on, ‘And that silence can never translate into peace and tranquility even with the Suppression of Terrorism Act that has essentially thrust this country into a permanent state of emergency in tow. ‘

To read the full article, click here.

4. Bombings 'a cry for attention', says Swazi bishop

www.totalcatholic.com, Monday, 24 November 2008

The recent series of bombings in Swaziland is "a cry for attention and recognition" by marginalised people in sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarchy, a Catholic bishop said.

Bishop Louis Ndlovu of Manzini said the Church believes some people have adopted "crude and violent methods so as to force change in the country."

Two bombings in November coincided with a march by 15,000 trade union members in the capital, Mbabane. A September blast near Swazi King Mswati III's palace killed two men thought by police to have planted the bomb.

Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini recently branded several liberation movements as terrorists and said that "anyone found to be a member or even associating with them would face the full might of" the 2008 Suppression of Terrorism Act.

The Church in Swaziland calls "on all people of good will and (the) Parliament to reject" the terrorism act, said Bishop Ndlovu.

Swaziland is a tiny landlocked kingdom in south-eastern Africa with a population of 1.2 million, two-thirds of whom live in chronic poverty. Political parties are banned, but candidates are permitted to contest elections, held every five years. The king chooses his prime minister.

Political appointments since the country's September legislative elections have been given to relatives and friends of the ruling class and are "a clear indication" of the king's intention to maintain the status quo, Bishop Ndlovu said.

"Such nepotism can only" drive the marginalised "to a point of despair," Bishop Ndlovu said.

"The recent bombings are a manifestation of the failure by the ruling elite to engage in serious and honest dialogue with the citizenry," he said.

Noting that "the Church condemns all forms of violence," including terrorism, which "shows complete contempt for human life and can never be justified," Bishop Ndlovu said the Church "also pays attention to the causes of terrorism" and "wishes that all should work together to avoid these unfortunate acts”.

"Excessive economic, social and cultural inequalities among people arouse tensions and conflicts and are a danger to peace," he said, noting that "to wage war on misery and to struggle against injustice is to promote, along with improved conditions, the human and spiritual progress of all persons, and therefore the common good of all humanity”. 

5. Swaziland’s Opposition Leader Expected in Court Over Terrorism Charges

By Peter Clottey, Washington, D.C.  VOICE OF AMERICA
24 November 2008

The leader of Swaziland's main opposition, People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) party is expected at the country's High Court today (Monday) to defend terrorism charges brought against him by King Mswati III's government. Mario Masuku was recently arrested as part of a crackdown under the country's new anti-terrorism laws. He is alleged to have verbally supportered recent bombings of government institutions by some members of his party and has reportedly urged those bombings to continue. But PUDEMO condemned the arrest, claiming it is another attempt by the absolute monarch to clamp down on dissenting views. Majahenkhaba Dlamini is Swaziland's attorney general. He tells reporter Peter Clottey that the idea is not to punish political opponents, but to punish entities and persons involved in terrorist acts.

"It is a bit broad because the act (terrorism act) has got various activities defined as constituting an offense under the act. Not only that of causing terror by an application or by violence of one form or another, including explosives, bombs or whatever means of description, it's a whole list of activities intended to suppress terrorism," Dlamini noted.

He denied that the new terrorism law is violating the opposition leader's constitutional rights.

"If you look at the act, it has got absolutely nothing to do with the criticism of the government. In fact it excludes certain political groups if they ever express whatever views they might be expressing like unions and all those groups those are excluded. It says absolutely nothing about political party of any description it is only concerned with entities responsible for doing the various acts or activities, which constitute an offence. And as we understand it is in line with international convention," he said.

Dlamini said the opposition PUDEMO seems not to understand the terrorism act which its leader Masuku is currently facing.

"The unfortunate thing is that in the first place like we are saying, the act itself makes an offence of what he (Masuku) is supposed to have said. That is the starting point, and secondly the person who is said to have perpetrated the offense, at least those who have been found are of course in custody and I hope they would be tried in due course. But not for a terrorist act because at the time the act happened the Suppression of Terrorism Act had not come into force. So, they would probably find some other offense that might have been committed, I don't know what it would be ultimately. So, that is the position," Dlamini pointed out.

He said those who have been critical of government policies have not been charged for doing so.

"Of course there are other political parties who have been criticizing the government and they don't of course agree with the government polices, nothing has been done to those because they haven't committed offense by merely criticizing government. But if they go beyond criticizing and take up arms against the citizens of the country, there is noting that the government can do except to respond in terms of the law," he said.

Dlamini said the current terrorism law would support the government charges against the opposition PUDEMO leader.

"I can only say it is unfortunate if other laws are drafted in different term. But the law in question will seem to support the charge. I don't know what the court will do at the end of the day because they are responsible for interpreting the law. But it seems that the acts that are supposed to have been perpetrated by Masuku are acts, which the law presently condemn as being in support of a terrorist group or a terrorist act. That I think is what they are being charged with," Dlamini noted out.

Mario Masuku is the first person to be arrested under the new anti-terrorism law, which was introduced last September. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Meanwhile, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) has condemned the Swaziland attorney-general's threatening statement that journalists who criticize King Mswati III's government could be arrested under a new anti-terrorism law that has just been used to crack down on opposition groups.

Attorney-General Majahenkhaba Dlamini warned last week that journalists critical of the government could be viewed as supporting terrorists and could be arrested under the Suppression of Terrorism Act, which provides for sentences of up to 25 years in prison.

Clottey Interview With Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini - Download (MP3)
Clottey Interview With Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini - Listen (MP3)

6. PUDEMO CHIEF'S KILLER CONFESSES
Sowetan25. Nobember 2008

JOHANNESBURG - The South African police reservist accused of killing a medical doctor who was deputy president of PUDEMO has confessed to a crime spree involving attempted murder and rape.

Dumisane Mvhelase Maduna, 31, appeared briefly before the packed KaBokweni magistrate's court last monday on charges of murder and rape. He was remanded until his next court appearance on December 5, when he is expected to apply for bail.

Spokesman for the Mpumalanga organised crime unit, Captain Leonard Hlathi, said Maduna had confessed before a magistrate and detectives about his involvement in the murder of the doctor, Gabriel Thandokuhle Mkhumane, and the rape of his companion.

"He also confessed that he [had] used his state-issued firearm to shoot at his mother-in-law."

Maduna allegedly found Mkhumane, deputy president of Swaziland’s People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo), sitting in his car with the young woman at 2am on March 5 in KaNyamazane. He drew his gun and demanded cash.

He locked the doctor inside the boot before repeatedly raping the 18-year-old woman inside the car.

Maduna later hauled Mkhumane out of the boot and instructed him to lie down on the ground next to the woman, then asked them who wanted to die first. He shot Mkhumane twice in the head.

Maduna then drove with the teenager to a petrol station where he tried to withdraw cash using Mkhumane's bank cards, but the doctor had given him false Pin numbers. The woman escaped while he was at the ATM.

Maduna also faces attempted murder charges after he allegedly shot at Solomon Msimango and his wife Phumzile on April 1. He is also charged with firing six shots at his mother-in-law, which all missed.

7. Swaziland’s battle in the shadows of world news 
Priti Patel, Business Day - Johannesburg,South Africa, 24 November 2008

IN THE past few weeks we have been inundated with news of the historic US elections. From reports describing the worldwide euphoria at the election of an African-American man to the highest ranking office in the US, to data noting one of the highest voter turnouts in US history, the US election has become an example of democracy done right.

Maybe because of the fascination with and excitement of the US elections, we have missed the recent struggle for democracy and the rule of law happening closer to home.

The High Court in Swaziland recently heard a case challenging the independence of the Swazi Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and its members. Under the constitution, the EBC ensures fair and free elections by, among other things, overseeing the registration of voters, and facilitating civic and voter education. Requiring that the EBC be independent, the constitution sensibly requires that it cannot be subject to the direction or control of another person or authority.

The constitutional challenge, brought by the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations, a coalition representing a wide array of civil society groups in Swaziland, argued that not only was the EBC not independent as required by the constitution, but that a number of its members were too enmeshed with King Mswati to be independent as they fail to meet the minimum qualifications required under the constitution.

The government has responded to this challenge by arguing, in part, that the decisions of the king in choosing the EBC members are above the constitution.

This all may not seem like much, especially in the wake of election news from the US and the continuing saga of the African National Congress split. But the EBC holds a powerful position in ensuring that the political process and future elections in Swaziland are free and fair. The independence of the EBC from the government and the monarchy is vital to guarantee democratic elections in light of the unsurprising interest of Mswati in the outcome of elections.

We have seen in Africa the horrific ramifications of illegitimate elections and the role compromised electoral commissions play in attempting to legitimise them. In the past year, Kenya and Zimbabwe have struggled in the aftermath of deeply flawed elections. In Kenya, the decision of the electoral commission to declare Mwai Kibaki the winner after a number of independent organisations raised concerns regarding the free and fair nature of the elections led to mass violence ending in a fragile power-sharing agreement in February. In Zimbabwe, widespread voter intimidation marred the original elections in March and the run-off in June. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s failure to release the March election results in a timely manner served to further raise concerns about the legitimacy of the elections. We are not yet at that crossroads in Swaziland, but this is the time to be vigilant before any future elections.

This case is particularly important in Swaziland, where the rule of law and democracy are still relatively young concepts and the country is in the midst of a struggle between monarchical power and the rule of law as embodied in the constitution. Three years ago, Swaziland enacted its constitution which, though flawed, contains numerous guarantees of fundamental rights. And yet in the years since the enactment of the constitution, Mswati remains the primary holder and wielder of power. And it doesn’t look like he will willingly concede that power and be held accountable to the constitution. The government has put the very nature of a constitutional democracy at stake in this case by claiming that decisions of the king cannot be interrogated by a court. This has become even clearer with the recent arrest of Mario Masuku, the leader of People’s United Democratic Movement, a day after the movement and three other organisations were labelled as terrorists by the government. The label makes it illegal for people to be members of these organisations or for the organisations to hold public meetings.

Though marred with their own problems of voter registration and misinformation, the US elections have highlighted the critical importance of widespread civic participation in the elections, free and open discussion of the issues and the stances of each candidate, and the freedom of the press to report on the elections. Free and fair elections are the linchpins of democracy and, unfortunately, the evidence shows that Swaziland is moving in another direction.

We now await a verdict from the court, which is likely to be appealed. But let’s hope that as a first and important step, the High Court chooses to uphold the pre-eminence of the constitution and democracy. If the constitution is to have any meaning in this emerging democracy, it is the courts that will have to limit the power of the monarch and bring the country towards a working constitutional democracy.

- Patel is the acting director of the Southern Africa Litigation Centre.

8. Mario’s children left in the cold

By MANQOBA NXUMALO The Times, November 26, 2008

MBABANE- Incarce-rated political activist Mario Masuku’s children have been locked out of the flat they were occupying at Mobeni.

Nobantu has been living at the old Mobeni flats with her brother Mzwandile and sister Thandiswa for about a year now.

She has since been locked out and told to move but has instructed lawyer Thabsile Vilakati from Robinson Bertram Attorneys to file an urgent application at the High Court where she demands to be reinstated back to the house.

In papers filed at the High Court, she says she entered into a one year renewable lease with the Swaziland National Housing Board on April 24, 2008 and has been paying monthly rentals of E660.

She says she has been staying with her sister Thandiswa and brother Mzwandile until November 2, 2008.

She said while she was visiting a friend at Eveni, her brother Mzwandile sought the assistance of a friend, Wandile Dludlu, to help move Thandiswa’s belongings out of the flat to her new flat.

"I am advised that whilst he and his friend Wandile Dludlu were moving Thandiswa’s belongings out of the flat, they were approached by a security personnel, Mduduzi Khumalo. I am further advised that the said Khumalo enquired about the destination of the furniture being moved out, to which he was duly informed," reads Nobantu’s affidavit filed at the High Court.

She added: "The security personnel then left, only to return a few minutes later with Mr Motsa, an estate manager based at the Matsapha branch of the respondents. Mr Motsa stated to Mzwandile that the lease provided that any furniture being removed from any of the leased premises should be made known to the respondents. return, I am advised he entered the apartment and went into all the rooms and eventually ordered everyone out of the apartment so that he could lock. Mzwandile then requested that he waited until I had been contacted as the lessee. Mr Motsa refused and left.

Changed

"On my arrival I found the doors locked and the locks presumably changed as I could not open same with the keys given to me, we then asked around for Motsa’s premises and were duly advised of same."

She said when she finally got hold of Motsa she was told that she had lost the apartment and was advised to go to the Swaziland National Housing Board.

The Swaziland National Housing Board has filed an opposing affidavit where they allege that Nobantu wanted to leave the flat and hand it over to her sister, something that they said was illegal.

They also argued that by doing so she had breached the contract she entered into with the SNHB.

There has been an order of court signed by the High Court Registrar Lorraine Hlophe where the SNBH is asked to motivate why the order sought by Nobantu should not be granted.

9. Justice Minister Ndumiso defends Terrorism Act

By MBONGISENI NHLEKO The Times November 25,2008

MATSAPHA – The new Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008 should not be seen as a tool sharpened by government to target certain individuals in the country.

Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Ndumiso Mamba said it should be understood that the law is aimed at protecting the entire nation.

"It is not that the laws are targeting anyone.

"Government has an obligation to protect citizens of this country," he said.

Mamba said some people were wondering how the laws came into force but they should understand that they were part of the UN conventions, which Swaziland signed and ratified.

He said in other countries such as England, it was a serious offence just to utter a joke about explosives.

The minister said there was a need to ensure that protective measures for citizens were in place in view of the fact that certain entities and individuals had already underlined their interests to see change in the system of governance.

Change

"We don’t know what the people seeking regime change need because we don’t know where they consulted," he said.

Mamba said it was most unfortunate that whenever such laws were put in place and effected, people complained that they were aimed at suppressing their democratic rights.

He commended government particularly the Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini for ensuring that the law is passed because it will help keep citizens safe from acts of terrorism.

"Acts of terrorism have been there for a long time and this law came timely. Some of us will recall the 1998 incident when someone (a security guard) lost his life at the DPM’s offices (during a bomb blast)," he said.

 
He said law enforcement agencies needed to understand the new law very well.

Mamba said the workshop held at Police College for senior officers and other stakeholders was going to help a lot. Facilitators in the workshop included the Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini and Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Mumcy Dlamini.

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1. Mario arrested— for terrorism acts
November 16. 2008, The Times, Swaziland

2. SWAZI KING’S WAR AGAINST HIS PEOPLE
  From Swazi Media Commentary 16 November 2008

3. SSN PRESS STATEMENT.  16th November, 2008

-----------------------

1. Mario arrested— for terrorism acts

Nov 16,2008 00:00 by SABELO MASIMULA

*MBABANE—A day after government announced that banned political parties
are terrorists, People's United Democratic Movement's (pude-mo)
President Mario Masuku was arrested and charged for contravening of
section 5 (2) of Act 3 of Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008.*

According to this act, the PUDEMO president has been found in unlawful
possession of literature on weapon-making, including; books, manuals,
documents, pamphlets, drawings, diagrams, electronic storage devices and
tapes, which is against the country's terrorism bill.

*Raid*

Masuku's arrest and charge comes after a raid by country's police
investigation task team yesterday.

This comes after the Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini listed the PUDEMO,
Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO), Umbane and the Swaziland Solidarity
Network (SSN) as terrorists, under the Suppression of Terrorism Act,
2008 on Friday.

The government said it was satisfied that there was material to support
a recommendation under this section when announcing the ban.

This act literally banned the four political parties for life and
suggested that its members were not wanted in the country.
/"Tingaphindzi tilubhadze lakaNgwane,"/ the Prime Minister said on Friday.

Subsequent to this, PUDEMO president Masuku was arrested yesterday
morning, after his house had been searched. It could not be ascertained
what the police were searching for or what their findings were as this
newspaper was denied entry into Masuku's home during the raid.

When Senior Superintended Mike Zwane was approached for comment he
confirmed the raid and said there were some findings made which led to
the arrest, but he could not divulge the details.

He could not even state what Masuku was charged of. "We did the search
at Masuku's home but I can't tell you what our findings were and the
name of the charge against Masuku. You will have to attend the court
proceedings to get further details regarding this matter," he said.

However, the Mbabane Police station the police were able to disclose
Masuku's charge, without any qualms.

When Mario Masuku was called at 11: 30 am he could only confirm the raid
and that he had been charged.

"There was a raid but I can't tell you now what happened. I am at the
Mbabane police station and I have been charged, but I can't tell you
everything about my charge," he stated.

*Thulani Maseko, Shilubane fight to see client*

*MBABANE— Despite recently parting ways,both Paul Shilubane and Thulani
Maseko were seen together at the Mbabane Police station yesterday—united
by the arrest of Mario Masuku.***

When the two arrived at the police station they declared that they were
Masuku's lawyers and they wanted to see him. The police at the reception
did not easily grant them their wish as they said they had been given
strict instructions to the effect that no one was allowed to see Masuku
in private.

*Demanded*

The two lawyers heard none of what the police were saying, as they
literally demanded to see Masuku.

"We understand your instructions, but we are Masuku's lawyers and we
would like to see him in private. Call whosoever gave you those
instructions and tell him/her that Masuku's lawyers are here and they
would like to see him," said Shilubane.

The police later obliged as one officer was seen exiting to another room
where she made the call to her instructor. She came back and gave the
two a response to the effect that they could see Masuku at a corner
inside the reception.

The corner was in full view of everyone inside.

Shilubane and Maseko rubbished this arrangement.

"Are we allowed to see our client or not," asked Shilubane.

"You are, but this is the least we can afford," answered the police.

The verbal confrontation went on for about 20 minutes with no ending.

When the TIMES SUNDAY team left the lawyers were still negotiating to
see their client in private.

Maseko, when called later, would not comment much on Masuku's arrest.

"We were at the police station to check on Masuku as our friend. I can't
give you my or our comment regarding his charge, as that will be
pre-empting everything. For now we will let the law take its course. You
will all see the events regarding Masuku's case as it unfolds," said
Maseko.

*Family braces for life of harassment*

*MBABANE—The Masuku family says Mario's arrest is an effort to deter the
public from engaging in progressive thinking.***

The family, speaking through Masuku's son Mzwandile, disclosed that they
supported the cause of their father till the end.

"We know the cause that our father has dedicated his life to and we
support him all the way. We will never accept that he is a terrorist or
all the other comrades in the struggle. For us it's no longer an
incident, we anticipated such. It's just that we did not know when it
would unfold," said Mzwandile.

"We are very assured that our father is fighting a good cause, which is
liberating the people of Swaziland. All the hardship he is facing, we
believe is part and parcel of his good cause, but we can't run away from
the fact that it's hard and painful sometimes," continued Mzwandile.

The family also revealed that raids where police are armed to the teeth
are always an occurrence during the Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini's
term of office.

"In his last term we were inundated with raids which ended with our
father being taken away. We never had such during Absalom's (A.T)
tenure. We reckon this will be life from now onwards," lamented Mzwandile.

2. From Swazi Media Commentary 16 November 2008 www.swazimedia.blogspot.com)

The first prisoner has been taken in Swaziland King Mswati III’s war
against his own people.

Mario Masuku, the president of the People’s United Democratic Movement
(PUDEMO), was arrested yesterday on terrorism charges after Swazi police
raided his home.

Masuku was taken to Mbabane police station, where his lawyers were
refused permission to speak to him in private.

The arrest came two days after Swaziland Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini
announced that PUDEMO and three other ‘political’ organisations were
‘terrorist’ organisations.

According to the Times Sunday today (16 November 2008) Masuku had been
arrested under section 5 (2) of Act 3 of Suppression of Terrorism Act of
2008, which deals with the unlawful possession of literature on
weapon-making, including ‘books, manuals, documents, pamphlets,
drawings, diagrams, electronic storage devices and tapes’.

Details of the arrest are confused. The Times Sunday was unable to
discover what the police were searching for or what (if anything) they
found as the newspaper was denied entry into Masuku’s home during the raid.

Two lawyers who went to Mbabane police station to see Masuku were denied
access to him by police officers.

The Times Sunday also reported that the Masuku family said Mario’s
arrest was ‘an effort to deter the public from engaging in progressive
thinking’.

The newspaper reported Masuku’s son Mzwandile saying, ‘We know the cause
that our father has dedicated his life to and we support him all the
way. We will never accept that he is a terrorist or all the other
comrades in the struggle.’

Mzwandile added, ‘We are very assured that our father is fighting a good
cause, which is liberating the people of Swaziland. All the hardship he
is facing, we believe is part and parcel of his good cause, but we can’t
run away from the fact that it’s hard and painful sometimes.’

Link
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/11/first-victim-in-swazi-kings-war.html

3. SSN PRESS STATEMENT 16th November, 2008

The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) has learnt with dismay about the
sudden increase in political repression in Swaziland. On Friday the 14th
November, 2008, Mswati's undemocratic regime criminalised political
opposition by "banning" legitimate progressive formations and branding
them "as enemies of peace, stability, security and national progress,
whose sole aim was to plant seeds of division, fear and strife in the
Swazi nation" The organisations are The People's United Democratic
Movement [PUDEMO], Swaziland Youth Congress [SWAYOCO], Swaziland
Solidarity Network [SSN], UMBANE. The irony of this banning is that
political parties were banned in 1973 in Swaziland. What the latest
decree does is essentially to CRIMINALISE progressive political parties
in Swaziland.

The illegitimate Swazi government has since demanded that Swazis should
resign from these organisations with immediate effect.  The banning even
goes further, by criminalising "any person found to be abetting, aiding,
sympathising with, sheltering and giving any logistical support to these
organisations." This means that any PUDEMO sympathiser is now a criminal.

Yesterday the 16th November, 2008 the  People's United Democratic
Movement's President Mario Masuku was arrested and subsequently charged
for contravening the contravening the Suppression of Terrorism Act.
According to media reports, the royal police are alleging that Comrade
Mario Masuku was found in unlawful possession of "terrorist" literature.
These trumped up charges are clearly ridiculous given the fact that the
"evidence" was found in Comrade Mario's home a day after PUDEMO was
branded a terrorist entity. The PUDEMO president is currently held in
Siteki police station in the Lubombo region.

It is clear that the action of the government in arresting the PUDEMO
President has nothing to do with fighting terrorism, but is a determined
strategy to crush PUDEMO.

The trumped up charges are nothing other than a ploy to try and crush
PUDEMO. They have nothing to do with terrorism. By arresting the
President (and initially the Secretary General Sphasha Dlamini as well)
out of all the members, clearly shows that they think this will be most
effective in debilitating the organisation.

The SSN is not intimidated by these actions and calls for the immediate
release of the Peoples President, Comrade Mario Masuku. No amount of
repression will deter the struggle for democracy in Swaziland. Neither
will we allow Mswati prescribe how struggle against his regime should be
conducted.

     1. SSN therefore, calls for the international community to isolate
Mswati's despotic regime. We further call for the immediate suspension
of Swaziland from SADC.

     2. We calls on SADC to intervene to the Swaziland political
stalemate before it worsens. Let SADC change its reactive strategy to
such situations as was the case with Zimbabwe, prevention of a crisis is
always better.  Furthermore, the SSN calls for the following to be acted
on by SADC with immediate effect

     3. We also call for immediate lifting of all draconian laws
including the recently enacted Terrorism Suppression Act of 2008.

     1.  Increase the pressure on the Mswati regime to with immediate
effect release comrade. President Mario Masuku and all other comrades.
who might already have been arrested by the time of releasing this
statement.

     2. . Lift all draconian laws in place to allow for the country to
start working on a transitional period

     3. . Unban all political parties and allow for the unconditional
return of all exiles.

     4.  Initiate under the SADC supervision, an all inclusive
participative dialogue that will lead Swaziland to a multi party
democratic dispensation.

SSN supports unwaivingly, PUDEMO's position over the years of a
political negotiated settlement with the Mswati regime. This position
the SSN still supports even to this day. The SSN however also supports
PUDEMO and uMbane's right to defend the People of Swaziland, its Leaders
and its Cadres against Mswati's death squads.

Issued by the Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN]

Swaziland@Newsletter 83

Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SAK-Swazinewsletter together with
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If you wish to receive the newsletter, please send a mail to:
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Swaziland@Newsletter is published by Africa Contact (Denmark) and
distributed to more than 1700 national and international
organisations, research institutes, universities, trade unions and
labour movements, political parties, church organisations, print and
electronic media, governments, diplomatic missions, members of
parliament, parliamentary committees and private individuals in
Southern Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

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).

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, Pressident of PUDEMO: SWAZILAND IN THE CONJUNCTURE,
AND THE WAY FORWARD, November 7 2008.

2. SWAZI `TIMES' AGAINST DETENTION. From Swazi media Commentary 10
November 2008 www.swazimedia.blogspot.com

3. SWAZI SOLDIERS ATTACK CIVILIANS. From Swazi Media Commentary 10
November 2008 www.swazimedia.blogspot.com

4. PUDEMO leadership Arrested by the Royal Swaziland Police [RSP] at
march. The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) 7 November 2008.

5. Commonwealth Expert Team Issues Final Report On 2008 Elections
29 October 2008
--------------------------------------------------

1. SWAZILAND IN THE CONJUNCTURE, AND THE WAY FORWARD

I have read with interest the comments made by the respectable Chief
Logcogco Mangaliso on the politics in our country, and wish to make
the following observations.

The Appointments of Committees.

The Swaziland political landscape and governance never ceases to amaze
one, though this is always predictable given the ultimate goal by
those in power which is to entrench and hegemonies the system's feudal
monopolistic ideology and thus enjoy absolute control of both economic
and political power.  After the national elections or 'selections' in
September a host of royal committees was set up whose  character
reflects nothing but members of the royal family, chiefs and a
sprinkle of the monarchy's praise singers and long time benefactors
and traditional die-hards.

These autocratic autocratic appointments give rise to contradictions
and internal conflicts, silent protests and now apparent political
competing allegiance towards either their majesties down the hill,
themselves contesting for the control of the governing executive power
up at Hospital Hill.  It is an open secret that even within the
cabinet itself, differing orders come from any of these two centers of
power down the highway.

The absence of the long awaited Codified Swazi Law and Custom
entrusted to the Chief Mangaliso, which would otherwise give
succinctly clear points of convergence with the common Law is the main
cause of the above conflicts in the state powers, and therefore, the
lieutenants.

The composition of these committees indicates glaring promotions or
rewards and demotions to various individuals from whatever angle or
perspective one analyses it.  What with some former cabinet ministers
now ordinary committee members, chiefs now committees members or in
the legislature and some individuals completely dumped and forgotten.

These are therefore ingredients to internal conflicts, backbiting and
the 'up-an-down-the-ladder' ascension and descent ion in the crew.
Due to the power that they wield, these committees have brought to
their knees even the best of executive arms, and in the process, the
whole country.  We learnt quite a lot from these committes'
interference in the erstwhile judiciary and the rule of law especially
on the Zena Mahlangu case; the Swaziland Railways case and indeed, the
'Mafutseni Committee' matter.

The Constitution.
A lot has been said about the Constitution and its making process,
suffice it to say that today PUDEMO's 16year old vision has now been
proved strategically and tactically valid.  The latest report by the
Commonwealth Expert Team (CET) on the Swaziland 2008 national
elections states that 'We cannot therefore conclude that the entire
process was credible'.  They also recommend:-

'That while cognizant of the respect due to the institution of the
Monarchy, which itself should be safeguarded and accommodated, the
Constitution be revised.  This should be carried out through a process
of full consultation with Swazi political organizations and civil
society (possibly with the support of constitutional experts), to
harmonize those provisions which are in conflict.  The aim is to
ensure that Swaziland's commitment to pluralism is unequivocal'.

Well said.  In PUDEMO's document 'The Way Forward To a Constituent
Assembly Through a Negotiated Settlement' we call for a National Forum
or Convention comprising the monarchical structures, the traditional,
religious, business, the youth, studentry, labour, women and all to
chart a true national supreme document for a new and democratic
Swaziland.  We acknowledge that this is also (now) endorsed by the
same main architects of the current fraudulent document.  But we are
prepared for this honest dialogue.

Political Parties.
The assertion by Chief Logcogco that 'people out there are ignorant..'
on political parties holds some water.  We do not have to go down
memory lane to remind people as to the cause of thereof.  In the early
1960s people knew and understood what political parties were and what
their role was, hence their vote in the 1967 and 1972 national
elections – and thank God, these were free and fair in spite of the
fact that one (the Imbokodvo National Movement) was the king's party.
  From 1973, when the then King, then Prime Minister Makhosini, then
Attorney General D. Cohen under the advice of one South African
apartheid and Broderbund Advocate Van Wyk de Vries colluded and
treasonably abrogated the independence constitution, people were
politically starved off and grossly malnourished.

Yes, anyone born around 1960, and they are in the majority today, will
have a vague idea or experience of what party politics means and its
functions (for they were only 13 years old in 1973).

Again agreed, we all need extensive independent civic education on all
fundamental rights, protection thereof and on all socio-economic
implications.  The education that was conducted from 1997, sponsored
by the UNDP and the EU was a complete fake and brain-wash where
participants were taught all negatives on party politics and group
representation.  As long as our country produces citizens who are
passive and politically undernourished, one-system-fed, arrogant and
intolerant, we will either remain redundant or produce to export
intellectuals to neighboring states where the socio-political
environments are conducive to their holistic human development.

This does not, by the way, mean that there are no politically
conscious citizens who have done their best towards a total
transformation of Swaziland. No! They are many, including the Chief
himself.

That we need a referendum to decide on whether political parties are
embraced makes no logic.  The rights to associate assemble and
expression are embodied within the United Nation's or Universal
Declaration on Human Rights, and warrants no debate.  As in the Right
to Life, are we one day to seek a referendum to decide if we need it?
No – that would be madness.  It is never debatable. We can only debate
on how we can improve on any fundamental right.

The Way Forward on these is that we must engage, talk and dialogue for
a better nation – but time is fast running against us.

To say that the constitution is a makoti and must be cholad, is again
a psychological time consuming myth implanted in the minds of our
fellow Swazi people.  The reality is, how practical is it to influence
a change through the legislature and have the constitution effectively
amended? Clearly, this is near impossible.

Such routes have, historically encouraged more revolutionary methods
towards change instead of evolutionary, and in most cases the former
has triumphed.  We cannot avoid this change, and all dictatorships,
imperialists who have tried resistance have all fallen and are today
lying in dustbins of history.

Issued by PUDEMO Pressident
Mario Masuku

2. SWAZI `TIMES' AGAINST DETENTION
Swaziland's only independent daily newspaper has come out strongly
against a move to reintroduce detention without trial in Swaziland.

As I reported yesterday, the Liqoqo committee, which advises King
Mswati III, is considering reviving an order that would allow people
to be detained for up to 60 days by police without trial.

The Times of Swaziland in an editorial comment published today (10
November 2008) says the news should be shocking but in light of the
recent declaration of war against his subjects made by King Mswati
III, it is not. The king had publicly told Dlamini to fight the
terrorists and all who support them.

As readers of this blog will know, the king last month illegally
appointed Barnabas Dlamini as Swaziland's Prime Minister. When he was
previously Prime Minister from 1996 to 2003, Dlamini introduced the 60
Day Detention Order. He also unleashed a reign of terror against the
Swazi people and had complete disregard for the rule of law.

The Times says, `Only a ruling party desperate to cling onto power'
would think detention without trial was a way to fight terrorism.

`Slowly this country is degenerating into a military state and we
should not and cannot allow `that to happen.

`Using Saddam Hussein strategies of holding onto power would only
yield the result that saw the former Iraq leader toppled
unceremoniously by external forces.

`Liqoqo should, therefore, not begin to enforce dictatorship when the
world seeks to destroy it.

`Every citizen has a right to a fair hearing and this right is
protected by the country's constitution; not that this country's
constitution is followed to the letter.

`We are all concerned about terrorism and it deserves to be condemned
in the strongest possible terms, but whatever measures are put in
place, they should not be haphazard and unlawful.

`The king should dismiss the Liqoqo proposal if they eventually decide
to submit it to him for approval.

`May we also use this opportunity to request Liqoqo to think away from
reviving the 1973 Decree as Option B.

`The simple and most effective anti-terrorism action is good
governance, where the equal distribution of the country's wealth,
political transparency and accountability to the people, dialogue and
power sharing are an important ingredient.

`Only then can we realise peace and prosperity. Any other way will
simply render us a "banana republic"'.

3. SWAZI SOLDIERS ATTACK CIVILIANS
Swazi soldiers have taken it upon themselves to become guardians of
law and order in Swaziland.
They have been trying to stamp pout prostitution in Manzini,
Swaziland's second city.

Despite the fact that soldiers are among prostitutes' best clients, a
group of armed soldiers have been harassing `working girls' on the
streets.

In one case six sex workers were rounded up and physically and
sexually abused by soldiers. One of their male clients was forced to
perform a degrading sex act for the amusement of the soldiers.

An official army spokesman refused to comment on whether the action of
the soldiers was a legitimate use of the military.

The Times Sunday reported yesterday (9 November 2008) that three
prostitutes had gone to a regular spot on the Manzini streets
excepting trade one night when an army car parked near them.

One of the women takes up the story, `Some of the girls we found there
took off when the car pulled up. One soldier ordered all three of us
to jump into the back of the car. He emphasised that we should bring
condoms.'

The Times Sunday reported, `The three ladies were under the impression
that the soldiers were just being aggressive, which is a
characteristic of their job. They actually thought they would be taken
to a private spot or their (soldiers) quarters to carry out business.

`However, that was not to be so.'

The soldiers drove the women to a popular pub where they demanded that
they identify other commercial sex workers, which they did. The
soldiers then drove six of the prostitutes to Trelawny Park. Along the
way they picked up one of their regular male clients.

At the park the soldiers ordered them all out of the car where they
kicked and abused the women. The soldiers said the women were `paying
for selling our bodies to willing customers'.

The women were then ordered to lower their pants and demonstrate to
the soldiers how they entertain men. The man was forced to dig a hole
and the soldiers `ordered him to insert his manhood, and pretend he
was with a woman'.

The soldiers then beat the women with sticks and shrubs.

When questioned by the Times Sunday, Army spokesman Major Dumsani
Masuku said `he did not have enough time to consult'.

However, the newspaper reported, some soldiers have been deployed to
public facilities that in Swaziland that are considered susceptible to
terrorist attacks. Masuku was non-committal with regards to their role
in other crimes such as prostitution, and the appropriate course of
action in the event they come across other forms of crime.

It is hard to see what the Army spokesperson's problem is here.
Clearly, it is not the job of the Army to `police' the streets of
Swaziland. The soldiers were acting illegally and should themselves be
subjected to the law. We could start with charging them with abduction
and sexual assault.

Meanwhile, we need a clear statement from Swaziland's Prime Minister
Barnabas Dlamini that the Army has no place in policing Swaziland. The
Army's job is to protect Swaziland against external enemies. Soldiers
should not be unleashed on the general public to `clean up the streets'.

I doubt that such a statement will be forthcoming from Dlamini. He is
himself an illegally-appointed Prime Minister and the last time he was
in office from 1996 to 2003, he unleashed a reign of terror against
the Swazi people and showed a complete disregard for the rule of law
in Swaziland.

4. PUDEMO leadership Arrested by the Royal Swaziland Police [RSP] at
march.
The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) would like to inform the world
of the arrest of PUDEMO and SWAYOCO leadership and other comrades at
the Mbabane old bush rank while preparing to embark on a march to the
Prime Minister's office to deliver a petition. They are currently
detained in police vans and have been held there for more than two
hours at the time of releasing this statement. The arrested leaders
include President of The People's United Democratic Movement [PUDEMO]
comrade. Mario Masuku, SWAYOCO Secretary General comrade Thabile Zwane
and SWAYOCO Organising Secretary comrade Themba Mabuza.
The march to the Prime Minister's office was to deliver a petition
which carried these demands;

1.       The bringing into trial of the 15 PUDEMO and SWAYOCO members
charged with Treason for alleged the 2005 bombing of government
building failure to which drop the charges. These comrades have been
out on stringent bail conditions since their release in March 2006. "
Justice delayed is justice denied".

2.       The releasing to the public of the Commission of Inquiry
Report ordered by the then Chief Justice Jacobus Annandale on 10th
March 2006 into the torture and assault  of the PUDEMO and SWAYOCO
comrades during their interrogation and while in detention in 2005/6
on the said Treason charges.
The Swaziland Solidarity Network supports the demands contained in
this Petition and calls for their addressing with immediate effect.
Furthermore the Swaziland Solidarity Network, demands that;

•         The Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Chairperson South African President HE Kgalema Motlanthe to removes
King Mswati 111 from the position of Chairman of the organ Troika with
immediate effect and push for the democratisation process in Swaziland.

•         The Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of
States Extra-ordinary meeting to be held on the 9th November 2008 in
South Africa to put on the Swaziland question on its agenda.

•         The Southern African Development Community (SADAC) to adopt
the report of the Commonwealth Expert Team dated 24th September, 2008
on the recently held Swaziland National Elections.

The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) through its Chairperson Cde.
Solly Mapaila , has today sent a petition on the Swazi issue to His
Excellency President Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa , in his
capacity as Chairperson of  the  Southern African Development
Community (SADC). This seeks to request him to put more focus on
Swaziland.

Issued by the Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN]

5. Commonwealth Expert Team Issues Final Report On 2008 Elections
29 October 2008

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma today released the
Final Report of the Commonwealth Expert Team which observed the 2008
National Elections in Swaziland.
Mr Sharma said: "Despite the fact that the Team found that the
elections on polling day were reasonably well conducted, they raised
concerns about the totality of the electoral process. The Team felt
that the reasons for this lay in weaknesses in the current
constitutional, legal and electoral framework. These required reforms
through a process of consultation and dialogue.
"What is vital now is for the Government and all political and civil
society organizations in Swaziland to work together to chart a
mutually agreed path for the future development of the country, with a
view to ensuring its sustainable growth and stability, in line with
Commonwealth fundamental values. The Commonwealth stands ready to
assist in that process", the Secretary-General added.

The Report was completed and signed by all members of the Commonwealth
Expert Team, prior to their departure from Swaziland. It was presented
to the Commonwealth Secretary-General by the Team leader, Dr Paul
Ssemogerere, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda. Before being
made public, it was distributed to the Government of Swaziland, to
Swazi political and civil society organisations, to the Elections and
Boundaries Commission of Swaziland, and to all other Commonwealth
governments.

Read the Commonwealth Swaziland National Elections Report:
http://www.thecommonwealth.org/document/184655/2008_swaziland_elections.htm

Swaziland@Newsletter 82

Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Swaziland@Newsletter is published by Africa Contact (Denmark) and
distributed to more than 1700 national and international
organisations, research institutes, universities, trade unions and
labour movements, political parties, church organisations, print and
electronic media, governments, diplomatic missions, members of
parliament, parliamentary committees and private individuals in
Southern Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

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.

____________________________________________________________________________

Swaziland@Newsletter Extra

Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SAK-Swazinewsletter together with
documents and other materials not included in the regular newsletter.
If you wish to receive the newsletter, please send mail to:
SAK-Swazinewsletter subscribe@.... Suggestions as to
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____________________________

SWAZILAND GOVERNMENT PRESS STATEMENT
NO: 1/2008

SOUTHERN AFRICAN SOCIAL FORUM MEETING TO BE HELD IN THE COUNTRY


1. THE GOVERNMENT OF SWAZILAND HAS LEARNT THROUGH ITS RELIABLE
SOURCES AND LOCAL MEDIA THAT AN ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS THE SOUTHERN
AFRICAN SOCIAL FORUM INTENDS TO HOST A MEETING THE KINGDOM OF
SWAZILAND FROM 16TH - 18 OCTOBER 2008. THE GOVERNMENT HAS NOT BEEN
FORMALLY INFORMED OF THIS PROPOSED MEETING.

2. HOWEVER, FROM THE INFORMATION AVAILABLE IT IS THE VIEW OF THE
SWAZILAND GOVERNMENT THAT THE HOSTING OF THE MEETING IN THE COUNTRY
WILL NOT BE IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST, AND WILL COMPROMISE PEACE,
SECÙRITY AND STABIL1TY OF THE KINGDOM OF SWAZIIÀND. CONSEQUENTLY, THE
MEETING CANNOT BE HELD IN THE KINGDOM.

3. GOVERNMENT WISHES TO STATE THAT IN THE UNIKELY EVËNT THAT THE
MEETING GOES AHEAD, THE GOVERNMENT WILL SE COMPELLED TO APPLY THE LAW
TO ITS FULLEST EXTENT.

4. IN CONCLUSIONJ THE GOVERNMENT REAFFIRMS ITS SUPPORT TO WORK WITH
LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS WHOSE OBJECTIVES ARE IN LINE
WITH THË NATIONAL ASPIR.ATIONS AND PRIORITIES.


OFFICE OF THE ACTING HEAD OF GOVERNMENT 13TH OCTOBER 2008.

______________________________

1. Swaziland bans international civil rights meeting. Afrol News, 14
October 2008.

2. COSATU Media Release, 15 October 2008: Boycott, go-slow and
non-handling of goods to Swaziland.

3. Civil Rights Groups Challenge Monarch?s Wednesday Meeting Ban.
Peter Clottey, Washington, D.C. Voice of America, 15 October 2008.

4. COSATU International Department, SACP International Department:
Memorandum to the Swazi Consulate. 14 October, 2008

5. Emanuel Ndlangamandla: Southern African Social Forum in Swaziland
still on. 14 October, 2008.

6. Acting Prime Minister flexes his muscles: Banning of Southern
Africa Social Forum. Arthur Mordaunt, Times of Swaziland, October 14,
2008

______________________________

1. Swaziland bans international civil rights meeting. Afrol News, 14
October 2008.

Following royal orders, Swaziland's Prime Minister Bheki Dlamini has
banned the regional Southern African Social Forum (SASF), to be hold
in the kingdom later this week. The King feared the regional civil
rights meeting could become "destabilising" for the monarchy.

The Social Forum is a regional version of the World Social Forum, the
world?s biggest space for civil society organisations and peoples of
the world to reflect on the challenges facing humanity and the share
experiences, so as to develop a concrete way forward. It is a people?s
parliament, where regional activists from all over Southern Africa
were to gather to plan joint action and develop common platforms.

Swaziland's absolute monarch, Mswati III, however ordered the
cancellation of the event at short notice as it became clear that many
organisations being critical to his regime would attend. The Forum was
to be held on Thursday, coinciding with the day scheduled for Mswati's
appointment of a new government following last month's "elections".

The banning of the regional event today caused outrage among Southern
African civil society organisations, demonstrating solidarity with
their repressed counterparts in Swaziland. Most vocal was South
Africa's trade union - affiliated to the ruling ANC party - telling
the Swazi Consular General "siyaya Eswaziland!" ("We are definitely
going to Swaziland!") in a open letter. Also two Swazi trade unions,
SFTU and SUDF, signed the petition against "this act of desperation by
an internationally discredited regime."

According to these trade unions, other Southern African civil society
organisations and the ANC Youth League, the banning of the Social
Forum was "consistent with the regime's historical record of silencing
workers and the poor people of Swaziland, which has been the case
since 1973 when king Sobhuza II banned political parties and
criminalised all political activities, thus monopolising all political
power and access to public decision-making as the exclusive preserve
of the royal family."

The organisations promised to take action against King Mswati's
regime. The organisations urged all participants to defy the ban and
travel to Swaziland as planned, while Swazi groups are to try the ban
in court. COSATU is meeting Swazi unions as part of a long standing
plan for a boycott campaign against goods destined to Swaziland,
scheduled for the period of 27 October to 1 November. Further, trade
unions promised to put pressure on the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) to ban Swazi officials from important positions in
the regional body.

For the Swazi government, the Forum indeed comes at a delicate timing
as regional and international focus had turned on to the kingdom after
the poor holding of elections. The 19 September polls were widely
condemned as highly manipulated and "a parody", resulting in the total
loss of confidence in King Mswati's announced democratisation scheme.
In Swaziland, trade unions have represented the strongest challenge to
the King's totalitarian rule, triggering solidarity from COSATU and
other regional trade union movements.

King Mswati thus expected the Forum to become a nucleus of protest
against his announcement of a new government on Thursday, ordering PM
Dlamini to ban it. Mr Dlamini yesterday issued a statement, saying
that is was "of the view of the Swaziland government that the hosting
of the meeting in the country will not be in national interest, and
will compromise peace, security and stability of the kingdom of
Swaziland."

______________________________

2. COSATU Media Release, 15 October 2008: Boycott, go-slow and
non-handling of goods to Swaziland.


The Congress of South African Trade Unions, together with its
affiliates and its working-class and Civil Society allies, has
organised a week of boycott, go-slow and non-handling of goods to
Swaziland.

This is to protest against the lack of democracy in that country,
which is still ruled by a kleptocratic absolute monarch, and also
against specific grievances including the outrageous banning of the
Southern African Social Forum by the royal-puppet, appointee Swazi
government this week.

This week of multiple actions commences on 27 October 2008 and
continues until 1 November 2008.

More details of these actions will follow in due course.

For further details please contact:

COSATU International Department, Bongani Masuku, 079 499 6419
SACP International Department, Lucian Segami, 011 339 3633
Swaziland Solidarity Network, Lucky Lukhele, 072 502 4141

______________________________

3. Civil Rights Groups Challenge Monarch?s Wednesday Meeting Ban.
Peter Clottey, Washington, D.C. Voice of America, 15 October 2008.


Swaziland's independent civil right groups are filing a court case
Wednesday, challenging the absolute monarch's decision to ban its
meeting scheduled for Thursday. The government contends that
tomorrow's scheduled meeting will not only harm the country's
interest. Officials argue it would compromise peace, security and
stability. But local groups dismiss the government's remarks, saying
forum participants from across the southern Africa sub-region had been
expected to discuss calls on King Mswati III to accept political
parties and other democratic reforms.

Thembinkosi Dlamini is a major proponent of the civil rights groups.
   From the capital, Mbabane he tells reporter Peter Clottey that the
social forum is an open space for reflective thinking, democratic
debates of ideas, and the free exchange of experiences.

"We are indeed prepared to go ahead and take government to court today
to enforce our rights as per the constitution in section 25, which
talks about the freedom of assembly and association, because as of
yesterday, the government has reaffirmed its position that it would
not allow this meeting to go ahead, especially, because the organizers
are aligning themselves with COSATU (The Congress of South African
Trade Unions), and allowing this meeting to go ahead would not be in
the nation's interest. And it was a threat to national peace and
stability," Dlamini noted.

He denied the civil rights groups are aimed at destabilizing the
country, as the government is asserting.

"We were actually taken aback by the government stance, especially
because the Southern African Social Forum has a regional meeting,
which addresses issues of poverty, issues of regional solidarity and
issues of oppression, democracy and governance, and other issues that
are sort of problematic to the development of the region. One of the
issues that was going to be discussed, for instance, is the issue of
the current food crisis, the fuel crisis, and also the credit crisis
that is ongoing in the whole world," he said.

Dlamini said the absolute monarch is behaving as if he is unaware of
the objectives and the non-partisan nature of the social forum.

"We do not understand why now, all of a sudden, the government is
taking such a stance when in the past, they have known that the social
forums have been held everywhere in the world, in Europe, in Lartin
America, in Africa, and even in Southern Africa, where social forums
have been heard and there were never reports of any problems with
regards to national security," Dlamini pointed out.

He said the groups are hopeful their court challenge of the monarch's
meeting ban would be upheld, although he said the odds are stacked
against them.

"The problem here is the independence of the judiciary is not
guaranteed. And based on our previous experience with such cases that
involved particularly section 25 of the constitution, you find that
the courts do not come out strong to enforce those rights, obviously
because of the lack of independence on the part of the judiciary. So
we are really banking on the courts to at least this time make a
statement to say the government cannot be allowed to go ahead
violating people's human rights in the country. However, I would say
our chances are 50-50," he said.

Dlamini said the groups would abide by the courts' decision if it
rules against them.

"That would be an unfortunate situation of course, however, we are in
constant contact with our partners in the region and continue to look
at alternatives. However, being law-abiding citizens in this country,
we would be sort of obliged to abide by the court's decision in this
instance," Dlamini noted.

Meanwhile, King Mswati III is expected to appoint a new prime minister
following the parliamentary elections held last month that were
denounced as a burlesque of democracy.

Political observers say despite occasional unrest and a growing
democracy movement, Swaziland is overwhelmingly peaceful. But police
have reportedly prevented demonstrations by the king's critics.

A significant number of members of parliaments from across Africa who
observed last September vote said it did not meet both regional and
international standards for democratic elections.

___________________________________

4. COSATU International Department, SACP International Department:
Memorandum to the Swazi Consulate. 14 October, 2008


Consular General, Swazi Consulate
Mr Ernest Tsabedze
Braamfontein Centre, 6th Floor
23 Jorissen Street
Tel: (+2711) 403 2036
Fax: (+2711) 403 7473

SIYAYA ESWAZILAND!
(We are definitely going to Swaziland!)


We condemn banning of the Southern African Social Forum in Swaziland

Following the banning of the Southern African Social Forum (SASF) in
Swaziland announced yesterday by the Prime minister of Swaziland,
Bheki Dlamini, we, the civil society representatives from COSATU and
its affiliates, SACP, YCL, SASCO, HURISA, OSISA, FOCUS (Congo), and
ANCYL, as well as SFTU and SUDF from Swaziland convened here today,
wish to strongly condemn this act of desperation by an internationally
discredited regime, the tinkhundla royal regime whose time is up.

We continue to note that following the undemocratic elections recently
and the extravagant royal bash dubbed 40/40, the Swazi monarchy has
never ceased to expose himself and SADC, which put him on the
chairpersonship of the Organ troika on Politics, defence and security,
a body entrusted with the promotion and defence of democracy in the
region. He has consistently affirmed himself as a true despot and
insecure leader, who feeds on the plight of the poor and oppressed
people of Swaziland.

We believe that the banning of the Social Forum is consistent with the
regime?s historical record of silencing workers and the poor people of
Swaziland, which has been the case since 1973 when king Sobhuza II
banned political parties and criminalised all political activities,
thus monopolising all political power and access to public
decision-making as the exclusive preserve of the royal family.

The Social Forum is a regional version of the World Social Forum, the
world?s biggest space for progressive organisations and peoples of the
world to reflect on the challenges facing humanity and the share
experiences, so as to develop a concrete wayforward.

It is a people?s parliament, where regional activists from all over
Southern Africa gather to plan joint action and develop common
platforms. It has been ruthlessly closed down by a desperate monarchy,
which fears every single challenge and space for engagement. He rules
by fear and not popularity, he rules by the gun and not legitimacy and
support.

We call on SADC to immediately reconsider the position granted to
someone who is so undeserving of such an important position, for he
has chosen to bash the people he is supposed to protect, that is the
Southern African people.

We want to send a clear message to the world and in particular to
regional leaders, that Mswati?s brutal example must not be emulated
anywhere. He must be an example of how despots face their own music.
It is clear that despots learn from each other and encourage each
other, therefore, we must tighten the belts of action. In this sense,
we are encouraged and inspired by the resilience and courage of the
co-ordinators and Swazi civil society in general, who have pledged to
proceed and defy the banning. We offer our solidarity and assure
everyone that indeed, SIYAYA ESwaziland. We encourage all and everyone
to prepare him/herself to go to Swaziland, even those who had
originally not been going. This is the time to demonstrate that our
region is not a home for despots.

In this regard, COSATU is meeting Swazi unions as part of a long
standing plan for the Boycott campaign against goods destined to
Swaziland, scheduled for the 27th October to 01 November, in which a
joint task team comprised of all unions in the critical sectors are
meeting to work out details and finalise preparations. These comrades
indeed joined the picket.

We demand the unconditional withdrawal of the ban and for the monarchy
to meet all the demands of the Swazi people for democracy and the
unbanning of political parties.


__________________________________

5. Emanuel Ndlangamandla: Southern African Social Forum in Swaziland
still on. 14 October, 2008.

Dear Colleagues and Partners,

THE SOUTHERN AFRICA SOCIAL FORUM, 2008 TO BE HELD IN MANZINI,
SWAZILAND ON THE 16-18 OCTOBER 2008

The Swaziland Economic Justice Network (SEJN) has learnt with deep
sadness the attempts by the Swaziland Government to ban the taking
place of the Southern Africa Social Forum which is meant to take place
in Manzini, Swaziland on the 16-18th October, 2008.

The organisers would like to take this opportunity to reassure ALL
colleagues and partners in the struggle that intended to attend the
forum that it is going on as planned. The organisers have secured an
alternative venue for the forum at the Salesian Sports Arena, close to
the Manzini City Centre.

We are looking forward to welcoming you ALL to the Kingdom of Swaziland.

Yours Sincerely,
Emanuel Ndlangamandla
Executive Director

_________________________

6. Acting Prime Minister flexes his muscles: Banning of Southern
Africa Social Forum. Arthur Mordaunt, Times of Swaziland, October 14, 2008

MBABANE Government has banned the planned Southern African Social
Forum slated for this week.  The meeting is scheduled for October
16-18, 2008.

In a statement from the office of the acting head of government, Bheki
Dlamini, government says it would not allow the meeting and should
attempts be made to continue with it, the law will take its course.

Government claimed to have heard about the meeting from reliable sources.

Security

"From the information available it is the view of the Swaziland
Government that the hosting of the meeting in the country will not be
in the national interest, and will compromise peace, security and
stability of the kingdom of Swaziland. Consequently, the meting cannot
be held in the kingdom. Government wishes to state that in the
unlikely event that the meeting goes ahead despite her position on
this matter, the government will be compelled to apply the law to its
fullest extent," government said.

Government stated that it would work with and support local and
international organisations whose objectives are in line with
country aspirations and priorities.

The objective of the meeting was to discuss socio-economic issues affecting
the country. Regional and international guests were expected at the
meeting. It was being organised by organisations that included the
Coordinating Assembly for Non- Governmental Organisations (CANGO), the
Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) and the two labour
federations, the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) and the
Swaziland Federation of Labour (SFL).

This is not the first time government has banned a function. A few
months ago, a march by women groups to protest ritual murders was
banned. Recently, the police banned a memorial service for political
activist Craig ?Jack? Govender.

...SFTU shocked, COSATU to consult

The organisations behind the meeting have reacted with shock to
government?s ban of the meeting.

Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) Secretary General Jan
Sithole said this was shocking, particularly because Swaziland chairs
the SADC organ on peace and security, which promotes such issues of
good governance.

He said government?s actions only demonstrated its unwillingness to
conform to democratic principles as espoused in the bill of rights.

While admitting his shock, CANGO Director Emmanuel Ndlangamandla said
he could not comment until he hears government?s reasons for banning
the meeting.

Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) International
Spokesperson Bongani Masuku said they were yet to consult on
governments latest action.

COSATU was one of the international organisations that supported the meeting.

_____________________________

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____________________________________


Thobile Maso: Martyrs of our times

Dedicated to Jack Govender and Musa MJ Dlamini
Rest in peace my leaders


Fallen gallant fighters in the midst of people's war
Jacking up freedom of sons and daughters of Swaziland
Mounting the journey of freedom for all
Moving in the deep valleys between the hills
Climbing the steep, rocky, high, mountains
Lumumba has tested this journey before
You came from untamed jungle, as young lions
Power will never be handed over by dictators
You knew that, and all must know now
Tinkundla is bubbling and mumbling around
Who will take the assegai and forge ahead before sunset?

________________________________


1. Activist killed in Swaziland bomb blast is laid to rest. The Times
- Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. October 5, 2008.

2. Proof that Lozitha bomb exploded and killed 2. Makhosi Magongot,
Times of Swaziland, October 5, 2008.

3. Jack Govender wanted Swaziland liberated. Arthur Mordaunt, Times of
Swaziland, 1 October, 2008.

4. COSATU campaigns for democracy in Zimbabwe and Swaziland. afroNews,
3 October, 2008.

5. More hold-ups for anti-graft body. Mercury. October 1, 2008.
http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4637683

6. Our women need to get rid of archaic rituals. Maggie Fraser. Daily
Skiff - Fort Worth, Texas, USA, October 2, 2008.

7. Struggling against tradition. Inter Press Service News Agency.
Mantoe Phakathi, October 1, 2008.

________________________________

1. Activist killed in Swaziland bomb blast is laid to rest. The Times
- Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. October 5, 2008.


Family and friends of former anti- apartheid activist Jack Govender,
who was killed in a bomb explosion in Swaziland two weeks ago, bid him
farewell yesterday.

The former Bayview activist, a founding member of the Swaziland
Solidarity Network (SSN) - a liberation movement and fellow freedom
fighter Musa Dlamini were killed after a bomb detonated in their car
near one of King Mswati IIIs palaces in Lozitha. Swazi authorities
claimed that the pair were attempting to blow up a bridge in the area.

Last week, the Govender family had not yet received official
confirmation of his death. Family members travelled to Swaziland this
week to identify his body and bring it back to Chatsworth for his
funeral service.

SSN spokesman Lucky Lukhele said the organisation was deeply saddened
by the two freedom fighters deaths.

- We reject the notion that they killed themselves. 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, he said.

They were freedom fighters, not terrorists: Suthentira Govender

________________________________


2. Proof that Lozitha bomb exploded and killed 2. Makhosi Magongot,
Times of Swaziland, October 5, 2008.

This week the Times Sunday publishes exclusive pictures of the remains
of two members of the Swaziland Solidarity Network, and the Peoples
United Democratic Movement, who were killed by a bomb two weeks ago.

This is the sorry sight of the remains of Musa MJ Dlamini and Jack
Govender, the men whose bombing incident have generated a lot of media
and political interest over the past two weeks within and outside the
country.

Gory as they appear, we found it appropriate to publish these pictures
for reasons stated herein. The primary reason being the public
interest: the pictures are but proof that two people were indeed blown
to death by the bomb that prematurely exploded before it could be
planted under the Lozitha overhead bridge.

The bomb instantly killed the perpetrators of terrorism, but had they
been successful in their endeavour, it could have been an innocent
road user or motorist killed or seriously injured.

The second reason comes in the form of a question: is this the terror
we want as a country, and should we not sit down and forge a peaceful
way forward? For a country known to be peaceful for so many years, it
is disheartening to see that we have got to this point where sons and
daughters of the soil are prepared to plant bombs in order to drive a
message to the countrys authorities.

Chairmanship

And for a country that recently assumed Chairmanship of the Southern
African Development Community?s TROIKA organ, this is where we say
charity begins at home.

It is within the boundaries of the country that we are going to
demonstrate to the rest of the continents sub-region that we are able
to handle issues of peace and security, before we can be able to
influence other nations in turmoil.

Accordingly, this publication urges the leadership of this country to
engage the organisations behind the bombings, with the view of
bringing an early end to what seems to be the start of bad things yet
to be seen in this country.

And honestly, we do not want to see any further acts of terrorism as
the one that nearly happened at Lozitha. To add to that, PUDEMO has
warned that more similar attacks should be expected.

Reasons

Ignoring the voices and reasons for bombing public buildings and
structures will not stop the impending terrorism acts, but will only
exacerbate, and possibly turn this country to a bloodbath. And all
this may happen for the reason that leaders of the country have
continuously failed to engage in dialogue with progressive formations.

As suggested by MP Marwick Khumalo, it is time for change in the way
the country is politically governed. This is what the progressives
have been saying all these years.

The Lozitha bombing is but one of the ways in which members of
pressure groups have sought to send this message to the ruling elite.
And for many years these voices of discontent have been ignored.

How many people should die before the ruling elite agrees to political
dialogue?


________________________________

3. Jack Govender wanted Swaziland liberated. Arthur Mordaunt, Times of
Swaziland, 1 October, 2008.

The deceased Lozitha suspect bomber Jack Govender, who is South
African, fell in love with the idea of liberating Swaziland during
visits to lawyer Musa Dlamini.

The two men, however, later died together last week Saturday during
one of their liberation missions, which was a failed bomb attempt at
the Lozitha overhead bridge.

According to the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) chairperson Solly
Mapaila, during Govender's visits to Swaziland, he would often stay
with Dlamini while he was a student at the University of Swaziland at
the time. Mapaila would also visit the country at a later stage.

He said it was during their interaction with various organisations in
Swaziland that the resolution to focus on Swaziland was taken.

The Times has also gathered that a number of international
organisations and countries have been contacted for help in this regard.

Struggle

A tribute to Dlamini by his compatriots in the struggle has revealed
the extent to which efforts have been made towards changing the system
of governance in Swaziland.

Mapaila disclosed in the tribute that Dlamini, also known as MJ, had
traversed many countries where he was seeking assistance and
solidarity for the cause he was fighting.

"You would later travel the whole African continent seeking justice
for your country and in the process you made many friends who are
angry that you are no more. I bring to you the last best wishes and
goodbyes from the comrades in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
the Congo Brazzaville, the Greater Sudan and Nile Peninsula, Uganda,
Kenya, Lesotho, Botswana, Angola, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and
Malawi," Mapaila said.

Not only were these countries visited but other people like Govender
joined in and dedicated their time to the liberalisation of Swaziland.
Govender also travelled widely in this pursuit.

Govender is touted as one of the first people to establish contact
with the progressive formations in Swaziland post apartheid South
Africa (1994). He is said to have travelled the world before returning
to South Africa in February 2008 where he immersed himself in SSN
activities, particularly Swaziland's democratisation.
_______________


4. COSATU campaigns for democracy in Zimbabwe and Swaziland. afroNews,
3 October, 2008.

In a bid to build on momentum generated by recent congress of Southern
African Trade Unions (COSATU), the body along with unions and
progressive organisations of civil society from South Africa, Zimbabwe
and Swaziland, have agreed to develop a new strategy to take forward
campaign for democracy in Zimbabwe and Swaziland.

Agreement was made with ultimate goal of building a southern African
people's movement for justice and democracy.

Meeting held in Sandton in South Africa early this week agreed among
other things to convene a civil society conference on
'Zimbabwe-post-the-deal and where to from here?' to be held inside
Zimbabwe and involve whole SADC region to assess situation and develop
a common response on strengthening of democracy and on-going
transformation based on fundamental interests of people.

Meeting agreed to intensify campaign for a 'Week of global action on
Swaziland', including non-handling of goods to Swaziland, to be held
on 27 October to 1 November, 2008, in which trade unions should play a
leading role.

A statement issued by COSATU today shows that meeting also agreed to
establish a joint task team from Swazi and SA unions who will be at
centre of boycott, owing to their strategic location in economy.

Statement shows that meeting agreed to actively participate in
Southern African Social Forum in Swaziland from 16 to 18 October, to
strengthen regional people's initiatives and in solidarity with
struggling people of Swaziland, using forum as a space for raising
international profile of Swazi struggle and as an opportunity to build
and strengthen their capacity to wage a sustainable struggle for
democracy and economic justice.

"It agreed to develop a code of leadership by civil society as a model
for exemplary, ethical and democratic leadership in region,
particularly at state level, to ensure credibility in political and
institutional processes of region, so they can enjoy confidence of
people," it says.

Meeting further agreed to initiate a SADC transformation project to
help civil society to participate in formulation of new-look, vibrant,
dynamic and inclusive SADC structures.

"This should allow citizens of region full participation, satisfactory
representation and regular and meaningful influence in affairs of this
important regional body. It will also be a way to challenge
appointment of undemocratic leaders at helm of strategic institutions
such as SADC Organ Troika, failure of SADC to enforce compliance
amongst member states on existing agreements and protocols, and double
standards, such as seen in monitoring of elections in Swaziland
recently, where the SADC observer mission accepted an electoral
outcome conducted in an environment of banned political parties and
arrests of political activists," it says.

It adds that this goes together with indecisiveness around Zimbabwe
and Swaziland for such a long time.

In summary, this project is about renewal of SADC to reflect new
challenges of regional social, political and economic configuration,
statement says.

Meeting further agreed to initiate a loose network of regional
activists to build a regional movement for mass mobilisation, in form
of a 'SADC People's Justice Campaign', to develop structured and
sustained solidarity focus and support for democracy, workers'
struggles, landless people's struggles, economic justice and human
rights throughout region.

This movement according to statement should be properly discussed at
coming Southern African Social Forum in Swaziland, so as to give it
meaning and clarify its purpose in more concrete terms.

Coming congress of Southern African Trade Union Co-ordination Council
in Botswana next week should be able to strengthen these initiatives,
given centrality of trade union movement in success of this very
determined regional civil society programme, statement concludes.

_______________

5. More hold-ups for anti-graft body. Mercury / Sapa-AFP. October 1, 2008.
http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=4637683

Swaziland's new anti-corruption commission, sworn in yesterday after
months of delays, has pledged to crack down on graft in the
impoverished kingdom.

Commission chief Michael Mtegha said that although 23 complaints had
been filed since the commission had been established in 2007, a lack
of financing had prevented it from starting work.

Actual investigations would not begin until later in the year.

"There is still a lot to be done in educating Swazis on what is
corruption," he said.

Mtegha said the commission would host a national anti-graft summit
later in the year to highlight the problem in the country, which is
Africa's sole absolute monarchy.

Former finance minister Majozi Sithole said in his budget speech at
the start of the year that corruption had cost the country about 40
million emalangeni (R40 million) every month.

But political analyst Vusi Sibisi said the new commission was aimed
mainly at appeasing international donors who had pressed the tiny
kingdom to crack down on graft.

"So far, there has been no political will from the authorities to
combat corruption," he said.

United Nations figures show that about two-thirds of Swaziland's 1.14
million people live in poverty and 40% of adults are infected with HIV.

In September, Swaziland's king, Mswati III, who is renowned for his
free-spending lifestyle, staged a lavish celebration to mark 40 years
of the country's independence from Britain and his 40th birthday.

The state-sponsored celebration set the country back 100 million
emalangeni (R100 million).

_______________________________________

6. Our women need to get rid of archaic rituals. Maggie Fraser. Daily
Skiff - Fort Worth, Texas, USA, October 2, 2008.


For young women in Swaziland, Africa, late August marks the start of
an important traditional festival that could potentially change the
course of their entire lives.

The Reed Dance, or Umhlanga, is a traditional ceremony practiced by
those who live in Swaziland, originally intended to encourage young
women to stay abstinent and to prepare them for a successful marriage.
Each year, girls from all corners of Swaziland flock to Ludzidzini
Royal Village, dressed in nothing but colorful traditional skirts,
carrying fresh-cut reeds for the Queen Mother's windbreak. This year,
a record-breaking 50,000 bare-breasted maidens were in attendance but
not necessarily to celebrate virginity or abstinence until marriage.
Since Swaziland has surpassed Botswana as the country with the world's
highest prevalence rate, the ritual has taken on more importance in
recent years as a platform for raising awareness of HIV.


But ironically, it has also taken on the role of providing King Mswati
III (the 15th wealthiest monarch in the world) with many of his 13
wives since 1999. This year he did not select a wife from the throngs
of women, most of whom are desperately poor and entertain fantastic
daydreams of living in a palace and being driven around in a BMW. A
16-year-old girl named Tenene Dlamini said, "I wish the king would
have chosen me because it's nice at the king's place. The wives live a
nice life. Everything is done for them. They don't work. They earn."

Indeed, in a country where about 38 percent of the adult population is
infected with HIV and more than two -thirds live in absolute poverty,
who wouldn't want a "nice" life? But it is impractical for this to be
the only way these girls can live a decent life. So many women attend
the ceremony where there is a very slim chance of being chosen or the
King choosing a wife at all. It is completely contradictory of the
effort being made against the HIV situation. This does not seem to
matter to the king, however.

In 2001, he started a five-year ban on sex for girls under 18 years
old in order to reign in the pandemic (which actually led to an
increase in prostitution), but violated it in 2005 by taking yet
another wife. He had to pay the hefty fine of one cow to the girl's
family, and in 2002 attempted to use $45 million of government money
to purchase a private jet while his people were starving and dying of
AIDS. If he has been trying to prevent the spread of this disease, the
king has done nothing but send mixed signals to young girls hoping for
a better life. They are told to remain abstinent and not to have
polygamous relationships, but then are told of the King's newest wife
and her brand new BMW Series 5, the fabulous palace she lives in and
the stylish clothes she wears. Suddenly the idea of abstinence and
marrying for love doesn't seem very attractive when you're struggling
to survive.

I am not saying a ban of the Reed Dance would help matters, as it is
actually a ceremony to empower young women, or that the king should
not take as many wives, but these girls need a chance to become
successful without having to sell their bodies and their hearts. Once
they can become confident, hold a job and support themselves without
being dependent on a husband, I think the devastating situation of
disease and poverty will see great improvement.

Maggie Fraser is a freshman premajor from Fort Worth.
http://www.tcudailyskiff.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&\
uStory_id=8bfa2928-11ee-4e0a-902e-2ed6c96cfe03


_______________________________________


7. Struggling against tradition. Inter Press Service News Agency.
Mantoe Phakathi, October 1, 2008.

The crowd ululated, whistled and danced. Their candidate had won!
Last Sunday, the people of Mbabane East returned Esther Dlamini to
Swaziland's House of Assembly for a second term.

A court-ordered recount of votes found that she had indeed won 1,621
votes out of 2,461 cast in this suburb of Swaziland's capital, and her
voters were celebrating in the community hall where the ruling was read.

"They ganged up against me but I won!" exulted the former police
officer and mother of five, and ululated in joy. She was referring to
her opponents who had challenged the earlier results in court.

Dlamini was one of seven women elected to the 55-member House of
Assembly in the polls held on Sep. 19 and 27.

The number does not bring Swaziland even remotely close to the
Southern African Development Community target -- approved in August --
of having 50 per cent women in Parliament by 2015.

But it is not bad compared to five women MPs elected in the 2003
elections and just two in 1998.

And it is even better when considering that Swaziland is Africa's last
remaining absolute monarchy, where adult women were considered legal
minors until a couple of years ago.

One reason behind the increase in women candidates and voters is the
vigorous campaign, organised by 11 women's groups under the slogan
"Make the Right Choice: Vote for a Woman". Through media and meetings
in more than 100 communities, the campaign encouraged women to vote
for women and to run for office.

The campaign banked on the unusual fact that more women than men are
registered as voters in Swaziland. According to the Elections and
Boundaries Commission (EBC), out of 400,000 eligible voters, 350,780
registered. Of these, about 192,000 are women and 158 760 are men.
This should give women an edge if they chose to vote for female
candidates.

The campaign attracted strong criticism from traditional leaders in
this tiny country of less than a million people. Chiefs from the
eastern Shiselweni region, complained loudly that the campaign gave
women an unfair advantage.

Chief Dambuza Lukhele argued to the EBC that elections should be based
on individual merit and not on group status. Lukhele is a member of
the Ludzidzini Council, an advisory body to the powerful Queen Mother,
and a former Cabinet Minister.

"This campaign is biased, emotional and provocative, and unhealthy for
a country such as Swaziland," Lukhele told IPS. "What if other
disadvantaged groups come up and also do their own campaigns?"

Nonhlanhla Dlamini, the gender unit coordinator at the Ministry of
Home Affairs, says that a lot that needs to be done to change the
prevailing attitude towards women.

"Society is not ready to give women a chance," she told IPS.

Some of the 33 women candidates reported receiving telephone threats
from anonymous men who told them to desist from running, revealed
Lomcebo Dlamini, coordinator of the rights group Women and Law in
Southern Africa-Swaziland (WLSA).

The odds are stacked against women from the very structure of
Swaziland's unique Tinkhundla system of governance, where political
parties are banned and people elected on individual merit. In theory,
any citizen can stand for elections and campaign for a seat in
Parliament but women lack the political clout, financial means,
understanding of the system and, crucially, the chiefs' approval.

The role of the House of Assembly is not to pass legislation and be a
check to the executive, explains WLSA's Dlamini. Rather, MPs are
agents of community development. With few women MPS, "women lack the
resources to be visible in the communities," she says.

The next hope for Swazi women to increase their representation lies
with the arcane system of appointments by the King to the Assembly and
by the King and the Assembly to the 50-member Senate.

Dlamini explains that the Constitution calls for 22 women to be
appointed to both houses if they do not reach 30 percent
representation in the polls.

However, she adds, this does not mean that the Constitution mandates
30 per cent representation in Parliament. The five women elected and
the 22 appointments makes 27, out of a total of 106 members of both
houses. (The Attorney General is the ex-officio 106th member.)

"This does not give you 30 percent of the total Members of
Parliament," says Dlamini.

The next step for the activists is to lobby Parliament to appoint
women who are gender champions.

One impressive victory is the election at Ludzeludze constituency in
the Manzini region of the outspoken activist Nonhlanhla Dlamini,
director of the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse.

"Besides the fact that society lacks confidence in women leadership,
you still get some stereotypes who want to know who is going to take
care of domestic responsibilities if women go to Parliament," she told
IPS.

The burden of AIDS -- Swaziland has the world's highest seroprevalence
rate with about one-third of adults infected -- falls mainly on women
as carers of the sick and the orphaned.

Combining work and domestic responsibility, says Dlamini, "is such big
challenge such that most of them don't stand for elections because
they feel they won't cope."
_______________________________________


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Swaziland@Newsletter 81

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Photo section with thirteen albums: Swaziland. Historical. Occupation,
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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.
____________________________________

1. Africa's other Zimbabwe. Chris McGreal (Mbabane), Guardian,
September 30 2008.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/30/zimbabwe/print

2. Newspaper Targeted in Alleged Bombing Plot Over Its Pro-Government Stance.
Media Institute of Southern Africa, (Windhoek)29 September 2008.

3. Tribute to MJ and Jack Govendor! When only the best are submitted
to the slaughterhouse of ultimate sacrifice!

4. Mystery of SA freedom fighter bomb death. Suthentira Govender,
The Times, September 28, 2008
http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/News/Article.aspx?id=851531

5. Tight security after Swazi bombs. BBC September 26, 2008.
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7638133.stm

6. 3000 Zheng Yong workers riot. Starsky Mkhonta. The Swazi Observer,
September 26, 2008.

7. Debate on the Reed Dance. Youth Communist League YCL statements.

8. Vote for women. Andrea Wilkinson, September 25, 2008.
nebusiness.co.uk: http://blog.nebusiness.co.uk/2008/09/vote_for_women.html

9. Reforms long overdue. Terence Corrigan, allAfrica.com, 23 September 2008.

_____________________________________

1. Africa's other Zimbabwe. Chris McGreal (Mbabane), Guardian,
September 30 2008. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/30/zimbabwe/print


It has the last absolute monarch in the world and the highest
HIV-infection rate. Swaziland is crying out for change.

Mario Masuko is a man who looks with envy at Zimbabwe. The former
Barclays bank manager-turned-political leader lost his job for daring
to suggest that the world's last absolute monarch, the British public
school-educated "playboy king" Mswati III of Swaziland should allow
his subjects to choose their government.

Since then, Masuko has been locked up for sedition and treason. His
followers have been beaten and persecuted. And when Swazis elected a
new parliament earlier this month, his People's United Democratic
Movement (Pudemo), like all other political parties, was effectively
banned from competing because the selection of candidates is closely
controlled by the monarchy under the guise of preserving the country's
culture.

"The situation in Zimbabwe is better, in that political parties are
allowed," Masuko said. "The only challenge there is one despot - that
people go to elections and then the despot annuls them. People in
Swaziland can't even elect who they want. Instead we've got a king who
treats this country and its people as his plaything. It's feudal."

The parallels between the two African tyrannies may be far from
absolute, but the struggle for freedom in both countries is
increasingly linked. South Africa's powerful trades union
confederation, Cosatu, has described the two countries as "twins who
are reversing our collective gains as a region by promoting
undemocratic and oppressive practices against their own people".

It has announced plans to blockade the landlocked kingdom of about 1
million people as the first step in a rolling plan to increase
pressure on Mswati to allow democratic government.

Clearly, however, the king is disturbed at being compared to
Zimbabwe's despotic leader: after the head of Swaziland's trades union
confederation, Jan Sithole, returned home from a Cosatu conference in
South Africa last month to debate the parallels, he was interrogated
by senior police officers. "They were absolutely obsessed with this
link people were making between Mugabe and Mswati," he said.

Masuko said Mswati, who came to the throne in 1986, has doubly failed
because he has not only resisted reform but also abused his power.

"Monarchs are extravagant. They tend to be dictatorial. This one in
Swaziland is more than both of those things because it is an absolute
monarchy," he said.

Swaziland has the highest HIV-infection rate in the world, a life
expectancy of less than 35 years and extensive rural poverty. Nearly
half the population is unemployed, and those with skills, such as
nurses and teachers, often leave the country in search of work.

Yet the king spent the equivalent of half the national health budget
to dispatch his 13 wives on a collective shopping trip to Dubai and
Europe last month. The jaunt prompted Swazi protesters to coin the
refrain: "We are dying while they are flying."

The government spent millions more on a lavish joint celebration this
month to mark 40 years of Swaziland's independence from Britain and
the king's 40th birthday. That helped bring out thousands of people in
the largest anti-government protest for years. The government
hesitated to crush it, however, because it coincided with an influx of
foreign dignitaries - Mugabe among them -for the celebrations.

Swazis did get to vote earlier this month, but they elect only a
parliament, not a government. That is appointed by the king, whose
choice of prime minister always happens to be someone from his
extended family, the Dlaminis.

While political parties are not specifically banned, the constitution
says elections are based on the traditional system, called tinkhundla.

On the surface, tinkhundla is an exercise in local democracy; in
practice, it is a reflection of the much broader grip of the monarchy
and traditional chiefs - officially described as the footstalls of the
king - over the everyday lives of people.

Candidates for election to parliament have to be approved by local
chiefs, who use their powers to quash dissent. And the only issues
permitted to be raised in campaigns are local ones, forestalling any
debate about the competence of the government.

"Everybody belongs to a chief in a village," said Sithole. "If you
don't allow your children to go to the highly politicised cultural
activities held by your chief, you are risking a lot: risking eviction
from your home [and] your children not getting a scholarship for
tertiary education, even if they get straight A grades. The father of
the children may lose his job. It's hard to resist that pressure.

"It's the same with the elections. They are so controlled by the
chiefs, from the selection of candidates to the issues that can be
discussed, that they are in no sense democratic."

Percy Simelane, the government press secretary, says Swaziland is an
excellent democracy because the people have chosen not to allow
political parties to compete in elections.

"The people argued that parties divided people more than united them.
We are too small a country to have people divided. If there were
multiparty, then parties would spring from every direction," he said.

Sithole and others seeking to change the Swazi system of government
say that barely a peep has been heard from western governments that
are vocal in their condemnation of Robert Mugabe.

"When the issue is black against black, it is thought that it is
cultural or traditional," he said.

"Our economy doesn't attract much from the big boys. In Zimbabwe,
there's a lot of land, a lot of resources. Also, there are
black-and-white problems where the current regime is disputing white
ownership of land."

The king's critics are cautious when asked what they think of him.
Masuko hesitates, then says he is disappointed that a monarch who was
educated at a British public school (Sherborne, in Dorset) did not
return with more modern ideas on the role of royalty.

"By nature, in Africa the king likes to marry; he likes women; he
likes authority. But was there any need for him to go to Sherborne
college to have 13 wives? He could have said, 'This is the 21st
century, with HIV/Aids, and I'm going to have only two wives.' People
would have said, 'That's a monarch for the 21st century.' I don't
think he's a 21st-century leader. I've met him personally, and I think
he could do better."

But the opposition senses change is coming. In May, a coalition of
pro-democracy interests including political parties, the unions and
the churches, formed the Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF). It
is overtly modelled on the South Africa's UDF, a coalition of similar
groups that spearheaded internal resistance to apartheid in the 1980s.

Sithole said the SUDF was demanding immediate negotiations with the
government on the establishment of a representative transitional
administration, to last for about 18 months before multiparty elections.

"If there is no progress, we will escalate pressure, even calling for
smart, targeted sanctions and government officials not being allowed
to go to other countries and putting pressure on those who undermine
the rights of the majority poor - as with Zimbabwe," he said.

"Absolute monarchies have disappeared in the world. The only way for
monarchies to survive is for them to become constitutional monarchies.
The king needs to negotiate and allow people to elect the government."

Simelane dismisses any parallel with Zimbabwe. "That's a gimmick of
political imbeciles," he said. "You can't compare Swaziland to
Zimbabwe. Look at our shops: there are things in them. Their
[Zimbabwe's] inflation runs into the millions. It's out of ignorance."

"We have just been celebrating our successes. We've done very well,
not only by Swazi standards. We have saved the world a lot of money by
not having to send peacekeepers. They will never come here. We've not
lost our sovereignty. We have developed.

"When the British people left us, they had not done much for our
development. At independence, we used to import teachers from South
Africa; today, we export them. Nurses, same story: scattered all over
the world."


_______________________________

2. Newspaper Targeted in Alleged Bombing Plot Over Its Pro-Government Stance
Media Institute of Southern Africa (Windhoek)

PRESS RELEASE
29 September 2008

Swazi police have unearthed a plot to bomb the state-owned "Swazi
Observer" newspaper. The development comes in the wake of the arrest
of a suspect who survived what the police call a "terrorist" act in
which two other men were killed when a bomb exploded prematurely
during an attempt to bomb an overhead bridge on 20 September 2008 near
King Mswati's palace at Lozitha, outside Mbabane, the capital city.

Police claim the man, Amos Mdedzi, a South African from Limpopo,
confessed before a magistrate that he and his friends were on a
mission to bomb government structures, including the "Swazi Observer"
newspaper offices in Mbabane.

According to police, the man said they failed to gain entry into the
targeted areas because of tight security. They then consoled
themselves by bombing the overhead bridge, an attempt which also
failed as the bomb went off prematurely, killing two and injuring the
survivor.

The "Swazi Observer", it was claimed, was targeted because it was a
pro-government media.
"Swazi Observer" CEO Myzo Magagula was quoted in the local media as
having expressed shock at the act, but said they were not aware that
they were targeted for bombing.

BACKGROUND:

The "Swazi Observer", founded in the early 1980s, is owned by King
Mswati through a royal conglomerate, Tibiyo TakaNgwane. Because of the
nature of its ownership, the newspaper rarely criticises the government.

MISA's Swaziland chapter condemns any acts of violence targeted at the media.

Bombings in Swaziland have become a common thing as progressive forces
step up pressure to force the Kingdom to democratise. Close to 10
bombing incidents have occurred in the past few months but there had
been no loss of life until this latest incident on 20 September.

The bombing occurred a day after the country held its parliamentary
elections in which members of parliament were elected under the
Tinkhundla traditional system which promotes election on individual
merit as opposed to belonging to a political party.

Under pressure for political change, King Mswati recently condemned
the continuous acts of terrorism in a speech delivered at the United
Nations general assembly.

____________________________________

3. Tribute to MJ and Jack Govendor!

When only the best are submitted to the slaughterhouse of ultimate sacrifice!

The tale of two (painfully) departed revolutionary martyrs!

The lawyer who refused to respect oppressive laws, but chose principle
and the people over false prestige.. and the revolutionary who
sacrificed the benefits of his democratic country to die for the
liberation of others, not through email, but through the painful and
practical struggle!

Introduction

When the tragedy befell our beloved comrades, I was out in some remote
part of the world. I got these shocking news with sheer disbelief.
Not that MJ I know, so I said, are you sure, I continued. Again,
are you sure, it was Jack?, I think you were mistaken, I went on.
Normally, there are people who must not die, not because they are
immortal, but because they just must not die. We do not need to
explain why should they not die!

Whereas death is a natural phenomena, it just cant be allowed to pick
and choose as it wishes, particularly if it chooses the fattest in the
kraal, meaning the most refined sons and daughters of the struggling
people of Swaziland. This is unacceptable!

Why should all our dearest comrades die under mysterious conditions,
whilst state agents and counter-revolutionaries live uninterruptedly
and continue to frustrate the cause of our people. First, it was Percy
Malinga who was shot and died under mysterious conditions, then it Was
Dr Gabriel Mkhumane, who was also shot and also died under very
mysterious conditions, then now, it is MJ and Jack, who also died in
the hands of the enemy and under extremely mysterious conditions, with
state agents and the media spreading false stories about the actual
cause and context of their deaths. Should I be accused of paranoia,
when I say, beware, the state agents are at work, one by one, the best
sons and daughters of our revolution are leaving us! Who is next in
the firing line of the ruthless state machinery of tinkhundla and its
agents.

Who was MJ?

Born in the eastern part of Swaziland, was a young energetic fellow
who was to become a landmark son of the soil, a giant towering amongst
dwarfs. His name was John Musa Dlamini, hence MJ. I personally
encountered the conditions of his growing up as we used to distribute
pamphlets and other material at his home area, from Big-bend, where
both of us were based at some point. He then introduced me to a
certain fellow by the name of Freddy Mokoena, currently the
Chairperson of SWAYOCO externally, who was a student at Mndobandoba
and a ring leader in the raging students struggles there. He gave me
the contact of this comrade to assist build the political
infrastructure in that part of the world, as I was not from that part
of the world, was only taken by conditions of work and struggle, after
completing my studies.

Introducing me to another person in Johannesburg around 2003, MJ said
of me, ?this is the person who will qualify to answer any question
about me, we have been in the trenches together for quite a while now,
even my family can no longer claim to know me more?. That was the ever
modest  and humorous MJ, a gallant son of the soil, born of the heroic
people of Swaziland.

I first encountered MJ at the University of Swaziland, where he was
doing law in 1991. We enrolled at the same time, same year and
sometimes shared courses. It is by no accident that we both were
founder members of SAS (Swaziland Association of Students) together
with the likes of Thulani Maseko, Boy Dlamini and Velaphi Dlamini and
many others. We founded SAS on the 4th April, 1992 at the Science
Lecture theatre 11. He was to become the first Secretary General and
myself Secretary for Publicity and Information.

We also served together in the UNISWA Debate Society, where I was
chairperson, whilst he was treasurer of the society, with the likes of
Vincent Dlamini, who was Secretary of the society and Linus Mavimbela,
who was a member.

Then, even more critical, was when we jointly served in the SRC where
I was Secretary General and he was Secretary for Health, with the
other comrades mentioned above including Linus Mavimbela and others
served in the same SRC. This is the SRC that went on to turn the
tables at the university and changed the course of history at that
very conservative university, that was and still is, a seedbed of
royal hegemony and intellectual under nourishment, controlled by royal
stooges. What we sought to challenge was the fact that we have a
university that reproduces tinkhundla passivity and royal worshipping,
instead of independent and critical thinkers, always questioning
things, particularly in a country which is never short of wrongs, like
Swaziland.

He was a humble, selfless and dedicated cadre. For him PUDEMO was the
family, school and life. His love for the oppressed people of
Swaziland made him leave the country to pursue a full time career in
building the structures of the movement, always working behind the
scenes to lay the basis for a sustained momentum for a new and
democratic Swaziland. In doing so, he went through different paths and
made huge sacrifices. However, he never missed one point, that in
everything he does, he is not seeking glory for himself, but for the
giant of the Swazi people, the weapon at their disposal and their
historic liberator, PUDEMO. He knew and respected proper structures of
the movement and did not allow petty diversions to stand in his way of
pursuing what is best for our people.

The news of his tragic death left me both numb and very disappointed
in Darwin?s theory of natural selection, how dare it takes MJ and
Gabriel almost at the same time. At a time when PUDEMO is facing even
more daunting challenges of cadreship, the very best of what we have
leaves us so soon.

I imagine Musa?s family, just recently, we were burying his brother,
Mandla Dlamini, another distinguished son of the soil, with whom I
spent years in Big-bend working on building both union and PUDEMO
structures.

His rare skills in organising, technical proficiency and leadership
made him one of the most outstanding unionists and activists of our
time.

Who was Jack?

As if that was not enough, MJ left with another outstanding
internationalist and revolutionary, Jack Govendor. I came to know Jack
in 1997 when I was a member of the NEC of PUDEMO. In particular, I
first met him at a NEC meeting at the University of Swaziland, held at
the Commerce Faculty and would not delve into the discussions then.

He was a fierce and highly energetic young man, with such a huge
passion for revolution, a clear and profound Marxist. We gained a lot
in working with him, building the structures of the movement and the
general infrastructure of the revolution throughout all corners of our
country. His selflessness, firmness and clarity made him an
inspiration to many young cadres of the Swazi movement. It was before
he came back to South Africa, where some of us were to then meet him
later on our exiling in 1998 November, 30.

Jack was a no nonsense and forthright person, hiding no ill-feelings
against anyone, ready and prepared to openly tell you what he thinks
of you or any other issue at hand. This is why he would never gossip,
but would prefer to openly speak about what he thinks. We attended
various meetings inside Swaziland and of all, I cant forget it when
one former Swazi journalist, who is now with the South African 2010
remarked after an SFTU workshop at the Royal Swazi sun, saying, ?this
man is very sharp where do you get him?, that was around 1997. This
was the Jack I knew.

As a key and passionate founder of the Swaziland Solidarity Network,
together with Solly Mapaila, Jack was useful in laying the foundation
for the momentum of the Swazi struggle and its international profile.
He held the reins until his departure to the US in a function held at
Thokoza, in 1998 December. Together, with Solly, they were very
instrumental in our coming and settling in South Africa, inheriting
their traditions of hard work, honesty and commitment to the cause and
only the cause.

I would not continue to narrate the stories of these two legends
without jeopardising their good history and their critical work in
pursuit of the liberation of our country. The summary of it all, was
that both were instrumental in one of the major organisation building
initiatives ever undertaken, called Operation Vulindlela, which
created a useful network of structures that were latter to benefit
operation Hlominsika (though later distorted by certain elements, who
did not understand its roots and purpose), the follow-up campaign to
deepen organisational roots for a strong and sustainable movement in
Swaziland.

They are gone, but their revolutionary and fighting spirit lives on,
their exemplary courage and outstanding cadreship attributes remain
with us, their urge and spirit of non-surrender fires our anger and
determination to continue the noble fight. To fight on is our only
fitting tribute to their heroic sacrifices!!

Bongani Masuku (International Relations Secretary)
Congress of South African Trade Unions

____________________________________

4. Mystery of SA freedom fighter bomb death. Suthentira Govender,
The Times, September 28, 2008
http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/News/Article.aspx?id=851531

Family puzzled over former Chats MK man reported to have been killed
in Swaziland

A Chatsworth mother is grieving the death of her youngest son, a
former anti-apartheid activist who is believed to have been killed in
a bomb explosion in Swaziland last week, although she has not received
official word of his death.

Former Bayview activist Jack Govender, 37, a founding member of the
Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN), a liberation movement, and fellow
freedom fighter Musa Dlamini, are reported to have died when a bomb
detonated in their car near one of King Mswati III?s palaces in Lozitha.

According to Swazi newspapers, authorities said the pair were
attempting to blow up a bridge in the area.

Although Govenders death has yet to be confirmed, the SSN has already
held a memorial service and posted a statement on its website stating:
It is with great sadness and anger that we learnt of the tragic
passing away of two prominent internationalists, revolutionaries and
members of the freedom struggle of Swaziland, comrades Musa MJ
Dlamini and Jack Govender aka Sipho Khumalo.

It added that Govender was a founder member of the SSN and was ?the
first one to establish contact with the progressive liberation
movement in Swaziland.

- He left South Africa in December 1998 to pursue his studies and work
in the USA, and later would travel the world. It is only befitting
that he fell in Swaziland, the land he fought so much to liberate from
royal dictatorship.

Govenders brother, Nad, said the family was devastated when they
received news of his death this week.

We didnt expect him to die this way, although we knew his
convictions and what he believed in. We thought this was in the past.
Our mother is devastated. He was the youngest.

He said the family was depending on the foreign affairs department for
assistance.

´- We don?t know whether there was foul play. Right now, we have more
questions than answers. I have spoken to Dlaminis brother, who
confirmed that they died in the bomb blast, but there has been no
official word.

In the 1980s, Govender was an activist with the Bayview youth
organisation Helping Hands and a member of the local ANC branch. He
then affiliated himself with organisations like the SA Communist Party
(SACP) and Umkhonto we Sizwe. He joined the South African Defence
Force after 1994 and left a few years ago.


- My brother left home 10 years ago. We haven?t really seen him since.
He?s travelled the world and returned sporadically to South Africa,
said Nad.

- He kept in contact with us up until about three years ago. This is
devastating news.

The foreign affairs department could not be reached for comment.

_________________________________________

5. Tight security after Swazi bombs. BBC September 26, 2008.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7638133.stm

Security has been tightened in Swaziland, where authorities are
investigating a failed bomb attack near one of King Mswati III's royal
palaces.

Swazi investigators are conducting a joint probe with counterparts
from neighbouring South Africa into last Saturday's attempted bombing.

Meanwhile, a government official acknowledged there had been previous
attempted bomb attacks.

He said an opposition group had claimed responsibility for Saturday's attempt.

Two activists - one Swazi and one South African - were killed planting
the device near the capital, Mbabane, while a South African survivor
was detained.

Government spokesman Percy Simelane told the BBC's Focus on Africa
programme that the opposition People's United Democratic Movement
(Pudemo) had said it was behind the bombing.

'Failed to convince'

Authorities say they have found other bombs near railways, bridges and
roads, but Mr Simelane played down the threat from Pudemo.

"They have a following but unfortunately for them, that following is
not bigger than the number of people who are for the system," he said.

"It is simply because they have failed to convince the people that
they want to kill the people, and we do not call that democracy."

Even so, authorities have increased police presence around government
buildings in Mbabane over the last week, the BBC's Thulani Mtwethwa
reports.

The attempted bombings come amid a rise in opposition to one of the
world's last absolute monarchies.

The Swazi opposition says they are a result of people's frustrations
with a ban on political parties.

Swaziland held its first parliamentary election under a new
constitution a week ago.

On the day of the election, authorities blocked protesters who said
they wanted to shut down the border crossing between landlocked
Swaziland and South Africa.

South African unionists held protests on their side of the border in
solidarity with Swazi activists.

Some Swazis blame King Mswati III for plunging the country into
poverty and failing to tackle an Aids epidemic.

The king has been in power since 1986.

His government recently organised a lavish $12m (£6.6m) party to
celebrate the king's 40th birthday as well as the 40th anniversary of
the country's independence from Britain.


_______________________________________


6. 3000 Zheng Yong workers riot. Starsky Mkhonta. The Swazi Observer,
September 26, 2008.


Teargas and rubber bullets had to be used by police yesterday to
disperse 3000 striking workers from Zheng Yong Garment Factory who
went on rampage after they were locked out of the gate by management.

It all started at about 7am when the workers reported for work only to
find notices at the gate notifying them that the company would remain
closed with effect from September 25. The management notified the
workers that the company shall remain closed until the court makes a
ruling on the sit-in strike resolution which they took on Tuesday
afternoon.

They then went amok, chanting political songs.

Police arrived and advised them to leave but they refused. After a
second warning still the workers refuse to leave the area. Police the
fired teargas canisters. All hell broke loose.
So terrible was the situation such that passing motorists and other
innocent people were also not spared.

Police who had arrived a little earlier were also seen running for
cover, as all sorts of objects and other missiles were thrown at them.

When the workers reiterated the police called for reinforcements.

It was then that the workers went into the other nearby factories, FTM
Garment and HOs Enterprise where they forced the other workers out.

Windows were shattered as they threw missiles.

At FTM, almost all the factory shells windows were shattered and the
fence also brought down. The Zheng Yong impi proceeded to the
neighbouring HOs Enterprise where windows were also shattered.

Two vehicles owned by HOs Enterprise directors were also not spared.
It is said a car belonging to the co-directors Tommy Ho and Joe Ho
were targets and they had their windows smashed.
Police continued chasing after the rioting Zheng Yong workers. They
were chased into the forests where again they set the forest alight
and fire brigades had a hectic time putting out the huge flames.

For the better of yesterday, all the three factories were under patrol
by the police officers who kept a close eye on any stranger loitering
around. The amount of damage and loss caused as a result of the riot
were not readily available when this report was compiled.

Police Public Relations Officer Superintendent Vusi Mauku warned union
leaders to make sure that strikers do not disturb those exercising
thier right to work. He also warned against stoning police, saying
they were there to protect life and property.

__________________________________________

7. Debate on the Reed Dance. Youth Communist League YCL statements.


Statement on the alleged attack on Culture by YCL! Saturday 27 September 2008

The Young Communist League [uFasimba] wishes to reiterate its
commitment and respect for the right to cultural practices and
institutions of traditional leadership as enshrined in our constitution.

We are disturbed that our statement as it relates to the 'Reed Dance'
has been misinterpreted as a fragrant attack on cultural practices and
traditions. The YCL respects all cultural practices that respect
constitutional rights and freedom, including the Umhlanga [The Reed
Dance].

It should be noted and understood that we have raised the issue of
reed dance within the context of the continued manipulation of this
practice by some for their patriarchal and narrow sexist notions.

We are concerned that the majority of young people, particularly
working class and the poor youth are victims of such cultural
manipulation and abuse.

As the YCL we note that our statement has caused much needed public
debate and discussion. We are however adamant in our view that the
scourge of HIV/AIDS requires a holistic approach, targeted at both
girls and boys.

This also means that our school curriculum should be proactive in
dealing with the issue of HIV/AIDS, sexual intercourse and child
molestation.

As the YCL, we are prepared to engage cultural practioners and
traditional leaders on this matter.


Original Press Statement:


Heritage Day and the Reed Dance. Castro Ngobese, 24 September 2008
The Young Communist League [uFasimba] calls on all young people in
general and young women in particular to celebrate this year's
Heritage Day, 24 September 2008, in protest against the outdated 'Reed
Dances'.

This Heritage Day is taking place in the midst of young girls being
unconsciously coerced to expose or display their genitals under the
pretext of promoting outdated cultural practices such as the Reed Dance.

This practice is outdated and consists a violation to women's rights
principally because it propagates sexist notion about how "good girls"
should behave.

It is extremely biased against the female child, whereas male children
and teenagers are not subjected to such practices.

This seeks to conserve backwards notions about women's virtuousness
deriving from sexual purity and lack of autonomy over their bodies
instead of having genuine choices about sexual activity and engagements.

The practice also vilifies those that are non-virgins and judges them
as impure according to largely patriarchal standards.

These practices are particularly biased against working class and
rural poor families, women in particular for whom the prospect of
being chosen represents a material escape from the abject poverty
bestowed upon them by the patriarchal capitalist system.

It is our view as the YCL that Reed dances negate our ongoing class
and gender struggles of restoring the dignity and rights of women. As
the YCL we dedicate this year's Heritage Day to a young girl who was
raped during the Reed Dance celebrations in Northern Kwazulu- Natal.

We call on the working class and the poor to fight and abolish these
reactionary and backward cultural practices. Young girls and women
should not be chained prisoners of backwards traditions in the 21st
century.

Castro Ngobese, YCL National Spokesperson, 082 567 3557,
castro.ngobese@...

____________________________


8. Vote for women. Andrea Wilkinson, September 25, 2008.
nebusiness.co.uk:
http://blog.nebusiness.co.uk/2008/09/vote_for_women.html

Well after a long four-month process, the final results of Swaziland's
elections were announced and it seems the Vote for Women campaign has
had little success.

You may remember Tholiwe Tsela from my previous blogs. (Revisit
'Shining a Light on Swaziland Struggles to refresh your memory.)
Tholiwe was only one of 19 women out of 175 chiefdoms to make it
through to the secondary level of elections.

Still, she has been unsuccessful in her dream (and fight) to make it
as a female MP.

Unfortunately she may see this as the end of the road in her crusade
to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and encouragement of female empowerment
across the kingdom.

You see, there has been a significant need for gender empowerment in
Swaziland for many years, and still little progress has been made.

For instance, Swaziland is currently the only Southern African country
that has not endorsed the Convention for the Elimination of all forms
of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Lomcebo Dlamini from the WLSA (Women and Law in South Africa) group
states: "We currently have five women MPs out of 65 overall. It has
been reported that many women standing for election have been
threatened and intimidated.

"We are still awaiting the results of one of the constituencies to be
released this coming weekend, which could bring us up to seven."

This is still a long way off the minimum 30%.

Of course, the election system simply scratches the surface of the
inequalities between men and women.

Women are at a significant disadvantage in daily living overall.

The female illiteracy rate is high because of the traditional belief
that women belong in the home.
And despite the government taking measures to meet the 30% female
representation in parliament, women's participation is sometimes
viewed as a token gesture rather than a sign of their credibility.

The truth is, women have very little power or status in Swazi society.
How can they when they are unable to own their own house or access
credit?

Even more unimaginable is that they are still subject to traditional
customary practises such as widow inheritance (where if a woman's
husband dies, she is 'inherited' by his brother or another male family
member.)

Even if we take gender equality out of the equation, it is still very
hard, if nigh on impossible, to state that these were free and fair
elections.

For a start, political parties were not permitted to contest the
current state of affairs.

This restriction - as stated by the Pan African Parliament - places
infringements on the rights of those people wanting to take part in
elections and is nowhere near any type of democracy.

It is paramount that Swazi Law and customs should be subject to
standards as in any lawful society.

Some would say this should include abolishing customary practices that
undermine the dignity of women, which many believe may be found in the
darker, more serious side to the Annual Reed Dance.

Diane Mariechild said: "A woman is the full circle. Within her is the
power to create, nurture and transform."

This should be recognised throughout the world, because surely all
women should have the right to live in dignity, in freedom from want
and freedom from fear.

_________________________

9. Reforms long overdue. Terence Corrigan, allAfrica.com. 23 September 2008.


Swaziland?s parliamentary elections have underlined the dire and
longstanding problems that confront the small southern African nation.
The country needs seriously to reconsider its political arrangements
if it is to deal with the challenges it faces.

Voting in the nation of a little more than one million people went
ahead smoothly - in a technical sense - last Friday. But the country
cannot be called a democracy; it is an absolute monarchy in which
parties are banned and candidates must stand as individuals. The
country constitution is quite explicit on this: the king - currently
Mswati III - is immune from suit or legal process in any case in
respect of all things done or omitted to be done by him. This is not
unique for a monarch but in Swaziland the king has a direct role in
governance, so the provision severely abridges his accountability.

Severe socio-economic difficulties plague the country, including
widespread hunger resulting from prolonged drought. According to the
United Nations Development Programme, about 48 percent of the
population live on less than U.S. $1 a day, while 78 percent live on
less than $2 a day. (Some figures suggest the situation is even worse
- the Swaziland Household Income and Expenditure Survey for 2000/2001
estimated that nearly 70 percent were living on less that $1 a day.)

Swazilands formal economy depends on agriculture (sugar, fruit and
lumber), some manufacturing and mining. But some 80 percent of Swazis
depend on subsistence agriculture and if agricultural problems persist
due to climate change, the whole economic base will need to be
rethought. The economy also leans on revenue from the Southern African
Customs Union, but the International Monetary Fund notes that the
government has not used this optimally. Nor can the revenue be
guaranteed if neighbouring South African economy takes a downturn.

Social services are stretched and many skilled people are leaving.
More than 25 percent of Swazis between 15 and 49 are HIV-positive.
Swaziland is literally dying, says Dr Richard Rooney, formerly of
the University of Swaziland and a prominent commentator. Average life
expectancy is not much more than 30 years. There is a high level of
complacency among the government about AIDS and its economic impact.

Meanwhile, the king and his family network are enormously wealthy,
financed both from state coffers and by assets held - in trust - for the
nation. These funds have provided the royals with a first-class
standard of living. Recently some of the king?s wives, children and
attendants went on a shopping trip to the Middle East to prepare for
the joint celebrations of his 40th birthday and the anniversary of
Swaziland independence from Britain in 1968.

This lifestyle has generated resentment. Opposition has tended to come
from organised labour. Opposition political movements such as the
Peoples United Democratic Movement (Pudemo) and the Swaziland Youth
Congress  do exist, but operate underground or from exile. There is
repression - not of the violent kind practiced in Zimbabwe - but
experienced rather as harassment, accompanied by the fear that courts
might not offer protection (although at times they have).

So far, the opposition has favoured non-violent strategies to bring
about change, although there have been some instances of violence and
there are reports - the credibility of which is uncertain - that
opposition groups might consider resorting to violence.

However, it is difficult to gauge what Swazis truly feel about the
monarchy. The country is heavily rural, and most rural people depend
for land and therefore their livelihoods on chiefs who are answerable
to the king. The society is a deeply traditional one, and throughout
history people have venerated their monarchs as rulers ordained by
God, fathers and protectors of the nation and custodians of culture.
Swazi royalists have played on this, to the extent that clergy who
support them have condemned democracy as anti-Christian. But the
mystique is fraying: for example, women demonstrated against the
recent royal shopping trip, saying the money should have been used for
anti-retroviral drugs.

Swazilands low international profile means its problems receive
little exposure and its opposition little support, with the notable
exception of the backing which unions of the Congress of South African
Trade Unions give to their Swazi counterparts. In August,
demonstrators at the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
summit protested at conditions in Swaziland as well as at repression
in Zimbabwe.

Richard Rooney suggests that the kingdom will economically grind to a
halt within five years. If Swaziland is to survive as a viable state
in the longer term, reform is overdue. Swaziland may never be a great
economic power but it could work towards a future built on human
capital something along the lines of Singapore or Switzerland. This
will not be easy but it can be done if the country focuses on
education and state efficiency.

To achieve such a goal, Swaziland institutions would need
significant reform. Personalised rule does not create the strong
institutions necessary for a durable constitutional state. But even if
the monarchy were displaced, there is no guarantee of a successful
transition. Institutions take time to build and to mature.

Reforms could happen with the monarch?s cooperation. Constitutional
orders have been established in other societies in Africa where
traditional leadership is strong and where its coexistence with modern
rule poses a challenge. In countries like Benin, people approach
traditional authorities to deal with matters when formal state
institutions cannot do so expeditiously, although the system does have
problems. In Ghana, chieftaincy is constitutionally protected although
chiefs may not participate in active politics. Botswana accords chiefs
considerable powers. Lesotho has a respected king presiding as a
constitutional monarch. South African chiefs fit untidily into the
constitutional order, some being active in political parties, having
their own assembly and retaining significant powers in traditional law.

These are experiences worth exploring as possible models - or
considerations - for Swazilands future. This will be in Mswatis own
interest: throughout history, loyalties to kings have broken down
before harsh realities or when subjects demanded the rights and
freedoms that their counterparts elsewhere enjoyed. Todays surviving
monarchies are those that compromised.

Right now, Swazilands royal order faces no imminent threat, internal
or external. If Mswati 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,
sometimes violently, which will bring a disorder that will inexorably
creep towards the doors of the palace.

Terence Corrigan is a researcher and seminar facilitator at the South
African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg, South
Africa.
__________________________________________

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Swaziland@Newsletter Extra: He gave his life for the people

1. Lawyers for Human Rights: Lawyer died for the love of Swazis.
Innocent Maphalala. Times of Swaziland, September 24, 2008.

2. Dead bombers are our members. Arthur Mordaunt, September 25,
2008. Times of Swaziland September 24, 2008.

3. King Mswati facing mounting opposition: Bomb blast kills two. IRIN
(MBABANE), 22 September 2008.

4. Lawyer killed in Lozitha bomb blast. Musa Nhleko. Times of
Swaziland. September 23, 2008.

5. It is with great sadness and anger: Comrades Musa Dlamini and Jack
Govender. Swaziland Solidarity Network 23 September 2008.

_____________________________________________________


1. Lawyers for Human Rights: Lawyer died for the love of Swazis.
Innocent Maphalala. Times of Swaziland, September 24, 2008.


Attorney Musa Dlamini died for the love of the people of his country
and should be respected for that.

That is the view of Lawyers for Human Rights, an organisation he was a
founding member of. Musa Dlamini was popularly known as MJ. He was
attached to Kush Vilakati and Associates before he left the country a
few years ago.

He died over the weekend when a bomb that was in a car he was
travelling in exploded. The police are still investigating
circumstances surrounding this shocking matter. "Musa was a personal
friend of mine," said Thulani Maseko, Lawyers for Human Rights
Secretary.

"He was a good person and a loyal citizen whose brains would have
helped develop the country. However, he sacrificed his life for the
people of Swaziland."

He said as a lawyer by profession, Dlamini could have concentrated on
making money but instead, he decided to join the struggle for
democracy in Swaziland. Maseko said it took great courage and
dedication for a lawyer to do this. "We have to respect him for that,"
he said. Maseko explained that Dlamini was a founding member of the
LHR and the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA). He last spoke to
him in December 2007 when the deceased called Maseko from Nairobi,
Kenya.

Reasons

Maseko said they were supposed to meet a few days later in
Johannesburg but for certain reasons, could not.

He said he could not denounce Dlamini because of the manner in which
he had died. "He is still my friend," he said.

He said it was irresponsible of citizens to condemn violence without
looking at the root cause.

Maseko believes that some citizens have decided to turn violent to
draw government attention to their frustration at the manner in which
the country is governed.

He believes that government could prevent violence from escalating by
affording the people a platform to discuss socio-political issues.

Percy Simelane, government spokesman response was that all citizens
of the country had always been given the opportunity to engage in
dialogue with government.

He said such platforms include the national Indaba and the processes
leading towards the drafting of the national constitution. "Under no
circumstances should anyone use human rights to deny others human
rights," said Simelane.

____________________________________________

2. Dead bombers are our members. Arthur Mordaunt, September 25,
2008. Times of Swaziland September 24, 2008.

In a shocking revelation, two political parties have claimed ownership
of the two suspect bombers who perished when a bomb in their car detonated.

In a widely circulating email, they claim that one of the suspect
bombers was one Jack Govender, who is a founding member of the
Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN).

Identification

The police are yet to confirm if this identification is true as
relatives are only going to see the bodies there.

The other deceased was Musa MJ Dlamini who belonged to the Peoples
United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).

Both organisations have confirmed the membership of the comrades to
their organisations.

According to the SSN, Govender aka Sipho Khumalo played a crucial role
in the formation of the South African based organisation, which
co-ordinates programmes of the democratisation of Swaziland outside
the country.

"In fact he was the main drive for its establishment, and was the
first one to establish contact with the progressive liberation
movement in Swaziland post South African democratic breakthrough in
1994, (such as) People?s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO),
Swaziland Federation Of Trade Unions (SFTU), Swaziland Youth Congress
(SWAYOCO), Swaziland Association Of Students (SAS) where he met MJ and
the then Swaziland Democratic Alliance," states SSN in a statement.

Dlamini was a lawyer who gave up his trade to concentrate on the
struggle for Swaziland democratisation. The duo met their tragic
death at Lozitha area outside Manzini near one of King Mswati IIIs
palaces. It is alleged that they were in the process of planting a
bomb that was aimed at blowing up the overheard bridge in that area.

Studies

"He (Govender) left South Africa in December 1998 to pursue studies
and work in the USA and later would travel the world.

"He came back to South Africa in February 2008 and continued his work
for the liberation of Swaziland through the solidarity network.

"It is only befitting that he fell in Swaziland, the land he fought so
much to liberate," observed the SSN.

SSN spokesperson stated, in an interview, that Govender family had
been notified of the death and they would be coming to Swaziland to
identify the body.

He said they were working with the Department of Foreign Affairs to
repatriate the body to South Africa.

Police spokesperson Superintendent Vusi Masuku confirmed that they
were expecting the families to identify the bodies of the deceased.

...monument in memory of MJ, Govender once Swaziland is liberated

The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) has pledged to erect a monument
in memory of the late Musa MJ Dlamini and Jack Govender.

This the SSN will do once Swaziland has been liberated and
multi-partism allowed in Swaziland.

"Tinkhundla-free Swaziland will cherish this day as having contributed
immensely to their freedom and a befitting monument of freedom will be
erected in their honour, for their selfless service to a democratic
and free Swaziland where all will live together harmoniously and with
peaceful neighbourliness without the oppression by the other," vowed the SSN.

The organisation urged other cadres not to despair but continue where
the deceased left off.

______________________________________________


3. King Mswati facing mounting opposition: Bomb blast kills two. IRIN
(MBABANE), 22 September 2008.


Two men were killed and a third injured after a bomb exploded on 21
September close to King Mswati III's Lozitha palace, 25kms east of the
Swazi capital, Mbabane.

Police suspect that the bomb exploded prematurely as it was placed at
a road bridge by the perpetrators. Police said the two men killed were
a Swazi national and a man said to be Indian. The man who survived the
blast was a 44-year-old South African national and was taken in to
police custody and faces charges of treason - a capital offence. He
appeared in Manzini Magistrate Court on 22 September.

A fourth man, aged 30-years-old from Johannesburg in South Africa,
fled the scene and was the subject of a manhunt police said.

The bomb blast came in the wake of parliamentary polls on 19
September. According to Swaziland's elections, candidates are
permitted to contest the poll as independents, while political parties
are banned, in a system known as Tinkhundla. Mswati remains
sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch and holds elections every
five year's and then chooses his prime minister.

Protest

This election has seen mounting protests against the Tinkhundla
system, amid calls for a more representative style of democracy.

In 1998, following elections, a security guard was killed by a bomb
planted at the offices of the deputy prime minister's offices in
Mbabane and there have been a string of bombings since, which remain
unsolved.

The bomb at Lozitha bridge, about one kilometre from the Swaziland
largest royal palace and a principal residence for Mswati, also houses
the Kings Office, which administers royal affairs, and the Liqoqo, the
band of royal elders who act as the king's senior advisors.

The highway is the Swaziland main road artery connecting Mbabane with
the commercial town of Manzini, where the bulk of the country's
manufacturing sector is based. The landlocked country imports the
majority of its commercial goods by road from South Africa, most of it
by way of the highway that skirts the Lozitha palace.

The bomb exploded shortly before midnight, causing a passing vehicle
to flip over. The driver sustained injuries.

The Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), one of the country's
banned political parties, has called for a more militant approach to
achieving democracy, but denied any part in the bombing.

"There seems no end in sight for these bombings. There must be
movement toward democratic change (to stop them)," PUDEMO's president,
Mario Masuku, told IRIN.

Masuku was locked up in a police van for about six hours on 20
September, after he had attempted to join a pro-democracy protest that
blocked traffic at the South African border post.

One of the protest's organisers, the Swaziland Federation of Trade
Unions (SFTU), has distanced itself from the use of violence to attain
political goals, after two explosions earlier this month coincided
with a march by 15,000 of its members in Mbabane.

"The police must find the culprits. We as a union have always said
that violence is not the answer," SFTU Secretary General Jan Sithole
said.

_____________________________

4. Lawyer killed in Lozitha bomb blast. Musa Nhleko. Times of
Swaziland. September 23, 2008.

The Swazi who died during the bomb blast at Lozitha on Saturday night
was a lawyer.

Lawyer Musa Dlamini was once implicated in an E2 million armed robbery
that was staged at Siteki Evukuzenzele Supermarket.

Dlamini was with three others when the blast occurred. Preliminary
investigations have revealed that the bomb was allegedly intended for
Parliament and the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) buildings
situated at Lobamba and Nkhanini respectively.

They were, however, disappointed as they found security officers
patrolling the areas.

Their next stop was the Lozitha highway bridge which, however, could
not be bombed as the bomb exploded before it was placed on the bridge.
Other areas that are said to have been visited on the night were the
police headquarters in Mbabane, Swaziland Electricity Company
headquarters and the fuel stations at Matsapha.

It is said that the men were hired by one of the Swazi progressive
groups based in South Africa to bomb government structures.

When they arrived at the bridge, it was reported that the alleged
master-mind who has since been arrested asked someone to connect the
bomb as he went to relieve himself next to the road.

The bomb was connected and unfortunately it was a time bomb which is
said to have exploded less than 10 minutes after it was connected. The
Limpopo man who has been charged with High Treason is said to have
been badly injured on the face and body.

The so-called master-mind was expected to make a court appearance yesterday at
the Manzini Magistrate?s Court, but could not as he was reported to be
bleeding from the head, hence he was declared unfit to be in court.

___________________________________________


5. It is with great sadness and anger: Comrades Musa Dlamini and Jack
Govender. Swaziland Solidarity Network 23 September 2008.


It is with great sadness and anger that we learnt of the tragic
passing away of two prominent internationalists, revolutionaries and
members of the freedom struggle in Swaziland, comrades Musa "MJ"
Dlamini and Jack Govender aka Sipho Khumalo. The humblest and the
bravest servants of humanity have fallen ? pick up their spears and
carry on the fight for freedom.

According to the information, at our disposal, disseminated by the
royal news cables and cohorts, the two comrades passed on between
Mbabane and Manzini in what appeared to have been an explosion and
their remains were scattered around the scene of the accident.

The SSN is deeply saddened by the untimely departure of the two most
dedicated revolutionaries and of its founder members. We dip our
revolutionary banners in their living memory as we pay tribute to
their contribution to the struggle for freedom, peace, justice and
democracy in Swaziland.

SSN does not believe the royally edited information and blatant lies
about what happened on the fateful night of September 20, 2008, the
day that swallowed two giant revolutionaries. The tinkundla free
Swaziland will cherish this day as having contributed immensely to
their freedom and a befitting monument of freedom will be erected in
their honour, for their selfless service to a democratic and free
Swaziland where all will live together harmoniously and with peaceful
neighbourliness without the oppression by the other.

Comrade Jack Govender, on the insistence of Prince Musa who introduced
him to PUDEMO, was the founder member of Swaziland Solidarity Network,
in fact he was the main drive for its establishment, and was the first
one to establish contact with the progressive liberation movement in
Swaziland post South African democratic breakthrough in 1994, People's
United Democratic Movement [PUDEMO], Swaziland Federation Of Trade
Unions [SFTU], Swaziland Youth Congress [SWAYOCO], Swaziland
Association Of Students [SAS] where he met MJ and the then Swaziland
Democratic Alliance.

He left South Africa in December 1998 to pursue studies and work in
the USA and later would travel the world. He came back to South Africa
in February 2008 and continued his work for the liberation of
Swaziland through the solidarity network. It is only befitting that he
fell in Swaziland the land he fought so much to liberate from royal
dictatorship, his internationalist blood and that of his friend and
comrade Musa will nourish the germinating seed of freedom that will
soon bear the Swazi tree of freedom which one day even the royal
oppressors will bask under its protection of comfortable shade of
freedoms.

As we pay tribute to these gallant heroes of our freedom struggle,
ardent internationalists, we reject with all contempt the insinuations
by the autocratic Swazi regime police that theirs was an evil act of
terror.  They were forced to those conditions, to confront the enemy
head on, by the autocratic regime and undemocratic government of King
Mswati III, who abrogated all national powers -judicial, legislative
and executive unto himself through the unfortunate and the sad decree
of April 12, 1973. Until today Swaziland remains a dictatorship under
King Mswati III and his royal cohorts. Theirs was a just struggle from
which all and what is necessary remain justified to use against human
oppression and for the cause of justice and the liberation of their
fellow countrymen and women.

We have also noted with disgust the manner in which the royally
influenced media has attacked the integrity of comrade MJ. This is
expected from their quarters who serve their masters. MJ was a hero of
the Swaziland struggle for freedom and was not a coward. He did not
allow his law studies to blind and limit him from freeing his people
and for that we will always remember him both as a great legal mind
and great patriot who loved his country for which he gave his blood,
the greatest honour any revolutionary can attest for his country. The
sacrifice of his thriving law practice to concentrate on the freedom
of his people is greatly appreciated and acknowledged by all of us who
worked with him.

To all peace loving Swazis, patriots and democrats across all the
sectors we call upon you to remain focused and steady in the just
struggle for a free, peaceful and democratic Swaziland and we call on
you to unite during this time of pain in Swaziland, to join hands and
face the common social and political challenges facing you, to work
together and confront the tinkundla system to totally destroy it and
usher in a democratic dispensation.

We call on to strengthen the revolutionary foundation of the Swaziland
United Democratic Front to take the final challenge for your country's
liberation for which MJ was a prime architect from its initial
conception. We remain available for any support that is possible and
within our capacity towards a free and democratic Swaziland. We can
only remind you that for your liberation arise the consciousness of
the masses who are the ultimate arbiter of their fate and social
condition, deepen your roots in them and observe the spectacle of a
people's revolution in motion.

To their respective families we sincerely pass our deepest condolences
and regrets for these untimely deaths. May they know that we all share
their pain and grief and thus help to lessen their pain. We also loved
them, they were our comrades and brothers but we know your pain is
immeasurable.

To our beloved comrades as we bid them our final farewell, may their
undying revolutionary spirit live on and help to inspire many young
revolutionaries to take up their spears and soldier on until Swaziland
is free and indeed until humanity is totally free from hunger,
illiteracy, disease and dictators. Lalani ngoxolo maqhawe a maqwawe,
so hlala si ni khumbula nge zenzo zeno!  Yours was an heroic action,
not an act of cowardice, and accordingly will spur us on until
Swaziland is finally free from the unjust system of tinkundla
oppression. Our banners are flying half mast for you comrades ? rest
in peace!

Issued by the Swaziland Solidarity Network-South Africa Chapter

Swaziland@Newsletter 80

Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SAK-Swazinewsletter together with
documents and other materials not included in the regular newsletter.
If you wish to subscribe to the newsletter, please send mail to:
SAK-Swazinewsletter subscribe@.... Suggestions as to
content and themes of the Swaziland@Newsletter are welcome to
pmm@....

________________________________

1. Bombings are a call for change, says PUDEMO. Nelsiwe Ndlangamandla,
Swazi Observer, 22 September 2008.

2. Swazi 'palace bomb' plotters die. 22 September, 2008.
BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7628784.stm

3. Bombing kills two in Swaziland: police. Reuters 22 September 2008.

4. Swaziland protest memorandum, 19 September, 2008

5. Swazi poll 'window dressing exercise'. IOL 19 September 2008.

6. Swaziland: 'Even Zim elections were better' Imke van Hoorn /
SAPA-AFP. September 19, 2008.

7. Swaziland's political farce. Bongani Wakamsuthu:  Comment,
September 19, 2008.

8. Swaziland Protesting Union Leaders Arrested Ahead of Parliamentary
Election. Peter Clottey,  Voice of America. Washington, D.C. 19
September 2008

9. Swazi: Voters promised Heaven and Earth. Hans Pienaar. The Star,
September 19, 2008.

10. Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU). 18 September 2008.

11. Swaziland monarchy facing protests ahead of ?joke? election.
Sapa-AFP 18 September 2008.

12. Swazi police arresting protesters. Independent Online, September 18, 2008.

13. SADC and AU must intervene to bring about democracy in Swaziland.
Issued by South African Communist Party (SACP). 18 September 2008.

14. Police hold Swazi poll protesters. BBC NEWS: September 18, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7622667.stm

15. Press statement on Swaziland border blockade, September 18, 2008.

16. Solidarity message to the people of Swaziland.  World Federation
of Trade Unions (WFTU), Athens, September 17th 2008

_______________________________

1. Bombings are a call for change, says PUDEMO. Nelsiwe Ndlangamandla,
Swazi Observer, 22 September 2008.


Mario Masuku, President of the People?s United Democratic Movement
(PUDEMO) has said the bombings are a statement that government should
take seriously.

Masuku said he believed that government should call all stakeholders
and engage them in talks to find a solution to problem faced by the
country.

The bombings are continuing and something has to be done fast to
avoid any further loss of life. Masuku people expect changes in the
way the country is governed. He, however, said it was not their place
as a political party to condemn or condone such acts.

We condemn such acts - SFTU

The Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) has condemned the
bombings that have been taking place in the country.

The Secretary General, Jan Sithole said they dissociate themselves
from such acts of violence. He further called on the police to make
sure that people who are responsible for these acts are brought to
justice.

- For a long time we have said that we do not believe in violent acts
and even now as unions we stand by our word.-

Sithole stated that as trade unions they believe that things should be
solved with dialogue. He said it is the task of the police to see to
it that the people who destroy property are brought to justice.

Sithole stated that even in the recent march the people who were
responsible for planting the bombs have to be found and arrested if
need be.

The people who are responsible have no capacity to rule: Sibahle

Violence is not the right direction to political reformation, Musa
Nkhambule of Sibahle Sinje has said.

Nkhambule stated that they condemn such acts and disassociate
themselves from such. He said innocent Swazis suffer in bomb explosions.

- This could be dangerous because you may find that it is your
relatives who will get hurt in the bombings, so this is not right.-

He said the best way to get over such matter was for all parties
involved to come around the table to find a solution.

You reap what you sow: Prince Masitsela

Prince Masitsela has said the terrorists who died over the weekend
have got what was coming to them for planting the bombs in the country.

The Prince said it was sad that these people died but they planted the
bombs so that other people could get hurt and therefore, they reaped
what they had sown.

- It is not a good thing that people are dying and we hope that this
would be a lesson to all terrorists.- He said it is upon every one to
make sure that citizen of this country are safe. The prince said if
people want to rule they, should not destroy the country.

Dialogue is the solution to conflicts - Marwick

Marwick Khumalo Lobamba Lomdzala Member of Parliament (MP) has said
the way to resolve conflicts was through dialogue.

He said violence only makes the situation worse instead of bringing
things into order.

- Violence has never been acceptable in problem solving and people
should not resort to it.- He made an example of Zimbabwe, saying there
were violence acts but they did not bring peace in the country.

- The only way to resolve the conflicts was for the leaders to try and
solve the problems through dialogue.

This should be a lesson to every one that dialogue is the best way for
smooth running of the country.-

_________________________________

2. Swazi 'palace bomb' plotters die. 22 September, 2008.
BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7628784.stm


Two people about to plant a bomb in Swaziland near one of the royal
palaces were killed when the device prematurely exploded, police say.

They made the announcement late on Sunday after the results of
parliamentary polls were released.

Political parties are banned in the tiny kingdom, one of the world's
last absolute monarchies.

Several union officials were detained ahead of Friday's polls as they
took part in protests demanding reforms.

Some Swazis blame King Mswati III - who has been in power since 1986 -
for plunging the country into poverty and failing to tackle an Aids
epidemic.

Referendum call

Police spokesman Vusi Masuku said a third man from neighbouring South
Africa, who was also involved in the attempted attack on Saturday
night, was arrested and will be tried for treason.
The accomplices were trying to plant the bomb on a bridge near the
royal household outside the capital, Mbabane.

The BBC's Thulani Mtwethwa in the landlocked country says the election
was the first held under a new constitution.

He said there were a few surprises amongst the unaffiliated candidates
chosen: two state radio announcers have become MPs and the health
minister lost his seat.

It was also the first poll where foreign observers were allowed in.

The Southern African Development Community observers said the poll was
"free and fair".

The mission's head congratulated the Swazi people as they embarked "on
their gradual and challenging road for the entrenchment of democracy".

But Mary Mugyenyi, head of the Pan-African Parliament observers, had concerns.
"The mission observed the following challenges: political parties were
not permitted to contest in the elections.

"This restriction infringes on the rights of those citizens wishing to
participate in elections through political parties and does not meet
regional and international standards."

She recommended that a national referendum be held to ask the Swazi
people whether they wanted party politics.

Correspondents say the king remains popular with many of his subjects,
though opposition has been growing to his lavish lifestyle in a
country where most people live in poverty.


__________________________________

3. Bombing kills two in Swaziland: police. Reuters 22 September 2008.


Two people who were about to plant a bomb on a bridge near one of
Swaziland's royal palaces were killed late on Saturday when the device
exploded prematurely, police said on Sunday.

"We can confirm that the bomb killed two people," said police
spokesman Vusi Masuku.

Swaziland has faced rare protests demanding democratic reform and
greater social spending in the run-up to last Friday's parliamentary
poll in one of the world's last absolute monarchies.

Masuku said two other people, one believed to be South African, were
also involved in the planned attack near a palace belonging to King
Mswati III just outside the capital Mbabane.

Police on Thursday detained several union leaders and prevented other
labour activists from participating in a protest at the border with
South Africa. Authorities said the protest would have led to anarchy
ahead of the election.

An estimated 400,000 Swazis were eligible to vote in the election in
which 55 seats are being contested. Mswati, who rules the country of
1.1 million people with a free hand, will appoint an additional 10
deputies to the assembly.

Final results, expected on Monday, are unlikely to change the
country's political landscape since opposition parties have
effectively been banned by royal decree since 1973.

The monarch will also choose the country's prime minister and cabinet.

Although Mswati remains popular among many of his subjects, there is
rising discontent over his extravagant lifestyle, refusal to adopt
democratic reforms and to tackle social problems, including one of
Africa's worst AIDS epidemics.

________________________________


4. Swaziland protest memorandum, 19 September, 2008

Swaziland Solidarity Network, PUDEMO External Region, SACP, COSATU,
YCL, COSAS, ANCYL, SASCO, MDC Youth Assembly and PDP-Zim presented the
following memorandum at the Swaziland High Commission in Pretoria:

To King Mswati III, For and on behalf of King Mswati III, The High
Commissioner Mr. Muntu Mswane

The leadership and members of the South African Communist Party
[SACP], Congress of South African Trade Unions, and the Young
Communist League together with a network of organisations led by the
Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN] campaigning for democracy in
Swaziland are here today to support the struggling masses against the
oppressive regime of Swaziland and their ignorant 40/40 celebration.
This may be a celebration for the king, but it is a tragedy for the
majority of Swazis living in poverty and disease.

Nothing has changed in Swaziland, from a political point of view.
Swazis are still under draconian laws living under an absolute
monarchy that dictates to the judiciary, executive and legislative
arms of a puppet government. Political parties remained banned,
freedom of speech remains suppressed.

What you call "Swazi Democracy" is nothing but a cover for plain old
dictatorship. Such a disguise does not work with us. We see the face
of devil hidden behind Swazi Culture. A devil that will be destroyed
by the forces of good and justice led by organizations like PUDEMO.

We condemn the 40/40 celebration as blatant act of vanity and a slap
in the face of Swazis. We condemn the elections of Sept 19 as another
means of putting another group of Mswati's puppets in place. We also
condemn the SADC appointment of Mswati. We wholeheartedly support all
the strike actions by SFTU and SFL, SUDF in the coming days of
protest. We praise the voices of justice who struggle against
unreasonable and myopic vision tyrants of Swaziland.

We demand:

1.    A democratically elected National Constitutional Forum

2.    The immediate un-banning of all progressive political parties as
the first precondition in ensure the full involvement of civil society
in Swaziland in the process of democratising this country.

3.    We also demand the unconditional release of all political
prisoners as a precondition to this process

4.    We demand the removal of all laws that inhibit political
activity to ensure that the participation of the people of Swaziland
is uninhibited by authoritarian actions by the current Royal regime.

5.    We call on the South African Department of Foreign Affairs,
SADC, AU and the Commonwealth to publicly join the ever growing number
of voices expressing serious concern  posed by the undemocratic Swazi
regime, particularly:

- The urgent need for Swaziland to comply to the AU's Charter on Human
and People's Rights,

- And the SADC's Principles and guidelines on democratic, free and
fair elections.

The beginning of the end of the regime of Swaziland has begun. Freedom
will reign. There will be no peace with injustice.


_________________________________


5.  Swazi poll 'window dressing exercise'. IOL 19 September 2008.

Mbabane - Swaziland's banned political groups on Friday condemned the
kingdom's political system as Africa's last absolute monarchy went to
the poll.

Lawmakers will be elected under a new constitution which allows
freedom of association but still bars political parties, meaning
candidates can run as individuals but not as party representatives.

The run-up to the poll saw protests, border blockades and calls for
multi-party elections.

"Pudemo sees this election as a window dressing exercise trying to
pull wool over the eyes of the international community," said Mario
Masuku of the banned People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).

"We urge the international community to intensify the pressure on the
Swazi government so that it embraces democratisation,' he said.

Jan Sithole of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU)
criticised the Southern African Development Community of
"double-standards" in its advocacy of democracy.

SADC observer mission spokesperson Joao Ndlovu said the team had seen
a peaceful environment without intimidation.

"If you do not understand the Swazi electoral system you would say
there was no election going on," he said.

"The vibrancy that is seen in most parts of the world during elections
is not there in Swaziland, maybe that is caused by the absence of
political parties where rallies would be held."

Ndlovu rejected the accusation of double standards.

The Pan-African Parliament mission called for change in the country.

"The non-participation of political parties makes these elections
extraordinary from any others... but we hope with time things will
change," said mission head Mary Mugyenyi.

"What we see here is people choosing their leaders to represent them
in parliament. They are not from any political parties," Mugyenyi said.

________________________________

6. Swaziland: 'Even Zim elections were better' Imke van Hoorn /
SAPA-AFP. September 19, 2008.

Swaziland's banned political groups on Friday condemned the kingdom's
political system as Africa's last absolute monarchy went to the poll.

Lawmakers will be elected under a new Constitution that allows freedom
of association but still bars political parties, meaning candidates
can run as individuals but not as party representatives.

The run-up to the poll saw protests, border blockades and calls for
multiparty elections.

"Pudemo sees this election as a window-dressing exercise trying to
pull wool over the eyes of the international community," said Mario
Masuku, of the banned People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo).

"We urge the international community to intensify the pressure on the
Swazi government so that it embraces democratisation," he said.

Lucky Lukhele, spokesperson of the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN),
told the Mail & Guardian Online that the elections will change
"absolutely nothing" and leave King Mswati III in power.

On Friday, the SSN, together with organisations such as the Congress
of South African Trade Unions, the Young Communist League, the African
National Congress Youth League and Pudemo, organised a demonstration
at the Swazi embassy in Pretoria.

"We organised this demonstration to protest against the sham
elections," Lukhele said. "Swaziland is not even close to democracy.
Political parties are banned, there are still people in exile, people
were arrested, [and are under] house arrest."

"Even the elections in Zimbabwe were better. You can't have an
election when the king is above the Constitution," he said.

Lukhele questioned what international election observers were doing in
Swaziland, saying: "There is nothing to observe there."

He said 70% of Swazi people live below the poverty line and 40% are
living with HIV/Aids. "The people in Swaziland are pushed into a
corner. In the end, the only option is to fight. It's a scary idea for
many, but we don't blame them."

He didn't believe many people would vote in Friday's election.
"Ordinary people will rather go to work or stay at home, they don't
believe in these elections."

According to Lukhele, only those who are close to the royal family
would vote, as would those who were forced by their chiefs, who are
instructed by the king.

Jan Sithole, of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, accused the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) of "double standards" in
its advocacy of democracy.

SADC observer mission spokesperson Joao Ndlovu said the team had seen
a peaceful environment without intimidation.

"If you do not understand the Swazi electoral system, you would say
there was no election going on," he said. "The vibrancy that is seen
in most parts of the world during elections is not there in Swaziland.
Maybe that is caused by the absence of political parties where rallies
would be held."

Ndlovu rejected the accusation of double standards.

The Pan African Parliament mission called for change in the country.

"The non-participation of political parties makes these elections
extraordinary from any others ... but we hope with time things will
change," said mission head Mary Mugyenyi.

"What we see here is people choosing their leaders to represent them
in Parliament. They are not from any political parties," she said.


________________________________

7. Swaziland's political farce. Bongani Wakamsuthu:  Comment,
September 19, 2008.

Source: Mail & Guardian Online
Web Address: http://www.mg.co.za/article/2008-09-19-swazilands-political-farce


Although Swaziland has had a new Constitution since 2006, the country
has failed to shake off its status as one of Africa's remaining
undemocratic nations.

King Mswati III, who recently celebrated the 40th independence
anniversary of the country and his own 40th birthday, frequently
invites fierce criticism from political opposition parties and civil
society inside and outside the country.

"If democracy is defined as the right of the people to choose their
own government, under an enabling social environment, through an
institutionalised multiparty system and periodic secret ballots, any
government outside this frame can't claim to be executing the mandate
of the governed," says Mario Masuku, the president of the People's
United Democratic Movement.

On Friday Swaziland holds its first elections under the new
constitutional arrangement, but the fresh political dispensation has
done little to improve things on the ground.

The new Constitution has effectively served only to cement Mswati's
rule and inhibits the existence of opposition political parties.

The absence of participation of political groups in the election
essentially makes the whole exercise a farce and has fuelled talk that
the elections should be boycotted and sanctions be imposed against
Swaziland.

On August 17 this year a major protest march against Mswati and
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was held in Johannesburg to
re-enforce calls for sanctions against Swaziland.

The protest was aimed to coincide with the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) heads of state meeting at which Mswati
took over the chair of the SADC organ on politics, defence and
security. Many in the opposition and civil society feel that giving
the king such an important position is an insult to democracy and to
the people of Swaziland.

Another recurring concern has been the extravagant spending of the
royal family, especially during the 40-40 celebrations.

More than R100-million was spent, while many Swazis are dying of
hunger and hospitals lack basic requirements for healthcare.

Masuku says: "Issues affecting the electorate, like education, health,
social grants, unemployment, cost of living, poverty and so on are
hardly debated in the tinkhundla [Swazi] legislature. The performance
of government arms and structures cannot be challenged effectively
without political parties and opposition; in fact political parties
provide the necessary checks and balances of government."

Mounting dissent

Since 1973 when King Sobhuza II proclaimed that he was taking over all
supreme powers, Swazis have done nothing but watch and obey. To a
large extent they have been living in fear, making it difficult to
ascertain the extent of support for democracy. The voices calling for
an open political space have grown in the past few years, with a range
of people and organisations agitating for change.

First political parties raised the alarm; they were followed by trade
unions, student and youth organisations and now NGOs, social movements
and even churches are calling for dialogue.

The formation of organisations such as the Swaziland Coalition of
Concerned Civic Organisations, the National Constitutional Assembly
and the Swaziland United Democratic Front bears testimony to this.

"If we are to judge by the fact that there is no political space, but
people are now openly making their views known, then it means that the
majority of people indeed want an open political space," Masuku says.

On the eve of the 40-40 celebrations labour groups and political
groups organised a march that was attended by more than 20 000 people,
which effectively brought Swaziland to a halt.

The momentum for change is coming largely from the convergence of
interests of political groupings and trade unions, especially over
socio-economic issues.

Most realise that the country's problems are rooted in the current
political system, especially questions of poor governance and the
growing economic crisis.

The changing Zimbabwean political situation has contributed to a push
for change, as more Swazis realise that theirs is the only country in
the region that is stubbornly refusing to democratise.

Masuku says: "We cannot overlook that our society has become
increasingly politicised -- through the media, political marches, NGO
programmes and church campaigns for social justice.

"This has generated a momentum that has been building silently
underground and it is now beginning to manifest itself openly. More
rural people are beginning to realise that there is a problem in the
country and they are beginning to participate actively in the
activities of different social forces, which further widens the
network of broad social awareness."

The opposition's wish list

Assistance in building its capacity to organise for change;

For international organisations, including the Southern African
Development Community and the African Union to play a pro-active role
in facilitating dialogue between the contending forces, to bring about:

For the region and the international community to challenge the Swazi
government at international forums about its human rights record;

To see Swaziland excluded from all international forums until proper
process towards democratisation

For regional and international communities to pronounce openly the
current elections as undemocratic because political parties remain
banned and the environment is not conducive to free and fair
elections; and

For South African businesses to exert pressure on the king to create a
climate of democratic stability that facilitates sustainable investment.


Obstacles to democracy

There is a low level of political debate and those challenging
authority are labelled "unSwazi".

There is pressure on the media and the judiciary to behave in a manner
defined by royalty as "loyal Swazi". These institutions feel
particularly threatened when issues arise that are perceived to be a
threat to the royal family.

There is an underperforming civil service because most senior
positions are occupied by members of the royal family or its
associates. They feel no obligation to deliver because they owe their
allegiance to the king.

The private sector operates to please the royal family, even though
this makes no business sense. This has created low economic
productivity and a disincentive to invest in the economy and create
jobs.


Bongani wakaMsuthu is the pseudonym of a Swazi political analyst .

__________________________________

8. Swaziland Protesting Union Leaders Arrested Ahead of Parliamentary
Election. Peter Clottey,  Voice of America. Washington, D.C. 19
September 2008

The people of Swaziland go to the polls Friday to elect members of
parliament amid government crackdown against pro-democracy
demonstrators who are calling for political reforms under King Mswati
III. Swazi police arrested several protest leaders Thursday, saying
the protesters were causing Anarchy.But the demonstrators say today?s
parliamentary election is a façade calculated to deceive Swazis into
believing that absolute monarch, King Mswati III, is interested in
democracy.

Vincent Dlamini is the main proponent of the protest march. He tells
reporter Peter Clottey from the capital, Mbabane that the protests
would continue unabated until their demands for democratic reforms are
met.

- Some of the union leaders were arrested during our protests and
demonstration around the border post yesterday. Some of the
were released later on after their detention, but I?m not quite sure
what happened to the others. We are still trying to locate where they
are at the moment.

What we can also report is that quite a number of workers, in the
southern part of the country in Mshangano were brutally assaulted by
the police as they were conducting the demonstration against the
election that would be held this morning in our country, Dlamini said.

He said the union workers are protesting against he called an
undemocratic system, which he said clamps down on their right to a
free democratic society.

- We are protesting against the current Nikunda system, which we
believe is undemocratic, and we are demanding that elections must be
held under a multi-party democratic system. This current system came
into place by the banning of the political parties in 1973 by the
previous King Sobhuza II. In this particular state of emergency, one
significant thing that happened was that all three branches of
government were transferred to the king. That is the judiciary,
legislature and all other executive powers were vested in the king by
that particular decree, which banned political parties in the
country, he said.

Dlamini said the protesters want to enjoy democracy just like most
people in other parts of the world do.

We are saying that we want elections to be conducted in a multi-party
democratic environment, Dlamini pointed out.

He sharply denied that the Friday parliamentary election is an attempt
by the government to bring about some democratic reforms.

- No, no, no, there is no reform at all. What is happening in our
country is that the majority of the people reside in the rural areas,
which is about 70% of the population. And therefore quite a number of
them are participating in this election because they are intimidated
by the chiefs who are appendages of the monarch. The chiefs run the
rural areas and the villages on behalf of the monarch and they tend to
intimidate and evict people who do not conform to the dictates of the
regime, he said.

Dlamini accused the government of not educating the masses on the
benefits of democracy.

- What is happening is that the regime in our country currently thrives
on the ignorance of the masses. In the rural areas there are high
level of poverty and people are being abused in the sense that what is
happening, they are given food passes and all that and are being
bribed so to speak, Dlamini noted.

He said union workers would not stop protesting to ensure their voices
for democratic reforms are heard.

- What we are going to do next is that we will continue in engaging in
mass action, we will have mass demonstrations at certain intervals.
And we are going to be educating our people in terms of what is best
for our country, as well as making sure that the international
community understands our plight and understand that Swaziland is
still an undemocratic country, he said.

Some political observes say although the monarch remains popular among
many of his subjects, there is rising discontent over his extravagant
lifestyle, refusal to adopt democratic reforms and to tackle
Swaziland?s numerous social problems.
__________________________________

9. Swazi: Voters promised Heaven and Earth. Hans Pienaar. The Star,
September 19, 2008.

Candidates in Swaziland's election were making promises "off the top
of their heads" to get votes in Friday's parliamentary elections,
widely derided as a joke and meaningless as political parties are not
allowed to form a government.

Police were on tenterhooks and have been arresting opposition members,
fearing a repeat in recent weeks of demonstrations against King Mswati
III's autocratic rule.

The South African Communist Party called "shameful" the arrests and
brief detention of unionists and activists who were on their way to
blockade the border posts on the South African border.

SACP spokesperson Malesela Maleka was scathing about the silence of
the Southern African Development Community and the African Union,
which, he said, should ensure that Swaziland applies democratic
principles. Swaziland is the chair of SADC's organ on politics,
security and defence.

"How opportunistic that the rest of the region and the continent has
chosen to keep quiet while thousands of people in Swaziland are
subjected to poverty and the brutal dictatorship of the king," he said.

"South African government's deafening silence speaks volumes about the
cornerstone of our foreign policy, more so because many Swazis died in
the struggle against apartheid," Maleka said. SA is the current chair
of SADC.

A civil-society advocate, who preferred not to be identified for fear
of victimisation, said wild promises were being made by the about 350
candidates. Candidates stand as individuals, and are nominated by 55
"nkundlas", or groups of chiefs, who can each nominate one person.

Some candidates were promising communities buses and all manner of
other goods that they will never be able to provide, unless they pay
for them from their meagre parliamentary salaries.

The electioneering is fierce, but only because candidates are trying
to outdo each other.

Nevertheless, a high turn-out was expected, as chiefs would act
against people not voting, Maleka said.

Voter registration cards were routinely demanded when social security,
food aid and other largess were dealt out.

A new constitution adopted in 2006 guarantees freedom of association,
and the country's attorney-general claims political parties can be
registered. But as they are not allowed to form a government, and have
to work within tight restrictions, few care to operate.

Opposition politics have been dominated by unionists and activists.

On September 3, on the eve of Mswati's "40-40" celebrations of
Swaziland's independence and his birthday, about 10 000 people
gathered in the commercial capital Manzini, and reassembled the next
day. Their prime target was the cost of the celebrations, estimated at
100-million emlangeni (about R100-million).

"We are elated by the historic outpouring of ordinary people to say to
the royal government 'Enough!'," said the Swaziland Federation of
Trade Unions' Andrew Simelane.

Recently, a thousand HIV-positive women, galled by reports that
Mswati's 13 wives had been sent on shopping trips to the Middle East
and Asia, led a march in Mbabane.

Local newspapers widely reprinted a recent list published by Forbes
magazine, in which Mswati was named one of the 15 richest royals in
the world.
__________________________________

10. Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU). 18 September 2008.

Comrades,

Kindly be informed that the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions
Secretary General, Jan J Sithole together with other labour leaders
have been detained today by the state (Swazi Government).

The Swazi Government has staged a fierce confrontation of armed police
and soldiers against peaceful workers, who are on a lawful and
peaceful protest action against the Swazi regime.

We will update you on the future developments.

Other arrested labour leaders are reported to be taken for a 'hell
ride' in police vans to remote areas where their safety cannot be
guaranteed.

King Mswati's government is hell bent to crash all voices of dissent
so as to protect his nest of corrupt and undemocratic "Tinkhundla
regime". The government uses the armed forces to muzzle and silence
the opposition in Swaziland.

The people of Swaziland live under perpetual fear of being arrested
and beaten up if they do not vote in the Tinkhundla centres.

Comradely

Archie Sayed
Vice Secretary General
_______________________________________


11. Swaziland monarchy facing protests ahead of ?joke? election.
Sapa-AFP 18 September 2008.


Swaziland, Africa's last absolute monarchy, faced protests Thursday on
the eve of elections with anger growing in a country that remains
deeply impoverished despite the king's lavish lifestyle.

Unions and banned political parties planned to blockade border posts
ahead of parliamentary polls on Friday that those who have been
pushing for change say will be meaningless.

"How these elections are called democracy is beyond me," said Mario
Masuku, leader of People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo), one of
Swaziland's banned political parties.

"The country's political systems makes it a mockery of democracy in
the region. In Swaziland there are no elections just selections of
people who dance to the king's tune."King Mswati III, who ascended the
throne at age 18, keeps a strong traditional grip on power, with
responsibility for appointing the prime minister, legislature and
judiciary.

His country is one of Africa's poorest, with one of the world's
highest HIV rates, and some have blamed the king's state-sponsored
extravagant lifestyle for draining Swaziland's finances.

Two weeks ago, the Swazi government splashed out 100 million
emalangeni (12.2 million dollars, 8.5 million euros) for a
controversial double anniversary to celebrate independence from Britain
and the king's birthday.

Dozens of brand new BMW luxury cars were specially bought to transport
guests for the ceremony and an overseas shopping trip by some of the
king's 13 wives before the event caused an outcry.

The trip drew unprecedented protests from student, political and civil
groups who denounced the tour while more than two-thirds of the
country's one million population live in poverty.

Friday's poll is the first to take place under a rewritten
constitution, put into effect in 2006, which allows for freedom of
association.

However, candidates can only stand for elections as individuals, not
as part of political parties.

Opposition and civil society groups have been fighting for plural
politics and the abolition of the monarchy, which they claim is
dictatorial.

Swaziland United Democratic Front general secretary, Vincent
Ncongwane, this week questioned the sending of observers to what he
called a "sham" election.

Observers from the 15-nation Southern African Development Community,
Pan African Parliament (PAP), the Commonwealth and the African Union
will monitor the vote.

"It puzzles the mind as to why they are endorsing this joke," he said.

Political parties in the landlocked southern African country were
banned in 1973 by the late King Sobhuza after he dissolved the
country's constitution, declaring it was unworkable as it promoted
hatred among Swazis.

Swaziland is currently run on a homegrown political system called
Tinkhundla with parliamentary elections held every five years after
which the king appoints a new prime minister.

With an unemployment rate of 40 percent, the upcoming poll means
nothing to most Swazis, said analyst Thembinkosi Dlamini.

"People want to see an end to the hunger gripping country, access
social grants, health care. They have voted before but nothing has
changed," said Dlamini.

"These elections do not embrace the virtues of modern democracy and
the will of the people."

Mswati III, who rules the country side by side with his mother, has
been named by Forbes magazine as one of the 15 richest royals in the
world, with a fortune of 200 million dollars.

The king was the only African royal to make it into the prestigious
list, published in August. According to Forbes, Mswati III's wealth
comes from investments and real estate.


________________________________________


12. Swazi police arresting protesters. SAPA / Independent Online,
September 18, 2008.

Swaziland police were arresting protesters who were on their way to
protest against parliamentary polls by blockading the Swaziland and
South African border posts, Cosatu said on Thursday.

"Swazi police are arresting protesters at, or on their way to the
border posts... and then dumping them in isolated areas," Cosatu said
in statement.

"Those arrested include PUDEMO president Mario Masuku, STFU general
secretary Jan Sithole and trade union leader Vincent Dlamini," Cosatu
said.

The protests are supported by Cosatu and are aimed at pressuring King
Mswati III to recognise political organisations in the impoverished
country.

The blockades were planned for all four borders posts with
neighbouring South Africa.
________________________________________

13. SADC and AU must intervene to bring about democracy in Swaziland.
Issued by South African Communist Party (SACP). 18 September 2008.

The news of the arrest of various protestors including the PUDEMO
President Mario Masuku, SNAT leadership, SFTU General Secretary Jan
Sithole, and trade union leader Vincent Dlamini has demonstrated the
willingness of the Tinkudla regime to subvert democracy in Swaziland.

It is a shame that this happens whilst King Mswati III is the head of
the SADC Organ on Politics, Safety and Defense. How opportunistic that
the rest of the region and the continent has chosen to keep quite
whilst thousands of people in Swaziland are subjected to extreme
poverty and the brutal dictatorship of the King.

We call on SADC and the AU to stand up and take a stand to defend
democratic principles. South African governments deafening silence
speaks volumes about the cornerstone of our foreign policy, more so
because many Swazis died in the struggle against apartheid on the side
of democratic forces together with their South African counterparts.
We owe it to our own revolutionary martyrs who fell on the Swazi soil
fighting for the freedom we enjoy today and to liberate Swaziland from
this draconian rule. The forthcoming elections are nothing but a sham
and a cheap attempt to fool the world about democracy in Swaziland.

Furthermore the stance taken by other international institutions
including the EU and Britain in refusing to send observes to the
elections must be applauded. This is mainly informed by Swaziland's
flagrant attack on the SADC Protocol on Elections.

Malesela Maleka
SACP Spokesperson
________________________________________


14. Police hold Swazi poll protesters. BBC NEWS: September 18, 2008
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7622667.stm

Police in Swaziland have detained a number of pro-democracy activists
planning a border blockade ahead of parliamentary elections in the
kingdom.

Several union leaders were bundled into police vans at the main border
crossing with South Africa, organisers of the planned blockade said.
Political parties are banned in Swaziland, one of the world's last
absolute monarchies.

There have been recent protests calling for change and multi-party democracy.
King Mswati III, who has been in power since 1986 and recently
celebrated his 40th birthday, hand-picks many of Swaziland's
parliamentarians.

Correspondents say the king remains popular with many of his subjects,
though opposition has been growing to his lavish lifestyle in a
country where most people live in poverty.

Border protest

Early on Thursday, authorities detained unions leaders and other
activists after they arrived at Oshoek, Swaziland's main point of
trade with South Africa.

Among those being held was Jan Sithole, the secretary-general of the
Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions.

The BBC's Thulani Mthewa, who is at the border, said some 200 people -
both South African and Swazi - had begun a protest on the South
African side of the border, but the demonstration on the Swazi side
had been blocked.

South African unionists from the umbrella organisation Cosatu are
demonstrating in solidarity with their Swazi counterparts.

Riot police have been deployed on both sides of the border crossing,
our reporter says.

Landlocked Swaziland is almost entirely surrounded by South Africa.
Ahead of the planned blockade, Swazi government spokesman Percy
Simelane said the protest was unnecessary.

"The issues have been dealt with, the blockade is illegal, Swaziland
hasn't done anything to deserve being treated the way it is being
treated by our unions and also the unions in South Africa," he told
the BBC Network Africa programme.

But the secretary-general of the Swaziland Federation of Labour,
Vincent Ncongwane, said protesters wanted to demonstrate that Friday's
elections would not be inclusive.

"We still have in Swaziland this myth that you can have a democracy
where there isn't the participation of other political parties," he
told the BBC's.

________________________________________

15. Press statement on Swaziland border blockade, September 18, 2008.


The Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN]  condemns with strongest
possible terms the arrest and intimidation of our Swazi comrades,
Swazi police are arresting protesters at, or on their way to,  the
border posts between Swaziland and SA and then dumping them in
isolated areas. Those arrested include PUDEMO President Mario Masuku,
SNAT leadership, SFTU General secretary Jan Sithole, and trade union
leader Vincent Dlamini. All groups of people assembling near the
border posts are being dispersed. This strengthens our disappointment
with the SADC as an organisation for breaking its own principles by
appointing King Mswati as chairperson of the Troika.

As we said it in our press statement on the 16th September, 2008: "We
call upon all peace loving and democrats in South Africa and the world
over to condemn this one sided elections and isolate the Swazi regime
from all the international forums. We call on the people to join the
picket outside the Swaziland embassy in Pretoria on the 19th September
2008 to raise our objection to this shameful 'electoral' process.

By no means is Swaziland a democracy until there is a free political
activity and basic democratic norms and values are observed.

No peace with injustice!
Phambili Emzabalazo!

Protesters arrested include:

Mario Masuku- PUDEMO Pressident
Jan Sithole- SFTU General Secretary.
Vincent Dlamini- SNACS General Secretary and PUDEMO CEC member
Jabulani Dlamini - Acting Deputy Secretary General -PUDEMO
Themba Mabuza- National Oganiser Swaziland Youth Congress SWAYOCO- PUDEMO YL
Thabile Zwane- Secretayr General- SWAYOCO-PUDEMO YL
Sibusiso Mtjali - SFL
Charles Zwane- SNAT
Eric Dlamini- SNAT


___________________________________


16. Solidarity message to the people of Swaziland.  World Federation
of Trade Unions (WFTU), Athens, September 17th 2008

The WFTU expresses its full support and solidarity on behalf of its
63.000.000 members and 170 trade union affiliates all over the world.

It is a fair struggle. We unite our voice with your voices against the
sham elections.

The struggle for democracy in Swaziland is a basic duty for the
class-oriented trade union movement and the people of Swaziland as
whole.

Against the absolute monarchy and slavery, the trade unionists and the
politicians, the workers as well as the unemployed should be united
and pursue their demands for freedom and democracy through struggles.

The WFTU sends a strong message of solidarity and calls upon all its
affiliates to organize actions of solidarity and support the people of
Swaziland for the democratization of their country and the end of
slavery.


Long live workers international solidarity!

THE WFTU SECRETARIAT
40, Zan Moreas street,  Athens  11745  GREECE
www.wftucentral.org     E-mail: info@...,
international@...


_________________________________________


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Swaziland@Newsletter 79

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_______________________________

1. Norman  Mokoena, COSATU  to stage protest action at the Oshoek
border gate in solidarity with the people of Swaziland: 18 September
2008.

2. Swazi mediation on the cards. Mandy Rossouw, Johannesburg (South
Africa), September 15, 2008.

3. Musa Hlophe, Political Triumphs or the Triumph of Politics? The
Times Sunday, 14 September 2008.

4. Celebration speech of the king. The Swazi Observer, September 12, 2008.

5. All men are created equal so let them eat cake. Matthew D'Arcy,
Public Service Review: International Development Online, September 10,
2008.

6. Civil society gains strength at African Union ECOSOCC meeting. IPS,
Dar es Salaam.  September 10, 2008.


_______________________________

Dear readers

On the present situation and task in Swaziland, I wish simply to quote
a letter. Written by Thobile Maso on the needs and the demands of the
people. In many ways, it could also be addressed to all throughout the
world who attempt to create a better future under similar circumstances.

- Peace is incontestably needed in all nations and by all peoples of
the world. I think it must be fully understandable that to deny and
deprive the democratic rights of the people you have violated their
integrity, the dignity of their humanity. In fact you have dehumanised
and raped their humanity.

Every revolutionary fighter is a revolutionary lover because s/he
loves the life of the people and has to fight and defend the people.
In the process of the conflict, violence will occur because of the
resistance of the autocratic regime which wishes to maintain its power
over people.

Revolutionaries are defenders of the rights of the people. They have
to advance the interests, needs and happiness of the people at all
costs. That is the duty of each and every revolutionary.

Revolutionaries are not bandits, not adventurists or reckless people,
but are radical and militant people for the course of democracy, for peace
and justice as a corner stone for all peoples of the world.-

It cannot be better said.

Yours sincerely

Swaziland@Newsletter
Editor

_______________________________

1. Norman  Mokoena, COSATU  to stage protest action at the Oshoek
border gate in solidarity with the people of Swaziland: 18 September
2008.


On 18 September 2008 COSATU members in Mpumalanga will embark on a
protest action in solidarity with the struggling masses of Swaziland
for democracy in that country.

COSATU is consistent in its support for the workers and the people of
Swaziland, as  nearly every year COSATU members have staged border
blockades  at all the borders  between South Africa and Swaziland to
call for  democracy and the rule of law in that  country.

On 19 September 2008 the people of Swaziland will be forced to observe
and participate in an illegitimate and undemocratic lections which are
run and controlled by the Tinkhundla regime.  These elections takes
place under conditions where political parties are banned, where the
freedom of association is denied, where the constitution of the
country has been imposed unto the people, where political activists
are harassed and tortured by the Swaziland Defence Force and police on
daily basis, where young men and  women have fled the country and are
exiled because of their activism.

The Tinkhundla regime has politically failed the people of  Swaziland,
it is a neo-colonial  and semi-feudal system founded on the exclusion
of the overwhelming majority of the people of Swaziland. The economy
of Swaziland is today characterized by the following:


-  HIV/AIDS prevalence at 40%

-  Highest levels of inequalities between the rich and the  poor

-  The economy not growing but stagnating

-  Women abuse is dressed in nice gown called tradition

-  About 70% of the population live below the $1 a day and over 300
000 of the around 1 million citizens depend on food  aids.

-  Unemployment rate is amongst the highest in the SADC Region .

COSATU in Mpumalanga calls upon all peace-loving people of Mpumalanga,
the  Alliance,  the Mass Democratic Movement, the NGOs  and  CBOs,
members of the  community to join us in the protest action to liberate
the  people of  Swaziland from  the  yoke of oppression .


____________________________________

2. Swazi mediation on the cards. Mandy Rossouw, Johannesburg (South
Africa), September 15, 2008.

Mediation between the Swazi government and labour movements and
opposition parties is due to start within weeks in an attempt to
resolve the country's growing political crisis.

Jan Sithole, the general secretary of the Swaziland Federation of
Trade Unions (SFTU), said the country's labour advisory board had
acquired the services of the Centre for Conflict Resolution at the
University of Cape Town to mediate.

This is the first time that political mediation will take place in the
kingdom of Swaziland, where parliamentary elections are held
regularly, but the reigning monarch, King Mswati III, governs
absolutely.

The proposed mediation is due to start in Mbabane after the
parliamentary elections on September 19.

A South African expert on Swaziland, who prefers to remain anonymous
says the situation in the country is volatile.

"It is worse than Zimbabwe, any small thing can just trigger it; we
have to be careful."

The elections next Friday will cost R22-million. International bodies
such as the United Nations and the European Union declined to observe
this year's poll because the Swazi elections are perceived as
undemocratic since the Constitution does not allow opposition parties.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Commonwealth
will be sending observer teams.

"In practice, they [the king and his family] are the government, a
government which the people cannot change, even though there are
direct elections," the Commonwealth observer mission said in a 2003
report.

The mediation efforts among government, civil society and the
political opposition come after the recent mass demonstrations and
bomb blasts which accompanied the country's 40th anniversary
celebrations in Mbabane which doubled as King Mswati's 40th birthday
party.

Despite the high HIV rate -- 43% of pregnant women were HIV positive
in 2005 -- and poverty, Mswati treated his 13 wives and their
children, servants and bodyguards to a shopping trip in Dubai,
sparking widespread criticism.

The celebrations were marred by two car-bomb blasts at the stadium
where the celebrations were held. No-one was injured or took responsibility.

Before the celebrations the People's United Democratic Movement
(Pudemo) had threatened to make the country "ungovernable" if the king
did not agree to change.

Although he denied that his party was involved, Pudemo President Mario
   Masuku said the bombings were not "the work of anyone outside of
Swaziland. Nobody came from the United Kingdom or from America to
effect the bombing, it was done by the people of Swaziland," he said.

Masuku said that despite dissatisfaction with the king, Swazis will
vote next Friday.

"It is the culture and nature of the regime; people are told that if
you don't go to the elections, you are not a Swazi."

Masuku said candidates are campaigning because being an MP provides a
regular income and the prospect of a good life: "If you are an MP you
are closer to the king and have a chance to be in Cabinet."

The SFTU is planning mass demonstrations in the run-up to the
elections, setting up border blockades with South Africa's Cosatu.

According to Masuku, they have appealed to the SADC for help.

"SADC likes quiet diplomacy. We know that there are engagements
between the government and SADC leadership but we were not invited to
that. Leaders know that if Swaziland is unstable, South Africa and
Mozambique are unstable, so they can't just sit back."
_______________________________

3. Musa Hlophe, Political Triumphs or the Triumph of Politics? The
Times Sunday, 14 September 2008.

As I write this we are hearing that the long - quiet diplomacy - of
President Thabo Mbeki has produced a settlement in the ongoing crisis
in Zimbabwe.  Of course, in the strange world of the  southern African
politician, an economy that is running inflation at millions of
percent, is not in crisis, an election process that has ripped up
African Union and SADC guidelines on elections and common sense to
manipulate a result to keep Mugabe in power is not in crisis
and a society that tolerates political killings and violence including
rape to intimidate opposition supporters, is not a crisis.  This
leaves us with the question - what does it take for you to call a
situation a crisis?

Political, rather than legal theory shows that a state is sovereign
when it is recognised as sovereign by other states and when it can
control the monopoly on violence within the country.  Mugabe made sure
through his manipulation of Zimbabwe?s security forces and the use of
violent repressive tactics by his party, ZANU-PF, that he retained the
monopoly on violence, especially when it is directed towards political
ends.  These are the only terms that one can conceive that Zimbabwe is
not in crisis.  The ruling elite retains its ability to dominate and
control the country and its people through violence, the threat of
violence and the violent suppression of resistance.  It is a brutally
effective strategy that rips up the idea of the social contract where
the leaders of a country are part of a broader agreement that they
rule with the consent of the people.

It is often said that there cannot be humanitarian solutions to
humanitarian crises.  It is also probably true that there cannot be
effective legal responses to crises of legitimacy but that cannot mean
that the only game in town is politics.  I have said before that it is
dangerous to leave politics to the politicians, we, the people must
speak, we must stand up and make our voice, the voice of common sense
in its truest and most democratic form, speak. Democracy is government
of the people, by the people, for the people, not the politicians.

Governments of National Unity are a triumph of politics over the
people, and their common sense.  This is where this dangerous, short
sighted idea of a government of national unity (GNU) panders to the
politically aware who are concerned about the control of the levers of
power rather than representing the will of the people and respecting
the diversity of views within it.   Seven months into the GNU in
Kenya, we still see politically motivated brutality on the streets of
Nairobi, we see the loser of the election remaining as President and
head of state and appointing the winner of the election as Prime
Minister with undefined executive powers.  We see the stunted Truth
and Reconciliation Commission and other Commissions that are never
going to get to the real causes of the crisis because the people who
appointed them are the people that the Commissions must investigate.
We see the will of the people ignored by the political elite and the
important role of the opposition parties as the expressed will of the
minorities and as a check and balance on power, left behind.  A
triumph of politics over democracy.

The Zimbabwian economic crisis stems not from the economic sanctions
imposed by the west, (they were directed at less than 100 people
within the country) but by the politicians thinking that they can
order the printing of more monetary notes when there aren?t enough to
buy what they want.  This attempt by politics to triumph over
economics was always doomed to failure.

On Thursday, the day before the, still secret, deal was announced,
there were credible reports of ZANU-PF activists beating and raping
opposition supporters.  These are not the actions of democrats.

ZANU-PF are not democratic - they are politicians who have gained
power through the barrel of the gun and cannot envisage that power can
be taken from them in any other way.  Mugabe said so before the June
29 run-off, his words were: how can a cross on a piece of paper mean
more than a rifle? While we respect Comrade Mugabes proud history as
the scourge of the colonialists, however we must acknowledge that he
has squandered his fine reputation by acting in exactly the same ways
as his colonialist oppressors did.  The takeover of the white farms
had nothing to do with giving back the land to Zimabweans, as his high
flown and emotionally charged rhetoric states.  Farms were selected
for repatriation by those who stopped paying bribes to ZANU-PF.  The
fact that the farms were then given to party leaders who couldnt farm
is one of the great tradgedies of Zimbabwe.  And so we witness the
triumph of politics over biology.  The farms can be barren and the
people can starve so long as those farms are owned by the powerful.

Back at home, in Swaziland, this week is, of course, elections week.
Let us not be under any illusion, under this tinkhundla system your
opinion on how the country should be governed, and who should govern
it, counts for nothing.  Your vote is for an MP that has no say in who
is in government nor what the policies of that government should be.
That is the reserve of His Majesty and his advisors.  This is another
triumph of politics over democracy.

We saw on Wednesday the belated arrival of the SADC elections
observation advance team.  By their own standards, they are supposed
to be in country at least fifteen days before the elections but like
our Elections Commission they will be trying to do too little, too
late.  In explaining their lateness the observers stated that Swazi
Elections and Boundaries Commission had not invited them for the
nominations and the primary elections.  We all know the reasons why.

The nominations are the arenas where the real work of the Tinkhundla
system is carried out.  When the elections and boundaries staff
collude with the local chief to ensure that certain people are, as our
constitution states, invited to stand and more importantly for the
tinkhudla system not invited to stand.  Many people were not
recognised for nomination if their face did not fit. We know that there
must be between 4 and 10 candidates for each chiefdom but we do not
know the criteria that the elections officials use to decide how many
people should be invited to stand. This system is corruptible and it
is corrupt.

The Commonwealth Elections Observation Team got it right
in 2003 when they said that it was of no consequence if the elections
were free or fair since they were not credible.  These elections and
this Constitution do not allow for change, they do not allow for
development.

And as in Kenya and Zimbabwe so it is in Swaziland, elections now mean
nothing, those in power stay there in spite of the will of the people.
Nothing changes.  In George Orwells novel 1984 the final image of
government was as a boot stamping on a human face, forever.  When you
cannot change your government that is the system that you get.  The
triumph of politics but by no means a political triumph.

_______________________________

4. Celebration speech of the king. The Swazi Observer, September 12, 2008.

I wish to take this opportunity, on behalf of the entire Swazi nation
to pass our profound condolences to the government and people of
Zambia on the passing on of their president.

Interestingly, I was four months old when King Sobhuza II received the
instruments of independence and I have no doubt that there was joy and
ululation on that great day of 6th September 1968. Naturally, I was
happy since I was in the warm hands of a happy mother on that historic
day.

The Swazi Nation pays tribute to and salutes all the heroes and
heroines of our Independence who were led by the gallant King Sobhuza
II. These men and women worked very hard to bring the country to where
it is today. It is our turn today to take Swaziland forward to greater
heights and raise the standard of living of all our people.

I know the world might be wondering as to why we are so excited in
celebrating 40 years of our Independence.

The answer is simple: We are celebrating our nationhood and also
thanking God Almighty for preserving us as a nation. We are
celebrating the unity, peace, stability and progress that we have
enjoyed for the past 40 years.

We are telling a world full of turbulences that we are a happy nation
inspite of all the challenges that we might face. We are saying to
potential investors and tourists: There is a Kingdom where they too
can come and enjoy prosperity and peace, safety and tranquility and
our cultural heritage. The past 40 years has seen the Swazi nation
grow from humble beginnings to where it is now. We have indeed made
tremendous achievements in infrastructure development, improved social
services, education, economic development, telecommunications network
and tourism, to name but a few.

We have also seen the Kingdom of Swaziland take its rightful place
amongst the nations of the world.

Different challenges

As the world battles with different challenges, our country is no
exception. We continue to face multiple challenges which include
poverty, hunger persistent drought, unemployment, chronic diseases
like HIV and AIDS epidemic and tuberculosis.

It is clear that the HIV and AIDS epidemic in duet with TB have
reversed most of our gains in the health system. The situation has
since been worsened by the increase in the international price of
fuel, food and related commodities.

I wish to assure the nation that their contributions at the National
Agricultural meeting and the recent Sibaya gave us the opportunity to
analyse and address these challenges and a practical action plan is
being developed in line with our National Development Strategy.

I now challenge all of us to celebrate this 40th Anniversary by
unleashing our development potential to tackle these challenges head-on.

Today, I would like to emphasise that each one of us has a role to
play in making Swaziland a better place for all of us in the next 40
years. I am convinced that each one of us has something to contribute
towards the development of our country.

Capacity building

Capacity building is key to enabling each one of us to play a part in
nation building and development. In light of the fact that the Swazi
nation has vast untapped potential, the time has come for us to
develop every talent that has been entrusted to individual citizens.
Ultimately, it is our people who are going to make the difference
between us making it or not. So talent identification and nurturing,
preferably at a tender age is critical for our country.

This has to be done through the teaching of life skills, arts and the
virtues of honesty and integrity. Once a child learns the skills and
master their artistic abilities, that child will successfully do
anything in life as they will be alert, innovative, determined and
cooperative for a better Swaziland.

I therefore urge all those responsible for the education and
development of our children from parents, pre-school to tertiary
education to assist our children to know and develop their talents so
that we build a successful nation with a purpose and clear destiny.
Indeed our children, the youth are our future: Labasha Betfu
Bangumliba Loya Embili!

May I remind our youth to always remember that God Almighty has
bestowed one life to each one of us. You must protect this life from
all hazards including drug abuse, HIV and AIDS.

The education of all our children will always remain government?s priority.

We are doing everything possible to make sure that we achieve
universal education by This we shall achieve by building many schools
and making education affordable and accessible to all children
including the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC).

On the economic front, I am confident that we will turn our economy
around and improve the standard of living of all our people within the
next few years. Our emphasis will be on Agriculture where we need to
support our farmers by availing more arable land increasing access to
finance and constructing more dams for irrigation.

We shall also make sure that local and external markets are secure for
our products. Emphasis should therefore be made on competitiveness and
adherence to the high standards that world markets expect. Indeed,
value addition to products for export is key to our success in
creating more jobs and increasing revenue for farmers.

While it is true that we shall continue to avail assistance to
communities that are affected by the persistent drought, we encourage
every citizen to stand up and grow food wherever possible so that we
can feed ourselves as a nation.

The nation is aware that the national parliamentary elections are
currently ongoing. I urge you all to elect people who will be able to
tackle the complex issues the country, and indeed the region, is faced
with. We need leaders who will take their responsibility seriously and
be part of the solution to the challenges faced by the communities.

Great honour

In line with the saying that life begins at 40, I am happy to inform
the Swazi nation that SADC leaders have deemed it fit to appoint our
40 year old Swaziland to be the chair of the SADC Organ on Politics,
Defence and Security Cooperation. I take this opportunity to publicly
thank the SADC Heads of State and Government for conferring upon us
this great honour.

I am confident that with the support of the entire Swazi nation and my
fellow Heads of State and Government we shall be able to execute this
heavy responsibility for the enhancement of the lives of all the
people of our region.

Our mission is simple, yet solid and fundamental: dialogue and
peaceful negotiations are the key to the establishment and
sustainability and of peace, security, stability and prosperity which
happen to be the anchor pillars for sustainable economic development
and trade integration for our region. Sharing our experience in this
area will be our humble contribution to SADC and the continent at large.

Indeed, Africa?s hope to reclaim its rightful place in global affairs
lies in unity, integration and close cooperation with each other.
African countries should continue to work together and support each
other if the continent is to participate effectively in shaping the
future of the world, not as a case for charity, but as equal partners
with all the continents.

We have the natural resources, human capital and expertise that the
rest of the world needs, and the industrialised countries have the
technical know how and financial resources that Africa needs. It is on
that basis that I challenge all African countries to support each
other for mutual growth and security.

Continued commitment

Let me take this opportunity and express the nation?s profound
gratitude to all our international friends and cooperating partners
for their support and assistance in the past 40 years. We look forward
to your continued commitment to the next 40 years as we continue to
make the Kingdom of ESwatini a better place for all.

To the Swazi nation, I wish to say thank you very much for your
continued support and love as you contribute to and participated in
building your country and society.

We have come this far to celebrate our nationhood because you have
preserved our unity and continued to work hard to make Swaziland a
better place for all. The future of Swaziland lies in your hands and I
am happy to know that you will continue to love your country and work
even harder for the common good.

To Her Majesty the Indlovukazi, I wish to thank you for the being
there for me and the Swazi nation and we thank God Almighty who has
kept you to see the nation?s 40th Independence Anniversary as well as
my 40th Birthday.

This is a blessing indeed.

We commend all those who made their preparations for this wonderful
event for a job well done. Thank you for the splendid entertainment
and performance. We have enjoyed everything.

This is a day the Lord has set aside for the Kingdom of ESwatini. Let
us raise our voices and say that as a united nation we stand as a
fortress and we shall together overcome all our challenges and prosper
Swaziland.

_______________________________


5. All men are created equal so let them eat cake. Matthew D'Arcy,
Public Service Review: International Development Online, September 10,
2008.

The gap between rich and poor has long been a contentious issue for
almost every country in the world. Mankind just hasn't yet managed to
evolve beyond material need, and the pursuit of this results in gross
inequalities in wealth. Even practical demonstrations of communist
society have all too often shown to be accurate with Orwell's ideology
of all being equal but some more equal than others.

Last week should be no surprise then, when we saw celebrations in
Swaziland for the 40th birthday of King Mswati III and also the 40th
anniversary of the country's independence. But surely there is nothing
wrong in celebrating such a momentous event? Not according to some
people in Swaziland. Their protest is a practical one ? how can the
state afford to spend £1.4m (or many times that as some have claimed)
on these festivities, inviting dictators like Robert Mugabe to join in
the party, while so many in the country suffer and die in poverty,
with very little food and the highest rate of HIV in the world?
Perhaps the King's speech might as well have said "let them eat cake".

Cases like this are not unique to Swaziland. The aforementioned Mugabe
enjoyed a rather lavish birthday party recently at the expense of his
people.

But then compare this to the developed world. Britain in particular is
witnessing fuel poverty at the moment. Some people are faced with a
tough choice ? do I eat or do I heat the house? A question that should
not be asked in one of the richest countries in the world. This
question is coming as winter draws in, as Britain enters a recession
and at a time when there are soaring fuel and food prices and little
chance of wages moving in sync with the real cost of living.

Yet Britain can still afford to spend vast sums of money maintaining
the lavish lifestyle of the country's leaders, with very nice six
figure salaries for a number of government ministers and plans to
celebrate the 60th birthday of a future monarch later in the year. The
gap between rich and poor certainly isn't limited to poorer countries
in the developing world. If poverty is to be eradicated partly through
the efforts of the developed world, perhaps leaders of those proud
nations need to look at the gap between the rich and poor in their own
countries before they can bolster enough support to properly influence
and tackle the challenge elsewhere.

_________________________________________________________


6. Civil society gains strength at African Union ECOSOCC meeting. IPS,
Dar es Salaam. September 10, 2008.


The launch of the African Union's official Civil Society Council may
strengthen the continent's ability to address human rights violations
and tackle poverty, activists say. The first permanent General
Assembly of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the African
Union (ECOSOCC) ended Sep. 9 in Tanzania's biggest city of Dar es
Salaam. The newly formed ECOSOCC is meant to be the "people-powered"
arm of the continental organization. And one that is relatively safe
from political manipulation.

However, some nations will not be fully represented as only about half
of the African Union's member nations -25 - have agreed to take part
in the council.

Participation of some non-governmental organizations may be prohibited
by a rule they can accept no more than 50 percent foreign funding. The
rationale is to prevent donors having undue influence on the council's
work. Yet, many NGOs in Africa rely on outside sources for their
budgets.

ECOSOCC's inaugural three-day meeting this week was mainly bogged down
in bureaucratic minutiae - briefing participants on the mechanics of
the new AU organ to help them come to grips with their new
responsibilities. The real work starts now, said ECOSOCC's incoming
presiding officer, Akere Muna, president of the Pan African Lawyers
Union and vice-chair of the corruption watchdog, Transparency
International. "Civil society will be directly able to address the
African heads of state, without the diplomatic shackles or formalities
we often see in regional bodies," said Muna, a Cameroonian, in an
interview. "We have the ability to speak out of step, diplomatically
speaking, and with a conscience."

The council will rely on the power of grassroots activism to help
build a better future for the world's poorest continent, said Nobel
laureate Wangari Maathai, outgoing presiding office of the interim
ECOSOCC. Membership of the council includes trade unions,
non-governmental organizations, the diaspora, women's groups, human
rights campaigners, anti-poverty activists, the disabled and
businesspeople. The permanent council replaces an interim advisory
body chosen in 2005 to chart the way forward, raise funds and organize
elections for its successor.

With that now in place, ECOSOCC is supposed have direct input into the
policies and programming of the Africa Union and the opportunity to
engage with heads of state as part of annual their summits, according
to the website. The first order of business for ECOSOCC is not yet
clear. In general, the body will try to push its own issues to the top
of the AU agenda, issues such as investigating how foreign money may
fund the weapons trade and fuel war on the continent, Muna said.

Maathai said she hopes the council will explore the expansion of
mining and oil activities in Africa, working to secure more benefits
for local citizens and protect against environmental destruction. "On
this continent there is powerful competition for a limited number of
resources. We as Africans must demand that these are fairly
distributed and that these activities don't lead to environmental
degradation," Maathai, a Kenyan, told reporters. At the same time, the
council will also shi! ne a spotlight on the continent's dire
humanitarian situations including the economic meltdown in Zimbabwe
and civil conflict in Sudan, said Maathai.

The AU has called for a power-sharing deal between Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF and the main opposition Movement for
Democratic Change to end a post-election crisis that is further
damaging the economy. In Sudan, the AU has deployed troops in a bid to
help resolve a five-year civil conflict in the western Darfur region
in which 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million driven
from their homes. "Civil society needs to show the root causes of the
problems - including Zimbabwe and Sudan. We are doing everything we
can to be effective through this new channel to our political
leaders," said Maathai.

African Union chairman, Jakaya Kikwete, said civil society activists
were now equal partners in influencing daily decision-making at the
AU. "The African Union has gone! beyond the mere process of
consultation that other institutions adhere to," Kikwete said in his
address at the launch ECOSOCC in Dar es Salaam. "Africa has given the
value of democratisation and inclusiveness, a more holistic and
enduring meaning." Action and not warm words are needed to confront
the many challenge facing Africa, said Beatric Nyamoya, president of
the Association of Female Lawyers of Burundi based in the capital
Bujumbura. "This is all very diplomatic and nice today, but our
members are very conscientious of the fact that we have our fight on
our hands," said Nyamoya, who represents the central African nation on
the council. "Our challenge will be to remain independent, which I do
think is possible," she added.

Lee Habasonda, of the Transparency International chapter in Lusaka,
Zambia and a member of ECOSOCC, said creation of the council was
already a small victory for the fledgling civil society in Africa. "In
some ways you could say we're making some small progress already
because we've opened up this space to be partners," said Habasonda.
"I'm going to use it as a platform to talk about corruption, poverty,
and free and fair elections."

_____________________________________

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Swaziland@Newsletter 78


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Dear readers


As the government tells us in its online information: the history of
the Great Kings of the Kingdom is best told in a form of stories,
songs, and praises. And now, an SMS is also wecome. All are welcome to
send one to the king. It costs E50 but it does seem to be worth it.

Perhaps one can tell him what is happening. Perhaps explain how the
largest demonstrations in Swaziland's history took the shine off all
the celebrations.  And tell about the border blocade taking place on
18 September, 2008. And about all the orphans and the sick and the poor.

All in all, just tell him the "sad tale of a swinging king and his
dying country".

Editor
Swaziland@Newsletter


________________________________

1. Send SMS to King for E50. Timothy Simelane. The Swazi Observer,
September 10, 2008.

2. Swaziland Government Online Information: Kings of the Kingdom
http://www.gov.sz/home.asp?pid=900

3. COSATU to stage border blockade on Swaziland against undemocratic
tinkhundla elections: 18 September, 2008.

4. Pro-democracy gains momentum. UN IRIN, 8 September 2008.

5. Aids orphans penniless as king throws $2.5m party. Sebastien
Berger, The National - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. September 07.
2008.

6. Mswati show goes on undeterred. The Sowetan, 8 September 2008.

7. Mbeki's 'snub'. Mercury / Sapa-AFP. September 08, 2008.

8. At odds with the biting poverty Swazis hold 40th birthday of
king. Clare Nullis, AP September 6, 2008.

9. The sad tale of a swinging king and his dying country. The Times,
September 7, 2008.

10. Swaziland king's lavish lifestyle slammed, UPI September 6, 2008.

_________________________________

1. Send SMS to King for E50. Timothy Simelane. The Swazi Observer,
September 10, 2008.

Send an SMS to 1968 and wish His Majesty King Mswati III well on his
40th birthday and the nation well in the 40th independence
anniversary, for E50 per message.

Alternatively, you can send the same message to 4040 and pay E10. This
option, however, has no guarantee that your SMS will catch the
attention of His Majesty.

This is the latest offering from the 40/40 National Celebrations
Committee which has just organised the 40/40 national celebrations.

Chairman of the 40/40 Celebrations Committee Luke Mswane said people
should not be alarmed about the seemingly high fees for sending an SMS.

- This is just a voluntary exercise aimed at hyping the 40/40
celebrations. Proceeds from the SMS fees will benefit charity
organisations to be selected by His Majesty, he said.

In the first category, Mswane explained that the first batch of 200
SMSs sent through the phone will be taken to His Majesty for personal
viewing. The SMSs will also be published by the country media.
Senders in the first category are also welcome to write their names.

In the second category, Mswane said the SMSs would be sent to 4040 for
E10 but His Majesty will only come across them when he reads the
newspapers, or watches TV. It was still unclear yesterday how the SBIS
would also broadcast the messages. Senders in this category may,
however, not be allowed to send their identities.

The Chairman said this was done in collaboration with MTN Swaziland,
the only cellular network provider in the country. He explained that
the 40/40 committee, together with the service providers and the media
houses, had the right to edit SMSs before publishing them.

He laughed off questions suggesting that some may use the opportunity
to campaign for political appointments saying: This is a voluntary
exercise. People should feel like they are giving to charity by
sending an SMS. This facility is open for everyone.

Mswane said senders using contract phones should get permission from
the companies or organisations that foot the bill. He said he was not
expecting government officials using the 606 contract to also send SMS
on government account.

This is supposed to be on personal expense, he said.

E40/40 magazine out

A 152 page magazine depicting 40 years of constant national progress
is now officially in circulation.

Luke Mswane, the Chairperson of the 40/40 National Celebrations
Committee, said the magazine explains all development aspects of the
nation including road infrastructure, health services, economy,
government departments and others.

The magazine also carries a pictorial pull-out. It will be distributed
for free in government ministries, and envoys will get copies for
distribution to those who pay courtesy visits to them.

_____________________________

2. Swaziland Government Online Information: Kings of the Kingdom
http://www.gov.sz/home.asp?pid=900


The history of the Great Kings of the Kingdom is best told in a form
of stories, songs, and praises.

Numerous historians, including Dr J. S M. Matsebula who produced the
first ever history of Swaziland, researched on the lineage of the
Kings of the Kingdom and the origin of the Swazi people.

Matsebula writes that "the History of a country is the spirit of the
Country's inhabitants" (Matsebula, 1972).

According to official records, the Dlaminis are the first known tribe
who fought a party of Dutch officials that left the Cape to explore
the Lubombo range near Delgoa Bay in 1723.  These were known as the
Bembo-Nguni.

The founder-leader of the Bembo-Nguni group, which eventually moved
into the present day Swaziland, was a man called Dlamini.  Dlamini is
looked upon as the founder of the Royal clan of the Swazis.  This
group of people became known as the Dlamini-Nguni.

Dlamini and his people including successors lived around the Tembe
River near Maputo, Mozambique.  Official records indicates that
Dlamini I is the first known King of Swaziland  who was able to
increase his followers by conquering many clans along the Lubombo.

Thus, he is known as "Lowacedza Lubombo ngekuhlehletela etfwele
umfunti".  It is probably true that there were other leaders before
Him who were not significantly strong and warlike like him.

The Royal Family tree put Dlamini I as the significant  founder of the
Swazi people.  Kings who came after him, in order of succession
include: Mswati I; Ngwane II; Dlamini II; Nkosi II; Mavuso I;
Magudulela; Ludvonga; Dlamini III;  Ngwane III; Ndvungunye; Sobhuza I;
Mswati II; Ludvonga II; Mbandzeni; Ngwane V; Sobhuza II;  and the
present reigning Mornachy, Mswati III.

King Ngwane III is said to be of special importance in the history of
Swazis, as it is him who gave the nation one of its names.  When his
people began to settle in the present day Swaziland, they called it
kaNgwane (the place or country of Ngwane).  The name kaNgwane has
remained to the present time, and is the one by which the Swazi people
usually call themselves.

The Swazi tradition provides that the King and his mother must reign
together.  Thus at any given time there is a King and Indlovukazi, and
two Royal Headquarters or residences.   The King's residence is the
administrative headquarters, and it is here that the King's day to day
business is carried out.

The Indlovukazi's residence is known as umphakatsi, and is the
national capital and the spiritual and ceremonial home of the nation.
It is where all important national events such as the Incwala ceremony
take place.  The present national capital is Ludzidzini.

The oldest known Indlovukazi to whom we can attach years to her reign
is Layaka Ndwandwe.  The lineage of Indlovukazi in the Kingdom is as
follows: Layaka Ndwandwe; Lakubheka Mndzebele; Lojiba Simelane;
Tsandzile Ndwandwe; Sisile Khumalo; Tibati Nkambule; Gwamile
Labotsibeni Mdluli; Lomawa Ndwandwe; Nukwase Ndwandwe; Zihlathi
Ndwandwe; Seneleleni Ndwandwe; Dzeliwe Shongwe, and the present
Indlovukazi, Ntombi Tfwala.

_________________________________

3. COSATU to stage border blockade on Swaziland against undemocratic
tinkhundla elections: 18 September, 2008.

The Central Executive Committee of the Congress of South African Trade
Union, at its meeting on 1-3 September 2008, declared that the time
has come to bring to a total stop the tendency by Swaziland's royal
family regime to get away with conducting undemocratic and
illegitimate elections, yet still be accepted as a legitimate
government.

It was agreed to organise a massive border blockade on 18th September
at the South Africa/Swaziland border.

Since 1973 the people of Swaziland have never had the opportunity to
choose their own leaders in an environment conducive to free and
democratic elections. The tinkhundla regime has banned political
parties, instituted a perpetual state of emergency and criminalised
all forms of political activity, including marches and demonstrations.
It has also denied the people their rights to organise, associate and
speak freely. For more than 35 years, elections have been conducted in
such an environment and we have all allowed it to happen, but not this
time.

COSATU has taken note of the hugely successful marches and
demonstrations that shook the whole of Swaziland last week. They were
organised by the Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF), an alliance
of progressive forces, amongst them the political opposition
organisations -PUDEMO and NNLC, the trade unions - SFTU, SFL, SNAT and
NAPSAWU, the NCA and many other such forces who have for years called
for democracy and social change in the country.

The state resorted to its usual language of violence and more violence
against peaceful marchers. Amnesty International has on several
occasions condemned the Swazi regime for torture, violence and
brutality against political activists, which has seen many of them
being forced into exile.

The king recently hosted a very big bash for his friends, most of whom
are despots rejected by their own people in their own countries, such
as that election thief Robert Mugabe, who finds common cause with the
ruthless monarchy, a symbol of global corruption and greed, who has
been named one of the richest monarchs in the world, yet his people
are amongst some of the poorest beings in the world, ravaged by
HIV/AIDS, social destitution and grinding poverty.

Greed and corruption have become endemic in Swaziland, with the royal
family having unlimited access to national resources in the name of
Swazi culture and tradition. Lack of accountability breeds corruption
and cancerous greed, hence the massive, legalised looting of the
economy by the ruling elite, buying expensive goods, living
extravagant lifestyles and splashing the country's wealth around in
shows of might and display of royal power, including buying allegiance
and patronage.

COSATU supports the call by the democratic forces of Swaziland for the
world to reject this political jamboree and the sham called
'elections', until political parties are unbanned and all the rights
of the people are enforced to create an environment conducive to free,
fair and democratic elections, whose outcome shall indeed be affirmed
without fear, as the expressed will of the Swazi people.

COSATU is announcing a rolling programme aimed at decisively changing
the political landscape and conditions of Swaziland, as envisaged by
the people of the country in their international calls and national
mass action. The elements of our bold programme include:

A preparatory meeting to plan the border blockade, on Sunday, 14
September 2008 at Ermelo, co-ordinated by the COSATU Mpumalanga
Province. All organisations taking part in the blockade from South
Africa and their Swazi counterparts will gather to finalise the plan
for the 18th September border blockade.

A strategy meeting of SADC progressive organisations at the end of
September, to prepare for the major offensive against Zimbabwe and
Swaziland, scheduled for 27 October-1 November 2008, which will
involve boycotts of goods and services destined for the two countries

At the SATUCC Congress of the Southern African Trade Union
Co-ordination Council in Botswana 9-10 October, we shall propose firm
resolutions on the situation in these two countries proposing a
sustained and effective regional solidarity movement

The major offensive from 27 October-1 November 2008, during which we
hope, guided by our allies inside the two countries, to hit Mswati and
Mugabe where it matters the most - the economy. This should be one of
the most historic and major lessons for any dictator in the region
that their time is up and that this region must be set on a new path

Meanwhile a task team of COSATU affiliates involved in critical
sectors of the economy that will be directly affected by the
non-handling of goods and services delivered its report to the CEC and
is continuing to do its work to prepare the final offensive, in line
with the requests made by our allies in the two countries.

The team will continue to meet as regularly as necessary until the
week of action. It will also present its second draft report to the
regional strategy meeting at the end of September. It is convened by
both Campaigns and International departments of COSATU at head office.

_________________________________

4. Pro-democracy gains momentum. UN IRIN, 8 September 2008.

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

At least 10,000 pro-democracy activists crowded the usually quiet
streets of Manzini, the country's central commercial hub, on 3
September, before reassembling in the capital, Mbabane, the following
day.

No mention was made of the march by government leaders during
festivities on Saturday to mark the so-called "40-40" celebrations,
but security forces were on high alert.

"We are elated by the historic outpouring of ordinary people to say to
the royal government, 'Enough!'," said Andrew Simelane, a member of
the umbrella Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU).

The march in Mbabane was marred by the detonation of two small
explosive devices: the first, planted in a trash bin in a shopping
mall, did no damage, and the second, inside an empty bus, blew a hole
in the vehicle. No one claimed responsibility, and march organisers
were furious that the blasts might distract from their humanitarian
message.

"The people of Swaziland are suffering enough. We don't need bombings;
we need to focus on how the nation's resources are being lost to
corruption and privilege and not being spent on the people," said
Vincent Ncongwane, Secretary-General of the Swaziland Federation of
Labour, another worker's body participating in the marches.

The cost

Two-thirds of Swaziland's people live in chronic poverty, according to
the UN Development Programme, and nearly 40 percent are HIV-positive,
giving Swaziland the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world. A
majority of the population - 600,000 out of less than one million
people - depend on food aid from international donor organisations.

Two weeks ago, 1,000 HIV-positive women, spurred by reports that eight
of King Mswati's 13 wives had taken a trip to the Middle East and
Asia, led a protest march in Mbabane.

The labour unions have demanded a public accounting of the money spent
on the "40-40" event. Marchers in Mbabane were also angry that on the
evening of the march, on 3 September, an elaborate party was held at
Mswati's Lozitha Palace on the occasion of his eldest daughter's 21st
birthday.

"The Americans this week scaled down a big political party for John
McCain [the Republican presidential nominee] because of a humanitarian
crisis [the impact of Hurricane Gustav]. A government must show its
sensitivity toward the people's plight," said Cynthia Hlatshwako, who
works as a secretary in Mbabane.

Although Swaziland's state-run television did not broadcast coverage
of the demonstrations, some members of the Swazi press are showing new
boldness. Local newspapers widely reprinted a recent list published by
Forbes magazine, in which King Mswati was named one of the 15 richest
royals in the world.

Political commentator Vusi Sibisi compared the current situation in
Swaziland to that of France prior to the French Revolution.
Swaziland's gross domestic product has seen a two-decade decline,
while many other Southern African nations have been experiencing
sustained GDP growth.

SFTU Secretary-General Jan Sithole has announced a week of mass action
from 15 to 19 September.

_________________________________


5. Aids orphans penniless as king throws $2.5m party. Sebastien
Berger, The National - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. September 07.
2008.

- It comes from the roots of the country where we grew up and learnt
to respect his majesty.

Underpinning the deference is a feudal system of land distribution.
Most of it is owned by the king and administered on his behalf by
traditional chiefs, who can strip troublemakers and their families of
their holdings with devastating consequences in a country where the
vast majority are subsistence farmers.

Worse yet is the sanction of expulsion from the community, which
prevents an evictee from being buried with his ancestors, threatening
his immortal soul.

A general election is due later this month but political parties are
not authorised by the constitution.

For Barnes Dlamini, chairman of the Swaziland United Democratic Front,
an umbrella opposition group, the authorities are now abusing
traditional culture for reasons of self-preservation.

- They are utilising that thing against change in Swaziland, he said.
It is no longer about being an identification of the Swazi nation;
its about scoring political points.

In the wake of the protests, which were accompanied by incidents of
violence, Martin Dlamini, the editor of the independent Times of
Swaziland newspaper - the royal surname is commonplace among the
more prominent citizens - said that pressure for reform was
growing, although there was no mechanism for it to happen without the
king?s backing.

- Its very serious, he said. Culturally you never stand up against
the royalty and how they are spending their money, it is taboo.

- A lot of people are saying it is about time this happened. There is no
demonstration on the monarchy side or the government that they are
conscious of the poverty and social ills facing this country. They
seem to be living in a world of their own.
____________________________________________


6. Mswati?s show goes on undeterred. The Sowetan, 8 September 2008.


EXTRAVAGANZA: Swaziland?s King Mswati III at his birthday celebrations
on the outskirts of Mbabane. The festivities contrasted sharply with
the biting poverty of his subjects. photo: ap

Demonstrations at the Swaziland embassy in Pretoria and pressure put
on South African soccer players and artists not to take part in the
Swaziland celebrations on Saturday achieved very little.

And the South African government says it will not be swayed by growing
calls for it to boycott the oppressive Swazi regime.

The Young Communist League, Cosatu and ANC Youth League were
campaigning against South Africans taking part in the 40-40 Swaziland
celebration.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said the government had not
discussed the isolation of Swaziland.

- The issue of sport or cultural boycott has not been discussed by
government, Mamoepa said.

The SA Football Association and several artists were billed to take
part in the dual celebrations marking King Mswati?s 40th birthday and
the country?s 40th independence celebrations.

Throughout last week pressure was put on them pressured not to honour
the engagements.

Cosatu said it would stage a week-long boycott of goods destined for
Zimbabwe and Swaziland this month.

The Swaziland Solidarity Network said it would intensify its demand
for democracy through strikes and marches against the regime. The
network demands multiparty elections that are set to be held later
this month, a R500 a month grant for the elderly and adherence to
international treaties to which the nation is party.

Sapa reports that the king attended the dual celebrations in lavish
style on Saturday. He toured the stadium in an open-topped BMW to
cheers and fluttering flags.

The loudest cheer was reserved for Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe,
popular in the region because he is seen as standing up to to the West.

Mswati is Africa?s last absolute monarch. He is widely revered, but
there is anger about his and his 13 wives? luxurious lifestyle.

_____________________________


7. Mbeki's 'snub'. Mercury / Sapa-AFP. September 08, 2008.

Mbabane - President Thabo Mbeki was conspicuous in his absence at
Swaziland's double celebrations held on Saturday.

Some Swazis interpreted his absence as a snub of the 40th anniversary
of Swaziland and the 40th birthday of King Mswati.

The celebration was marred by controversy as many Swazis questioned
the aptness of spending millions on extravagant celebrations when the
country is mired in poverty with a stagnant economy and a collapsing
department of health amid record Aids infection rates.

Mbeki was one of the heads of state invited to attend the event in the
Somhlolo Stadium and his failure to attend did not go unnoticed by
officials and members of the public.

The South African delegation was instead led by Minister of Defence
Mosiuoa Lekota and Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini. The Swazi Ministry
of Foreign Affairs confirmed to the Swazi media that Mbeki had been
invited.

Southern African Development Community and other African heads of
state who did attend included King Letsie (Lesotho), Robert Mugabe
(Zimbabwe), Armando Guebuza (Mozambique), Hifikepunye Pohamba
(Namibia), Bingu WaMutharika (Malawi), Marc Ravalomanana (Madagascar),
Jakaya Kikwete (Tanzania), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) and Ian Khama
(Botswana). Taiwan, which has had 40 years of diplomatic relations
with Swaziland, sent its vice-president, Vincent Siaw.

Swaziland's principal secretary in the ministry of foreign affairs,
Clifford Mamba, said his government had invited only heads of state,
which was why it had not invited ANC president Jacob Zuma.

Speaking at the celebration, King Mswati promised better times for his
subjects.

Ranked by Forbes magazine as one of the richest royals in the world,
the last absolute monarch in Africa was upbeat about the future of his
nation - despite economic stagnation, two-thirds of its people living
in poverty, and one of the world's highest rates of HIV-Aids.

______________________________________


8. At odds with the biting poverty Swazis hold 40th birthday of king.
Clare Nullis, AP September 6, 2008.

MBABANE, Swaziland (AP) The Swazi king entered a stadium in an
open-topped BMW to cheers and flag-waving Saturday, marking his 40th
birthday and his country's 40th independence anniversary.

The lavish ceremony however was at odds with the biting poverty
endured by the majority of King Mswati III's citizens.

Earlier, thousands of maidens who had performed for the king last
weekend at the annual Reed Dance proceeded into the stadium, as did
leaders of most of the countries in the region.

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, popular among many in the region
because he is seen as standing up to the West, was greeted with cheers.

The cost of the celebrations was officially put at $2.5 million, but
it was widely believed to be at least five times more. It left a sour
taste among the 70 percent of Swaziland's one million population who
survive below the poverty line.

The government called Saturday's events the 40-40 festivities, marking
the king's birthday and the anniversary of independence from Britain.

But the number 40 cuts both ways ? unemployment: 40 percent; HIV
rates: nearly 40 percent among adults. Only one in four Swazis can
expect to live to celebrate their 40th birthday because of the world's
worst AIDS rate.

Swaziland holds parliamentary elections later this month, but critics
have dismissed them as a sham because political parties are banned and
so voters have to choose from a list of individuals with no strong
political platform.

Mswati is Africa's last absolute monarch. He is widely revered but
there is anger about the luxurious lifestyle enjoyed by him and his 13
wives. There was outrage when about eight of his 13 wives flew to
Dubai for a birthday party shopping spree.

One in five of the population depends on international food aid,
partly because AIDS has devastated the rural way of life and led to an
explosion in child-headed households who can't tend the fields. Life
expectancy has nearly halved since 1998 because of the AIDS epidemic
and is now less than 31 years, according to the most recent U.N.
figures.

_______________________________________

9. The sad tale of a swinging king and his dying country. The Times,
September 7, 2008.

Right now, in a nearby land, lives a profligate king who has 13 wives.
To celebrate his 40th birthday and 40 years of independence, he
announced 40/40 festivities, to culminate today.

But outside the royal palace lurks a fearsome enemy, laying waste to
his mountainous domain. Not a fire-breathing dragon, but an invisible
germ called TB, its drug-resistant cousin and a virus known as HIV,
who have been slaying the population.

The king, fortunately, has good men and women ready to fight these
plagues that killed about 10 000 people last year.

His monarchy, Swaziland, has the world-highest proportion of people
living with HIV, roughly one quarter of the sexually active population.
HIV thrives through concurrent sexual partnerships and polygamy,
fêted by the last absolute monarch, King Mswati III, is
fuelling infection rates.

This country of about one million citizens also has the world?s
highest number of notified TB cases per population, about 1200 out of
every 100000.

About 80% of people coughing and sweating with TB are also infected
with HIV, says Themba Dlamini, head of the national TB programme.
He says: Those most affected are 14 to 39 years old. Those are the
breadwinners.

Swaziland?s population pyramid from a 2007 census reveals that nearly
40% of the population is under 15 and middle-aged citizens are
lacking. TB is the main killer of this age band. Furthermore, an
international report has revealed that Swaziland has a negative annual
population growth rate (-0.4%, July 2008).

Rejoice Nkambule, deputy director of health services: public health,
warns that TB is a major public health threat.

- Our biggest challenge is getting the undiagnosed people who are out
there to be diagnosed early, she says.

TB cases that are difficult to cure are exploding in the region and
South Africas drug-resistant hot spot, Tugela Ferry, is not far from
the Swazi border.

While Mswati, the 15th richest monarch in the world hosts a state
banquet this weekend, roughly 70% of the population will be struggling
to find their next meal.

Take Themba Lushaba, 37, who looks twice his age. Unlike his king,
Lushaba might not live to see his 40th birthday. The average life
expectancy in Swaziland is 42.

With glazed eyes, he lies shaking on a mat in a hut near Hluti, the
dry southern region of Shiselweni, where about a quarter of
Swaziland?s citizens live and no crops flourish. His family has no
horse, car or cash to take him to hospital.

Not one person from the Lushaba homestead has a job. They have barely
enough maize to feed the children in the extended family.

Since 2000, the family of 33 has lost 15 members, children and adults.
This grim reality has motivated organisations and individuals to step
up and streamline efforts against the TB and HIV epidemics.

The Swazi health ministry, the National TB Programme and international
organisations Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and
the University Research Corporation are among those who have combined
forces to slow down the TB death toll.

Treatment staves off death. Even in the ravaged Lushaba family, a
married couple, Ellen and John, as well as his sister, have been cured
of TB and are taking antiretrovirals for HIV.

- Before, I couldn?t walk. Now I have the energy to work in the
fields,says John, who has an eye infection masked by a strip of cloth.
Aymeric Peguillan, head of mission for MSF in Swaziland, says: We
need to get services closer to the people and to improve the quantity
and the quality of services. We need to progress towards systematic
screening and a one-stop solution (for TB and HIV).

MSF, working in the health ministry, has dispatched doctors and nurses
to outpatient TB and HIV/Aids clinics in Shiselweni. A pilot project
at Nhlangano clinic, a one-stop TB and HIV service, treats about 70
patients a day, including children.

The clinics refer patients across a sunny courtyard and waiting area
for HIV tests or TB screening, and they collect drug refills the same
day, instead of having to return.

MSF doctor Aowa Hima Oumarou cares for TB patients with complications
at several clinics.

One of her patients, Thembi D, is a former textile worker with HIV.
When Oumarou asks how she is doing, the 46kg woman says she is fine.
Some days we are hungry and go without food, but I never go without
my tablets (antiretrovirals), she says.

Oumarou cajoles another patient in singing French: Allais, allais
(go, go) to take an HIV test.

A number of men are migrant workers, with green patient cards from
South Africa?s health system, as well as the blue Swazi cards.
TB is a regional health threat, not confined by borders.

Nkambule says: ?We need common guidelines in the Southern African
Development Community so that we can minimise the development of drug
resistance.

MDR-TB (multidrug-resistant) is a big concern.

The World Health Organisation has flagged MDR-TB and the virtually
untreatable XDR-TB (extensively drug-resistant TB) as a global health
priority.

Dlamini says: ?We are working to declare TB an emergency in every region.?
HIV was declared a national disaster in Swaziland in 1999.

Dlamini says: Notification of TB has escalated almost five times from
1997, when there were less than 2000 cases. Now we are close to 10000
cases (9655). These are high numbers in a country with such a small
population.

Dlamini says the number of MDR and XDR-TB cases were likely to rise
with more laboratory training, staffing and funding taking place.
- We have had 16 MDR cases reported, but these might go up to 150
(after a recent survey for the World Health Organisation). We have had
four cases of XDR-TB and two of those patients died.

Five out of seven Swazi laboratories can detect TB from sputum
samples, though they still send suspected drug-resistant samples to
South Africa.

According to Oumarou, the number of drug-resistant cases is escalating.
This is making it difficult for hospitals to enforce infection control
measures.

At Hlatikulu hospital, not far from Nhlangano, many MDR-TB patients in
the male medical ward are not properly isolated, although the cleaners
mop the floors with masks on.

The Manzini outpatient TB clinic is overflowing with patients, who
cough away without much ventilation.

But shimmering on a hill, near downtown Manzini, is Moneni hospital, a
huge, modern facility dedicated to the isolation and treatment of
drug-resistant patients ? that has yet to open its doors.

MDR-TB is curable with treatment, as Mbabane bank employee Thobile
Mthetwas state of health proves. The HIV-negative 31-year-old has
fully recovered from TB, going from a skeletal invalid to a healthy
professional.

Like her, Swaziland has the potential to roll back TB.
However, consistent leadership from the top is critical to control
infectious diseases. On this score Lesotho, despite its 23% HIV
prevalence, might be better off than Swaziland.

Lesotho?s rulers seem to lead by example. For instance, in 2004 prime
minister Pakalitha Mosisili took an HIV test to promote universal
testing.

Unlike the Swazi king, they dont promote abstinence through reed
dances of 50000 bare-breasted maidens.

Ahead of the polls, set for September 19, this week the Swazi
opposition and unions mobilised mass protests for democratic reform in
Manzini and Mbabane. Explosions also went off in the capital.

While Mswatis head is in the clouds, at least the health ministry and
TB programme are fully aware of the task they face. Their long list of
priorities includes: early and improved TB case detection; the
shifting of tasks to nurses; improving mobile services and access to
quality drugs; encouraging community leadership for adherence to drug
regimes and the breaking down of stigma; and the general scaling up of
HIV/Aids and TB treatment.

_____________________________________________

10. Swaziland king's lavish lifestyle slammed, UPI September 6, 2008.

As the impoverished African kingdom of Swaziland celebrated its 40th
year of independence Saturday, dissidents were criticizing its king's
lavish lifestyle.

King Mswati III, with a fortune estimated at $200 million, is also
celebrating his 40th birthday. The event has prompted protests drawing
thousands into the streets of Swaziland's two biggest cities, The New
York Times reported.

Media reports of Mswati's 13 wives receiving new luxury cars and going
on foreign shopping trips via chartered airplanes have angered some in
a country where the monarch is still largely revered, the newspaper
said. Some 1,500 protesters marched through the capital of Ludzidzini
recently, it reported.

Critics say poverty and malnourishment has worsened in Swaziland, in
part because of an AIDS epidemic, and average life expectancy has
fallen from 60 years in 1997 to barely half that now.

"The king spends our money and is not answerable to anyone!" Mario
Masuku, the head of an outlawed political party, told the newspaper.

__________________________________

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_______________________________

1. Tomorrow: 40/40 surprise for government. Arthur Mordaunt. The Swazi
Observer. September 5, 2008.

2. Swaziland: Protests turn violent. The New York Times (Reuters).
September 5, 2008.

3. Boycott King Mswati?s birthday extravaganza. African National
Congress Youth League, Floyd Shivambu. 4 September 2008.

4. Swazi protesters attack corruption, criticise king. Charles
Matsebula (Reuters), 4 September 2008.

5. Swazis want king to 'reign not rule'. Mercury, September 4, 2008.

6. Swaziland workers protest opulence, demand democratic reform.
Peter Clottey
Washington, D.C. VOA News 4 September 2008.

7. A rich ugly king will always be handsome. Charles Onyango, Daily
Nation (Kenya), September 3, 2008.

8. Creative Workers Union: Boycott Swazi 40/40 Celebrations! Kid
Sithole, Oupa Lebogo, 3 September 2008.

9. Press muzzled ahead of Mswati media brief. Afrol News, 2 September 2008.

10. Cops on high alert for strike. Timothy Simelane. The Swazi
Observer, September 3, 2008.

11. Richard Dowden, The family: African blessing and curse. The
Sunday Times, August 31, 2008.

________________________________

Dear readers

This system of government has failed dismally to be responsible to the
concerns of the ordinary Swazi citizens, says trade union leader Jan
Sithole.

Union workers say: it is unacceptable for the monarch to show such
opulence when majority of the people lives in abject poverty.

Marriage into the King's harem is an escape from poverty for many
Swazi women, writes Charles Onyango in Daily Nation (Kenya).

There must surely be some other way.

Author Richard Dowden writes: The king misuses tradition to
appropriate the meagre resources, prevent development and keep the
people subservient.

The regional media freedom advocacy group, MISA, reports that
journalists gathered at the royal palace for a press conference were
told that each journalist would be allowed only one question.

One question is allowed. Readers are very welcome to suggest the one
they would choose.

Editor
Swaziland@Newsletter

________________________________

1. 40/40 surprise for government. Arthur Mordaunt. The Swazi Observer.
September 5, 2008.

Labour formations and political groups have a 40/40 surprise for
government on Saturday.

While a 'surprise gift' might be a welcome prospect, it is highly
doubtful that these organisations have anything pleasant in mind on
the day.

Chairman of the Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF), Barnes Dlamini,
announced yesterday that they had something in store for Saturday. He
made the announcement at the end of yesterday's demonstration against
the soaring prices for basic commodities, utilities and services.

"The executive is meeting tonight to strategise and we will definitely
be letting the membership know what we have decided. The membership
will be notified through their various structures and the known
channels," he stated.

Asked to shed more light in an interview, Dlamini said he could not
divulge much save to emphasise that indeed something would be
happening tomorrow.

"About that, you can rest assured," he stressed.

While many were of the view that the two-day demonstration was the end
of the matter, Dlamini kept hinting during the march around the city
that something will be happening on Saturday.

________________________________

2. Swaziland: Protests turn violent. The New York Times (Reuters).
September 5, 2008.

    Demonstrators stoned shops, looted a market and set off an explosion
that damaged a bus, as a second day of protests for democratic change
in Swaziland turned violent on Thursday. About 5,000 people marched in
Mbabane, the capital, calling for a multiparty democracy and
criticizing the lavish way of life of King Mswati III. The police used
water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters, said a police
spokesman, Vusi Masuku. Protest leaders promised more demonstrations
and some strikes before a parliamentary election on Sept. 19.

_____________________________

3. Boycott King Mswati birthday extravaganza. Floyd Shivambu, 4
September 2008.

The African National Congress Youth League joins the progressive
forces in utter condemnation of any support to the flagrant 40th
birthday Party of the despotic Monarchy of King Mswati III of
Swaziland. King Mswati and his Tinkundla system of political
repression continue to benefit out of the sweat and blood of the
people of Swaziland, whilst majority of the people of Swaziland live
in absolute poverty. The basic rights of the people of Swaziland are
constantly disregarded and violated through lack of access to basic
rights, while an un-elected somebody and his aristocrats live in
absolute extravaganza.

We specially call on all South African artists and soccer players
invited to the birthday celebrations to dishonour the invitations. The
ANC YL questions the ethics of anyone who will honour a birthday
celebration, which happens at the expense of people's well-being; and
utter disregard of political freedoms. We believe that Mswati
continues to disregard the political and socio-economic rights of the
people of Swaziland, and all freedom loving people should disassociate
themselves from his extravagant and insincere celebrations.

Released by the African National Congress Youth League
Floyd Shivambu, ANC YL Spokesperson, 076 880 1904, floydn@...

________________________________

4. Swazi protesters attack corruption, criticise king. Charles
Matsebula (Reuters), 4 September 2008.

About 1,000 people held a rare protest in Swaziland's commercial and
industrial centre on Wednesday, calling for democratic reforms and
more social spending in the absolute monarchy.

Demonstrators in Swaziland's largest city Manzini criticised what is
expected to be a costly 40th birthday celebration for King Mswati III
this weekend, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of independence
from Britain.

    Political groups seeking democratic reforms have become more active
in the poor southern African country, where the opposition has been
effectively banned since 1973 by royal decree. Parliamentary elections
are scheduled for September 19.

"We are also calling upon government to stop romanticising corruption
but find lasting and effective strategy in dealing with corruption,"
Jan Sithole, secretary general of the Swaziland Federation of Trade
Unions, told the largely peaceful march in Manzini, 32 km (19 miles)
south of the capital Mbabane.

"Remember, silence means consent with the status quo. This system of
government has failed dismally to be responsible to the concerns of
the ordinary Swazi citizens and the electorate. Change can only come
when civil society and the suffering majority stand up to be counted
against such injustice."

Mswati has courted controversy for his lavish lifestyle while
two-thirds of his subjects live in poverty, in a nation where about 40
percent of adults live with HIV.

Last month, Forbes magazine listed him as the 15th-richest monarch in
the world. He was the only African on the list.

The People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), which is fiercely
critical of the government, said last month it would step up pressure
on Mswati, saying he showed a "high appetite for leisure" while the
economy declines.

"We declare that PUDEMO is embarking on the highest form of struggle
and sacrifice of military and combat action against the Mswati regime
and all its structures and extensions," it said in a statement.

Last month, Swazi police shot and killed an activist accused of murder
and armed robbery. The opposition said his death was politically
motivated. Ntokozo Ngozo, 30, was a long-serving member of the
Swaziland Youth Congress, the youth wing of PUDEMO.
________________________________

5. Swazis want king to 'reign not rule'. Mercury, September 4, 2008.

Thousands of Swazis marched for multiparty democracy in Africa's last
monarchy yesterday with workers threatening a week of mass action if
their demands were not met, a union official said.

The march took place after a last-ditch attempt by the Swazi
government to declare the march illegal was thrown out by a court.

The marchers, chanting songs for democracy and against King Mswati
III, were mostly dressed in red T-shirts, some carrying sticks and
tree branches despite a warning by police against the carrying of
weapons.

Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions secretary-general Jan Sithole
said that the federation wanted King Mswati to "reign not rule".

"We also want a multiparty system of democracy that will have checks
and balances, not the current system which lacks accountability,"
Sithole said.

A week's mass action would take place from September 15 to 19 - the
same week that Swaziland holds elections - if demands were not met.
Demands included social grants for the elderly and better health and
education facilities.

Swaziland would hold a "40-40" celebration on Saturday, marking
Mswati's 40th birthday and independence from Britain, which has caused
unhappiness owing to its extravagance. - Sapa-AFP

_______________________________

6. Swaziland workers protest opulence, demand democratic reform.
Peter Clottey, Washington, D.C. VOA News 4 September 2008.


Swaziland union workers would be embarking on a strike action today
(Thursday) to raise awareness on what they described as gross show of
opulence and corruption by the government. The protesters expressed
indignation claiming the government has been condoning corruption and
depleting the country's coffers extravagantly. This follows a recent
European trip by the thirteen wives of King Mswati III on a shopping
spree. The protesters say it was unacceptable for the monarch to show
such opulence when majority of the people live in abject poverty.
However the prime minister dismissed the accusations as without merit.

Vincent Dlamini is the main organizer of today's protest march. He
tells reporter Peter Clottey from the capital, Mbabane that King
Mswati's display of opulence is detrimental to all workers.

"First of all, all the workers and other interested citizens who are
concerned about the issues that we are raising will gather at the
Coronation Park in Mbabane this morning at 9 O'clock, Swaziland time
to get ready for demonstrating around the city of Mbabane, and then
there would be of course marches to the cabinet offices, which are
also located in Hospital Hill, here in Mbabane, Swaziland," Dlamini
noted.

He said today's protest March begun yesterday after describing the
demonstration in Swaziland's largest, city Manzini as successful.

"That is a continuation of the protest march against the opulence of
the executive monarch in our country, which opulence is within the
face of extreme poverty in Swaziland, but yet we have having
extravagant expenditure, which we would be witnessing this coming
Saturday. We would be having a grand birthday for the 40th as well as
the 40 years on Independence of this country," he said.

Dlamini denied the purpose of the protests are fraught with political
undertones.

"Our main objective is to ensure as workers that we are properly
governed because we are citizens first before we are workers. And
therefore, the manner in which the country is governed is of
particular interest to us. Now, we are saying the system of government
in Swaziland is not working for us as workers. It is this system that
is of course encouraged corruption in the pubic service in our
government. But we are saying let there be a good system, a democratic
system of governance in which our will as citizens would be helped,"
Dlamini pointed out.

He said workers want the government to respond to their demands.

"What we want to achieve is that we want a situation where the
government will respond positively to our demand. And secondly, we
want to highlight the political crisis in our country so that the
world knows that Swaziland is not a peaceful country, but a country in
silence. And we want the international community to understand that
there is a difference between silence and peace. We have been silent
for too long and we have been living under a state of emergency that
has existed since 1973," he said.

Dlamini said there was need for both the local authorities and the
international community to know about the discontentment in Swaziland.

"So now we have to highlight the plight and we want to say to the
international community that Swaziland has problems, which must be
resolved. And then we also want the king himself to under stand that
because most of the problems emanate from the concentration of power
in his hand, he must relinquish that power," Dlamini noted.

He said although the prime minister received their petition, but
doubts whether anything positive would come out of it.

"After our march in Manzini, which was a resounding success, the prime
minister was trying to respond, but he did not give any tangibles. He
was just waffling about in terms of the issues, telling us the same
old stories that things are being looked into and that they will
consider some of these things, but the demand for multi party
democracy, he said there is nothing they can do about that," he said.

Meanwhile, demonstrators in Swaziland's largest city Manzini yesterday
criticized what is expected to be a costly 40th birthday celebration
for King Mswati III this weekend, which reportedly coincides with the
40th anniversary of independence from colonialists Britain.
Opposition political groups seeking democratic reforms have become
more active in the country, where the opposition has been effectively
banned since 1973 by royal decree. Parliamentary elections are
scheduled for Sept. 19.4 September 2008

_________________________

7. A rich ugly king will always be handsome. Charles Onyango, Daily
Nation (Kenya), September 3 2008.

The other day, Daily Nation's naughty little brother, Daily Metro, had
a huge photo of Swaziland King Mswati III bare chest and in
loincloth, on the day of the Reed Dance.

The Reed Dance is an annual event where thousands of bare-breasted
virgins gather at the royal court, bearing reeds for the queen in a
colourful ceremony, that is one of the kingdoms biggest tourist
attractions.

The dance is the occasion when Mswati selects a bride. This year, the
40-year-old king, already the proud husband of 13 wives, was expected
to exercise his royal prerogative and pick the 14th.

I look down on the Reed Dance, and believe in a more competitive and
democratic way of choosing a bride, but this year, something
interesting happened.

The number of maidens who registered for the Reed Dance rose sharply
to 60,000 from 40,000 last year.

The curious thing is that the King Mswati we saw in the Daily Metro is
unlikely to be many women?s idea of an attractive man.

He was better looking when he was still a young king, and had not put
on the weight that has left him with breasts bigger than those of some
of the maidens in the parade.

Yet the news agency Reuters reported that; Tens of thousands of
bare-breasted virgins competed for Swaziland King Mswati IIIs eye on
Monday in a traditional Reed Dance.

Another one, the French agency AFP spoke to a young Swazi woman
Landile Hlongwa, a university student, who said: Being chosen by the
king would be a bonus for me. I would like to occupy one of the royal
palaces one day.

If you take it that the increase in the number of maidens registering
for the Reed Dance is crudely reflective of the rise in King Mswati?s
sex appeal, then his attractiveness increased by 50 per cent!

That cannot be explained aesthetically because, as we have noted, King
Mswati is a far cry from his youthful days.

The logical explanation, we are afraid, might not please all men. The
enduring appeal of Mswati seems to prove that women, according to
experts who study these things, tend to be attracted to powerful men
(while men tend to be attracted more by womens looks or just bits and
pieces of them).

However, Mswati is also cynically benefiting from his failure to solve
the mountain kingdom?s many problems.

He has been slammed for his lavish lifestyle, while nearly 70 per cent
of his subjects live in poverty. Despite that, recently Forbes
magazine listed him as the 15th-richest monarch in the world. He was
the only African on the list.

Marriage into the King's harem is, therefore, an escape from poverty
for many Swazi women.

Thus Tenene Dlamini, 16, told Reuters: I came here to dance. I wish
the king would have chosen me because it is nice at the kings place.
The wives live a nice life.

Critics also say Mswati sets a bad example by encouraging polygamy and
teenage sex. He is the one who turned the Reed Dance into a grand
event in 1999 by picking brides during the ceremony, in a country
where about 40 percent of adults live with HIV.

Without being unfeeling or frivolous, we have to point out that
Swaziland infections rates are ironical because a company called YKK
Zippers is based in its neighbour Lesotho.

YKK Zippers manufactures nearly 100 per cent of the world?s jeans
zippers. Maybe there is a message there for Swaziland and its king.

As an absolute monarch, everything in Swaziland basically belongs to
Mswati, so we cant hurry to accuse him of pinching from the Treasury...

________________________________

8. Creative Workers Union: Boycott Swazi 40/40 Celebrations! Kid
Sithole, Oupa Lebogo, 3 September 2008.

The Creative Workers Union of South Africa (CWUSA) an affiliate of
COSATU supports the call made by the Young Communist League (YCL) on
South African artists to boycott the 40/40 celebrations in Swaziland.

Swaziland is not a democratic state, its people are being denied the
rights to freedom and political association by the despotic Mswati
regime. The organised labour is forever being victimised and
brutalised by the Mswati regime and the continued violent onslaught on
organised workers.

The cultural workers in South Africa cannot be seen supporting such an
evil and barbaric regime. It must be borne in mind that one of the
tools that brought down the apartheid regime in South Africa was the
cultural isolation.

We therefore call on our cultural workers in South Africa to sacrifice
what would have been a lucrative pay day for a cause worth supporting.

Issued by CWUSA. For more information contact Kid Sithole, CWUSA
President, 083 699 2113, or Oupa Lebogo, CWUSA General Secretary, 084
511 8763.


___________________________________

9. Press muzzled ahead of Mswati media brief. Afrol News, 2 September 2008.

Freedom of the press once again came under siege in Swaziland on 27
August 2008, when government officials heavily censored Swazi
journalists as they prepared to interview King Mswati III on his
return from abroad.

Regional media freedom advocacy group, MISA. reports that journalists
gathered at King's palace for a press conference were told what to ask
and that each journalist would be allowed only one question. They were
told that the line of questioning should not deviate from issues
pertaining to the King's official trip.

"You should not even ask the King about the weather of where he comes
from because he does not have time for that as he has many national
duties to perform and also he left those countries some time ago,"
warned Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mathendele Dlamini.

This came amid anticipation that the King was going to be asked about
government's extravagant spending on the country's 40/40 celebrations
to be held on 5-6 September 2008, marking the country's 40th
independence anniversary and King's 40th birthday celebrations.

The King was also expected to be asked about the extravagant spending
by his own family following a recent 10-day shopping spree in Europe
by nine of his 13 wives using public money. The wives together with
their children and royal entourage chartered a flight to go on a
shopping spree in Europe and Asia in preparation for the 40/40
celebrations. The trip by the King's wives resulted in unprecedented
demonstrations by 1,000 women who demanded answers from government on
the blatant abuse of public funds.

Fearing that the King would be embarrassed by journalists' line of
questioning, authorities decided to censor media, reports said.

This was not the first time journalists have been censored by the
royal courtiers.

The latest act of censorship has confirmed a recent study by Media
Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Swaziland chapter, which found
that Swazi media was heavily censored, particularly by the monarchy.

Swaziland, the last remaining absolute monarchy has constantly come
under screen by media and human rights groups for continually
trampling on rights of expression as well as delaying a route that
will give Swazi people a fair democratic stake in the running of their
affairs.
___________________________

10. Cops on high alert for strike. Timothy Simelane. The Swazi
Observer, September 3, 2008.


As the two-day mass action by the country's labour unions commences
this morning, police will be deployed in strategic places around the
country to maintain law and order, Deputy Commissioner of Police,
Isaac Magagula has said.

Magagula was speaking during a press conference at the Police
Headquarters yesterday morning.

"It is standard practice the world over that events of this nature are
regulated in terms of dos and don'ts that are prescribed by the police
in the interest of order and public security. This includes routes
and/or demarcated places and no go zones, respect for flow of traffic,
etc.

We shall obviously expect no less than unconditional compliance
and/or cooperation. Having said that, we wish to state that the police
will be strategically deployed to carry out their mandated
responsibility of maintaining law and order, and any deviant or errant
behaviour on the part of the protesters will be met with the full
extent and weight of the law, said Magagula.

The Deputy Police chief also emphasised that today and tomorrow are
normal working days and all workers who will exercise their right not
to partake in the march should not be coerced and/or intimidated
against to join the march against their will.

"He said the organisers of the mass action will be held accountable or
responsible for any anti-social behaviour to be exhibited by their
members.

"Whilst it is our duty to jealously protect the rights of those who
will carry on with their normal lives and business, but obviously the
organisers cannot escape accountability or responsibility for any
anti-social behaviour of their members," he said.

The mass action has been organised by The Swaziland Federation of
Trade Unions, Swaziland Federation of Labour and the Swaziland
National Association of Teachers.

___________________________________

11. The family: African blessing and curse. Richard Dowden: The
Sunday Times, August 31, 2008.

(Richard Dowden, Altered States, Ordinary Miracles to be published in
September by Portobello Books)


I was delighted to see my friend Siphiwe Hlophe, founder of Swaziland
for Positive Living (SWAPOL), giving the Swaziland king hell last week.
On Wednesday she led a 1,000-strong demonstration in the capital
Mbabane to protest that eight of his 13 wives, plus their children and
an entourage of bodyguards, maids and hangers-on, had chartered a
plane to Dubai for a shopping spree.

Swaziland is a disaster zone by any definition. It has the worst HIV
infection rate in the world; 31% for women. It is also pathetically
poor, with nearly 70% of its people living on less than 50 US cents
(about 27p) a day.

King Mswati III, whose personal take of the national budget is half
the health budget, is estimated to have spent £2.2m on the trip and is
planning a huge 40th birthday bash this week. Meanwhile Siphiwe?s
marchers claimed that the supply of antiretroviral drugs to people
living with Aids has been halved by the royal government.

I met the formidable Siphiwe during a visit to Swaziland in 2002.
Three years earlier she was thrilled when she won a national
scholarship to study agriculture in Britain. One of the conditions of
the scholarship was an Aids test, which she took, unaware there was a
problem. She was HIV-positive. As a result she lost the scholarship,
and her husband, who had probably infected her, walked out.

She thought she was going to die and went into deep depression. Then
she decided that before she died she would make a difference. She
joined up with other women living with HIV and formed Swapol. I went
with her and her friends, singing and dancing and laughing as they
strode up a steep hill to bring food and comfort to orphaned children,
a swaggering triumphant gang of very angry women.

The ridiculous, English public-school-educated monarch is not typical
of Africa these days, but he escapes censure because, in a twisted,
debased way, he represents something from the past. Having a big
family remains important in Africa and its population is doubling in
every generation. Like the Swazi king, many men who can afford it,
and some that cannot, have several wives and lots of children.

The aim in Africa was always to add more people to the family group.
In contrast, European families shed people. Traditionally, in Europe,
when a daughter married and left her family, she was given a dowry, a
pay-off to settle her elsewhere. In Africa the money goes the other
way. A suitor must pay bride price ? compensation for the loss of a
family member. He is not just ensuring, since she is valuable, that
she will be respected and treated well, he is also binding their
families together, adding more people to his own household.

Perhaps this is because European societies had too many people and not
enough land, whereas in Africa there was always plenty of land but not
enough people to control it. In crowded, bloody Europe people stood
and fought for land. In Africa wars were fought for pillage, for
slaves, for cattle, for control of trade. Very rarely did people fight
for land. It was not necessary. There was always plenty of space. And
when there were wars, the defeated were not usually slaughtered or
driven away; they were absorbed into the victor?s group.

Family is central to life in Africa, but the African family is nothing
like the neat nuclear family of Europe. Africans find the European
family a paltry, cold affair. In Africa - the whole of Africa - the
family extends to relations Europeans would no longer have any
knowledge of. A man without a family is no one. He is nothing.

When I first arrived in Africa as a teacher I was continually confused
by the way people referred to their families. One of my students told
me he lived in a house with three fathers and two mothers. But you
have only one father and one mother, I told him. No, I have three
fathers and two mothers at our house, he replied.

People often introduced me to three or four people they called their
mother or father. In Africa any relative of your parents? age who
looks after you as a child is a mother or a father. Even cousins
several times removed are called brothers and sisters. And Africa is a
good place to grow old. Grey hairs are respected and obeyed. The
elderly are not pushed aside as they are in western countries.

However, there are downsides to family ties and respect for age. The
downside of the family is that distant relatives can claim from richer
members. Any money that one member earns is expected to be distributed
throughout the rest of the extended family. It is hard to build a
family business under such conditions. And age has its drawbacks too.
One reason President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa has found it hard to
dictate to Robert Mugabe is because he is from a younger generation.
Dynamic leaders of 50 are told they are too young to rule. They need
to have some grey hairs. The old retain power over their families -
and their countries - until they die. Young upstarts are soon seen off
by their elders and betters. The only young African leaders to come to
power in Africa seized it by force.

Swaziland also has a lesson for those who believe African problems
are all about tribe - the ultimate extended family. It is one of
only four of the continent?s countries that are based on a single
ethnic group. Of the others, one is Botswana, Africas most stable and
best run country. Another is Somalia, the ultimate failed state. So no
pattern there. In Swaziland the king and the ruling elite refer to the
Swazi nation but pretend that Swazis are a traditional tribe, utterly
obedient to the king and his chiefs. The king misuses tradition to
appropriate the countrys meagre resources, prevent development and
keep the people subservient.

What is the difference between a tribe and a nation anyway? Tribalism
describes a frame of mind all human beings suffer from: a pig-headed
?my group, right or wrong? attitude. In Africa people are always
referred to as members of tribes, but how can 25m Yoruba or 33m Hausa
people be called tribes? If they are, then surely the English, Welsh
and Scots must be British tribes. As a journalist, I refuse to use the
word tribe in Africa until the media refer to former Yugoslavia as
tribal or the Israel-Palestine conflict as a land dispute between two
Semitic tribes. That is how it would be described if they lived in
Africa.

Africas problem is not tribalism as such, but the utterly incoherent
nation states cohabited by different ethnic groups bequeathed to
Africans half a century ago. Africans had no part in the creation of
their nation states. At the end of the 19th century, Europeans drew
lines on maps of places they had never been to. Fifty years ago the
filled-in spaces became Ghana, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon,
countries that had never existed before. Suddenly pitched into
independence, they had no sense of common nationhood. By contrast the
ruling Europeans had always emphasised ethnic differences and
suppressed any sense of nationalism.

Today Ghanaians are proudly Ghanaian and Kenyans fiercely Kenyan, but
they lack a common sense of what that means. Beneath the surface of
Africa?s weak nation states lie old cultures, old communities, very
different societies with their own laws and languages. Nigeria
contains some 400 different ethnic groups. Uganda has more than 40.
They lack what we take for granted: a common conception of nationhood
and national citizenship.

The unification of Africa remains a distant dream, and separatism is
frowned on because it could lead to bloody disintegration. There is no
alternative to the long, tricky and sometimes bloody process of
establishing political systems that contain and manage these historic
differences.

_______________________________


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Africa Contact: Open Letter on the present situation in Swaziland


African Union (AU)
Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Commonwealth of Nations
European Union
Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF)
International press and media


August 31, 2008

Internationally, the royal disregard for fundamental democratic rights
has been ignored. The election of King Mswati as the Chairperson of
the SADC Organ on politics, defence and security, which is responsible
for the defence of democracy in the region, is absolutely unacceptable.

Royal governance has been no less than a catastrophe for its people.

The Swazi regime is spending an extreme level of resources on the
coming 40/40 celebrations, the royal birthday and so-called
independence day.  Royal independence has created a state of
oppression and inequality that is unacceptable, a state of hunger and
a mortality of the people that is deeply tragic.

Women have marched to government offices in Mbabane, angered by the
abuse and corruption of the royal regime. Again and again, the
Swaziland rulers have harassed the democratic movement, trade unions
leaders and representatives of the democratic movement.

There is no other way than to demand:

- Lifting of the royal ban on multiparty politics and the right to
participate in public institutions. A ban created by royal
proclamation to the nation in 1973 and continuing in the constitution
introduced in 2005.

- The right to return of all political exiles. There are many who
remain in exile for fear of persecution by the state.

- A representative national convention creating a democratic
constitution which will be a true representation of the people of
Swaziland, of their needs and their future.

- An end to the corruption and greed of a royal family and a ruling
minority that is a deep threat to the future of Swazi society.


There is no other way. Africa Contact (Denmark) has for years
supported the democratic movement in Swaziland. Also with the hope
that it could achieve its goal through peaceful means, but such a hope
seems deeply threatened now in a time of permanent crisis.



Executive Committee
Africa Contact
Copenhagen / Denmark

Swaziland@Newsletter Extra
30 August, 2008

Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) Swaziland

The meaning and implications of Mswati Chairpersonship of the SADC
Organ Troika on politics, defense and security, for democracy in
Southern Africa

Mario Masuku, PUDEMO President


SADC is a region with interesting dynamics; a rich and proud legacy of
fierce struggles against colonialism, apartheid and neo-colonial
subjugation. It is also a region afflicted with serious challenges
arising from a dangerous and serious trend that points to the reversal
of all the massive gains of the people through acts of despotism,
state brutality and increasing levels of poverty and inequalities.

In all this, Swaziland has emerged as the uncontested champion of
political despotism being the oldest state of emergency in the region
and the only country that since 1973 has never seen anything closer to
what should constitute democratic elections, because of the historic
ban on political parties by king Sobhuza 11 through his now famous
draconian 1973 decree.

In this regard, SADC has a historic responsibility to the people of
this region, more so its institutions that are entrusted with the
responsibility of defending democracy, peace and stability in the
region, more precisely, the Organ Troika on politics, defence and
security.

Anyone assigned the task of overseeing the institutions which must
enjoy our fullest confidence have an obligation to be exemplary, not
least institutions responsible for guaranteeing that we live in
conditions of democracy, peace and stability, such as the Organ Troika.

Understanding the role and importance of the Organ Troika

South Africa, together with the other member states of SADC initiated
the idea of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security in June 1996
as a forum for the discussion and resolution of political issues in
the region. It was however not formalised as a functional and
operational institution of SADC due to differences in the
interpretation of its functions and structures until later.

Heads of State and Government finally reached agreement on the role,
functions and structure of the Organ at the Extraordinary SADC summit
held in Windhoek, Namibia on 9-10 March, 2001.

This led to the adoption of a Draft Protocol at the SADC Summit in
Blantyre, Malawi on 14 August 2002.

The broad objective of the Organ Protocol is to achieve solidarity,
peace and security within the SADC region through close co-operation
on matters of politics, defence and security.

The emphasis is on the peaceful settlement of disputes by negotiation,
conciliation, mediation and arbitration. In this context the Organ
Protocol addresses both intra- and inter-state conflict and stipulates
principles for collective action in managing such conflict. Otherwise,
put this institution is entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring
that democracy flourishes in conditions of peace and stability.

According to SADC documents: in order to operationalise the Organ,
the Protocol establishes the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security.
This structure includes the: the Chairperson of the Organ, the Plenary
Ministerial Committee and the Inter-State Politics and Diplomacy
Committee (ISPDC) and Inter-State Defence and Security Committee
(ISDSC). Currently a Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (SIPO) is
in the process of being developed. The SIPO will set the framework,
work programme and operational parameters for the functioning of the
Organ.

The document goes further to state that, critical to the management
of the Organ is the Organ Troika. The Troika is made up of three
member states that are not members of the SADC Troika. The Chairperson
of the Organ reports directly to the SADC Summit.

It must be noted here that there are two troikas and must not be
confused, first, there is the SADC Troika and then the Organ troika,
which is still an institution of SADC and Mswati is in charge of the
latter. When these two gather together, it becomes a double troika.

Mswati as Chairperson of the Organ Troika and what it means for
democracy in the region: The judge who is guilty of similar and worst
crimes:


You can imagine a judge who presides over a case in which he is
equally guilty and liable for similar crimes, or even worst. This is
the fairytale of Mswati taking charge of the institution responsible
for the creation, expansion and defence of democracy, peace and
stability in the region.

Meanwhile, this is the same person who is yet to tell us who is
responsible for all the atrocities that are daily occurring in our
country and those that have occurred over years; amongst them; Black
Wednesday at the University, where students were savagely massacred in
1990, the massive SDA, PUDEMO and SFTU bloodshed in 1996, which led to
the deaths of our dear comrade Mbatha from the SFTU, the massive
torture of David Mngomezulu, who later died, the massive brutalisation
of SAS students in Big-Bend, amongst them; Freddy Mokoena, Mlungisi
Makhanya, Nhlanhla Msweli, Lovejoy Mazibuko, Precious Zitha and many
others whose cases were handled by Cde Simon Noge of the then HUMARAS.

Further, the esteemed chairperson would be better off telling us who
unleashed the most savage terror on the innocent people of Kamkhweli
and Macetjeni, merely for refusing to accept a Prince being imposed
upon them as their Chief, when there are traditionally defined
processes and norms of assuming chieftancy according to Swazi culture.
This led to their forced exiling to Mpumalanga, South Africa as
refugees, living in conditions of real destitution and desperation.

I myself have been a victim of more than one treason trial and
numerous charges for subversion and sedition, merely for organising
marches and participating in demonstrations calling for democracy in
our country. This prison, we call our country has been honoured with
the responsibility of deepening and defending democracy in our beloved
region, what a contradiction!

This has serious implications for democracy in our region, beyond our
country. It means that no leader or country would ever take serious
any call to adhere to SADC protocols calling for democracy or free and
fair elections, because they would know that the finger pointed
towards them is more guilty and has no moral authority to judge them.

It also means, SADC structures and protocols will not be taken
seriously not only by heads of states, as is currently the case, but
even more so, by the peoples of the region, in whose interest this
structure is supposed to serve. This makes a mockery of our
determination as Africans to build and institutionalise capacity for
the effective building and protection of democracy on our continent,
as well as strengthen our capacity to resolve conflicts for meaningful
development.

Surely, there is a relationship between democracy, a culture of human
rights observance and the resolution of conflicts or creation of an
environment of peace and stability.

Just when we were beginning to raise our hopes about prospects for the
tightening of the democratic belt and raising of governance standards
in the region, once again, we woke up to yet another shock. The baton
wielding policeman standing at the door is the leading crime
operative, and that has serious implications for our desire to fight
crime in this region, so an analogy would go.

What should be done? The struggle continues!

It has become clear that democracy is and must be a product of
protracted struggles on the ground, it cannot be a charitable
Christmas gift from summits.

This means, we should stick our heads and feet on the ground, we must
hit the ground running, hitting as hard as possible through endless
mass actions and determined struggles of our people. The future of the
region is in our hands, its what we make of it.

We must make it impossible for anyone guilty of crimes against the
people to freely do as he wishes in our region. It must be a no go
area. No one who stole elections, rigged electoral outcomes or
subjected the people to whatever form of terror, should be allowed to
claim legitimacy in the name of the people. Anyone who refuses to
respect the rights of the people to choose their own leaders freely
should not be accorded any form of respect.

We should declare SADC a no-go area for all culprits of political
oppression who rule through the gun and abuse the people, ruling them
against their will. We must intensify the struggle to build a new SADC
founded on the basis of no compromise with undemocratic practices, be
they disguised as culture and tradition or whatever their form.

We fully support and are part of the campaign actively driven by
COSATU and trade unions throughout the region, including our own
allies, the SFTU and SFL in Swaziland, for the boycott of all goods
destined for Swaziland, which was a product of our deliberations at
the recent COSATU Conference in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe
and Swaziland. We must ensure that we hit them where it matters the
most, the economic citadels or the economy that oils the conditions of
our continued suffering.

In this regard, we are already building and intensifying the offensive
on our own home ground, inside Swaziland, as demonstrated by the
recent wave of strikes by workers, marches by women, defiance rallies
by PUDEMO and SWAYOCO, resulting in massive arrests of our activists,
as well as the mass protests organised by the Swaziland United
Democratic Front (SUDF), particularly the one of 3rd and 4th September
targeting the royal lavish party while our people continue to starve.

We also call on the world to support us as we ensure that the
tinkhundla elections scheduled for 19th September are a non-starter,
they must crumble under the weight of mass struggle and intensified
solidarity. September is going to be difficult month for the ruling
regime in Swaziland, we dare not spare any effort in our desire to
destroy the foundations of oppression. We insist that we demand a
multiparty democratic electoral system, with the unbanning of
political parties as a fundamental condition for any meaningful and
democratic process.

We are proud to belong to the Swaziland United Democratic Front, which
is a product of the hard work of all forces for change in our country.
It is the most precious gift and weapon of the people in their desire
to be free. We are even more proud that as early as 2006 we adopted a
programme called the Road Map to a new and democratic Swaziland, which
affirmed openly the task of building a new and democratic front, owing
to the then defunct SDA, and we were called upon by Congress to do all
within our powers to work with our allies and comrades in other organs
of civil society to forge a powerful force against the system, in
which case, the Front has become. Just yesterday, we had a successful
march as the front against the crisis in the health system, which has
reached catastrophic levels, if not genocidal magnitudes.

AMANDLA!

Swaziland@Newsletter 76

Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SAK-Swazinewsletter together with
documents and other materials not included in the regular newsletter.
If you wish to subscribe to the newsletter, please send mail to:
SAK-Swazinewsletter subscribe@.... Suggestions as to
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pmm@....
_________________________________

1. His Majesty said more donations were still welcome. Timothy
Simelane. The Swazi Observer, August 29, 2008.

2. Swazi virgins get busy ahead of annual ritual. AFP: August 28, 2008.

3. Acute food shortages expected. Teetee Zwane. The Swazi Observer,
August 29, 2008.

4. Women challenge King Mswati. Mantoe Phakathi, Inter Press Service
(IPS), 28 August, 2008

5. We condemn arrest of PUDEMO National Organizer. Swaziland
Solidarity Network (SSN), 27 August 2008.

6. Swazi royals opt for bling and a big party against a backdrop of
hunger. Bruce Sibanda, Afrik.com Paris, France, 25 August 2008.

7. Anger over royal lifestyle. Mpho Dube. The Citizen, August 25, 2008.

8. Buying the cars: the vehicles were bought at about E600 000 each.
Innocent Maphalala. Times of Swaziland, August 22, 2008.

9. "We are dying, they are flying!" Mbabane (Plusnews), 22 August 2008.

10. Leo Igwe, Reason and Superstition in Swaziland. Political Cortex -
New York,, 25 August, 2008.

11. Devils' Advocates: Despots and the lobbyists who love them. James
Kirchick, The New Republic, August 13, 2008.

________________________________

Dear readers

The newspaper tells us that his majesty King Mswati III has invited
the nation to submit gifts and donations to Royalty.

We can also read that the king has sent 50,000 virgin girls into the
fields to cut reed for an annual ritual next week. He may even choose
his 14th bride. It seems so wonderful.

That high food prices, especially maize prices, could mean a larger
proportion of the population will face food shortages during the
hunger season is here perhaps an irrelevant detail.

More important is it that his wives have been on a shopping spree in
Dubai. The queens have to look radiant and that is why they went to
buy quality items for the big day.

The big day of the king's 40th birthday and four decades of
Swaziland's independence.  It is, of course,  a wonderful celebration,
despite the coming hunger.

It is also so good to hear that the government has received a huge
discount when purchasing the BMW sedans to be used in the celebrations.

There is no use complaining. Some say that the days of complaining are
perhaps over. They say, that it is time to fight back!  One of the
marchers at the demonstration says to the press: This is the first
time commoners have risen up to saying, Enough! The country's
resources must not just be used by royalty. What about the masses?

Yes, what about the masses? What about the hunger? What about the
future? Perhaps, it really is time to rise up.

Yours sincerely
Patrick Mac Manus
Editor Swaziland@Newsletter


______________________________

1. His Majesty said more donations were still welcome. Timothy
Simelane. The Swazi Observer, August 29, 2008.

His Majesty King Mswati III has invited the nation to submit gifts and
donations to Royalty as this is the indigenous way of life for the
Swazi people.

His Majesty said such donations were not bribery to Royalty. He was
speaking at Lozitha Palace when receiving gifts and pledges from the
business community and individuals for use during the 40/40 double
celebration.

Donation

Even if one was accused of having committed a certain offence, we
would treat the offence and donation on different merits, his Majesty says.

His Majesty said people should not misinterpret those who donate to
Royalty as bribing or campaigning for certain political appointments.

The king said from time immemorial, Swazis had adopted a way of life
by which a farmer who had harvested from his crops would separate a
portion to donate to the King.

He thanked various organisations that donated cattle and several gifts
to Royalty for use during the 40/40 double celebration.

His Majesty said more donations were still welcome.

Namuhla kwetfula sekuyesabeka. Nawetfula batsi uzama kuvala inkhosi
umlomo. Kwetfula ngeke sikuvimbe, he said meaning donations to Royalty
would never be stopped.

__________________________

2. Swazi virgins get busy ahead of annual ritual. AFP. August 28, 2008.

Swaziland's King Mswati III on Thursday sent more than 50,000 virgin
girls into the fields to cut reed for an annual ritual next week at
which he may choose his 14th bride.

The ceremony on Monday comes ahead of controversial double
celebrations to mark the impoverished kingdom's 40 years of
independence from Britain and Mswati's 40th birthday on September 6.

"Since you know that the country is faced with these major activities,
I urge you to behave yourselves and make sure that you display respect
so that tourists would return to the country," the Queen mother,
Ntombi Twala, told the girls.

The girls were sent to two locations to cut reeds to be used in the
annual Reed Dance ceremony at Ludzidzini royal palace near the capital
Mbabane.

The age-old reed dance is aimed at encouraging young women to preserve
their purity and abstain from sexual activity before marriage.

But the ceremony has seemingly failed to make an impression on the
scourge of HIV-AIDS in a country where close to 40 percent of the
adult population of one million are infected with the virus, according
to a UN report.

The dance spectacle is characterised by bare-breasted maidens, clad in
colourful short skirts or sarongs. The king, who has 13 wives, may
choose a new bride among the young girls.
The king and eight of his wives returned last week from a
controversial Middle East shopping trip in preparation for the so
called 40-40 celebrations.

The trip attracted unprecedented condemnation from women's groups,
political parties and civil society groups.

__________________________

3. Acute food shortages expected. Teetee Zwane. The Swazi Observer,
August 29, 2008.

High food prices, especially maize prices, could mean a larger
proportion of the population in southern Africa will face food
shortages during the hunger season; between October and March, 2009, a
study has revealed.

A USAID Southern Africa Food Security Update (August) states that in
Swaziland and Lesotho, vulnerability assessment results indicate a
slight improvement, in terms of food insecurity, since last year as
indicated by the reduction in the numbers of people requiring
assistance.

It was found that this was largely a result of the moderate
improvements in harvests in both countries when compared to last
season, which was particularly poor in both countries.

"However, these harvests are still below the past 5-year average
production levels, which explains the existence of transitory food
insecurity," the report states.

In addition, it was found that general inflation rates remain high,
with the largest increases (and contribution) attributed to food
items, with the June food inflation rate in Lesotho being at 13.6%
while in Swaziland, it was even higher at 18.7%.

"In both countries, government and partners are coordinating efforts
to put in place mitigatory measures that save lives and livelihoods,"
the report continues.

An analysis of the region's maize supply and demand, the study found,
indicates that the exportable maize surplus available is sufficient to
cover the import demand of deficit countries, which include Botswana,
Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

It was also found that the deficit countries can meet much of their
requirements by importing from South Africa, which now has an
exportable surplus of about 2.6 million metric tonnes, sufficient to
meet this demand.

Currently, the demand for all cereals - maize, wheat and rice - in
Swaziland is estimated at 211 000 metric tonnes (as at January 2008)
while overall domestic harvest is estimated at 67 000 metric tonnes,
meaning there's a shortfall of about 144 000 metric tonnes.

The estimated maize harvest for 2007/08 is 62 000 metric tonnes with
demand at an estimated 148 000 this year, culminating in an estimated
shortfall of 148 000 metric tonnes. The country imports 100% of its
wheat and 95% of rice.

At present, the National Maize Corporation (NMC) is struggling to meet
the country's quota requirement of maize, currently having received
only 1 605 metric tonnes from local farmers since April.

The study indicates that while a majority of households in southern
Africa will have adequate food over this consumption season,
widespread acute and chronic food insecurity remains a real concern in
parts of most countries.

It is expected that over 8 million people in Swaziland, Lesotho,
Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe are at risk of food
insecurity between now and March, 2009 and require some kind of
assistance. In addition, these numbers are expected to peak over the
November to February hunger season.
_________________________

4. Women challenge King Mswati. Mantoe Phakathi, Inter Press Service
(IPS), 28 August, 2008

Hard on the heels of the signing of the Gender Protocol at the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state summit,
Swazi women have challenged King Mswati III on the monarchy's lavish
lifestyle in the face of abject poverty and disease.

The Gender Protocol calls for 50 percent representation of women in
all levels of government by 2015 and further urges member states to
put in place legislative measures guaranteeing gender sensitive
political and policy structures.

The protocol also calls for gender-specific approaches to treatment
and prevention of HIV/AIDS which the more than 1,000 demonstrators,
mainly women and people living with HIV/AIDS, demanded in petitions to
the Minister of Finance, Majozi Sithole, and Prime Minister Themba
Dlamini.

The march was triggered by a recent trip to the Middle East by eight
of King Mswati's 13 wives who left the country with their children,
bodyguards, aides and maids by private jet for an undisclosed mission
on August 15.

Government remained mum on both the nature of this controversial trip
and the source of its funding, but there is a widespread speculation
that the Emakhosikati (the king's wives) were on a shopping spree in
Dubai ahead of the double celebration on September 6 of the king's
40th birthday and four decades of Swaziland's independence.

On the same day the Emakhosikati left, a separate private plane took
King Mswati and Inkhosikati LaDube to the SADC Summit in Johannesburg.
After the summit, the king himself flew to the Middle East. He only
returned to the country on August 27, a day after his other wives.

Women's rights groups led by Swaziland Positive Living for Life
(SWAPOL) called on demonstrators to march to the Ministry of Finance
and Prime Minister's office wearing black as a sign of mourning.

Criticising the march, Traditional Prime Minister Jim Gama said the
protest was against the Swazi culture and an act by disrespectful
women who have taken the fight for women a bit too far.

"Even when women are aggrieved, according to our culture, men have to
speak on their behalf," said Gama.

It was the first time the country witnessed women challenging the King
directly and calling on government to address the issue of his lavish
lifestyle at the expense of the taxpayer.

In the event, few women demonstrators turned up in black. But SWAPOL
director Siphiwe Hlophe said while traditionalists, who include the
Traditional Prime Minister Jim Gama, Prince Jahamnyama and Chief
Magudvulela, successfully intimidated a lot of people from wearing
black, the large turnout did drive the point home.

"As women, we have the right to freedom of expression, life, treatment
and care which is what we are calling for through this march," said
Hlophe.

Source:: http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/index.asp
____________________

5. We condemn arrest of PUDEMO National Organizer. Swaziland
Solidarity Network (SSN), 27 August 2008.

Yesterday, 26 September 2008, Swazi Special Branch Police arrested
(PUDEMO Peoples United Democratic Movement of Swaziland) National
Organizer, comrade Armstrong Robinson. He was taken to a remote
location in Mafutseni, Manzini. There he was harassed and forced to
sign a document - implicating him as someone with knowledge of the
Liberation Council of PUDEMO and its armed wing UMBANE.

As we have complained all along, our comrades continue to get arrested
and harassed by the terrorist regime of Swaziland. This arrest is
another desperate attempt by the regime. Its security forces, because
of lack of information, are randomly picking up people associated with
PUDEMO without any real evidence.

We condemn these arrests in the strongest terms possible. The days of
complaining are over. It is time to fight back! The Regime must not
think for one moment that it has a monopoly on violence. At the recent
extra-ordinary congress in Matsulu, South Africa, PUDEMO resolved on a
declaration for armed struggle. Here are a few excerpts:

"...The conditions under which our people are living under requires of
us to double our efforts in the fight against the parasitic tinkhundla
royal ruling regime. We cannot as a People's Movement allow the
calculated killing of our People through starvation, with acute food
shortages, poor health care system which has become genocide with
hospitals being slaughter houses, the rise in the cost of food and
other commodities, making life unbearable, the HIV & AIDS pandemic
which has spiraled to uncontrollable levels and the regime being
arrogant to the needs of the people...

...The Peoples fighting spirit for self emancipation and
determination has been demonstrated in the mass action activities
undertaken by the organs of the people as a demonstration of unity
against  a common enemy and their determination to end the many years
of royal oppression and exploitation...

...We further declare and embrace the existence of the PUDEMO
military organ, the Swaziland Peoples Liberation Army. The People?s
Army shall protect the People of Swaziland, our Leadership and our
Cadres. The People?s Army shall embark on a total military onslaught
against the enemy...'

Clearly the regime is hanging on a thin thread, and its desperation to
hold on to power is evidenced by the case of Comrade Armstrong. There
is a history of these arrests and forced signed confessions since the
beginning of PUDEMO.

We will respond to this with mass action protests against the Swazi
Regime. We must bring to end this violent and unjust system, in the
backyard of South Africa, forced down the throats of the majority of
poor and suffering Swazis. Swaziland will be free of this corrupt
Royal family and its surrogate police and army.

_______________________________

6. Swazi royals opt for bling and a big party against a backdrop of
hunger. Bruce Sibanda, Afrik.com Paris, France, 25 August 2008.

Women in the tiny mountainous kingdom of Swaziland have been
demonstrating over the weekend in protest against a shopping tour
undertaken by eight of the ruling monarch?s 13 wives after they
chartered a flight to Europe and the Middle East.

Reports from there say eight wives, children, maids and bodyguards
left the impoverished kingdom last week to shop for the "40-40" double
celebrations to mark independence from Britain and King Mswati IIIs
birthday on September 6.

Mugabe is one of 13 Southern African Development Community (SADC)
leaders invited to attend the day of royal festivities that would
gobble close to US$6,5-million.

The queens have to look radiant and that is why they went to buy
quality items for the big day.

Angered by what they consider excess largesse, the women marched to
the government offices in Mbabane. The Women?s Coalition of Swaziland
and Swaziland Positive Living organized it.

Ntombi Nkosi, the coalition?s spokeswoman asked how funds could be
spent on a shopping trip when Swaziland, which has the world?s highest
HIV prevalence rate, faced shortages of medicines including anti-Aids
drugs. "We are against the idea of public funds being used in a
questionable way by people who are not employed and (who) do not bring
any revenue to the countrys coffers, she is quoted as saying.

More than 1 500 mostly HIV-positive women staged an unprecedented. But
Jim Gama, the governor of Ludzidzini, the Swazi traditional capital,
said a march by women was "un-Swazi". "I have never heard of women
marching ... All I know is that a woman has to seek permission from
her husband to register her disagreement with whatever was happening
in society but not for her to march. That is un-Swazi."

Close to 40% of adults in the landlocked Southern African nation are
living with HIV and Aids, the highest infection rate anywhere in the
world, according to United Nations figures.

Mario Masuku the leader of Swaziland?s opposition said "I believe that
the money could have been used into improving of the standard of
living of the people of Swaziland. Currently, there are people who are
suffering from the drought, people who are unemployed the money could
have gone into improvement of the health facilities, the money could
have gone into the improvement of the education standards of
Swaziland. We believe that the king if he wanted a birthday for
himself, he could have done so from his own resources, but not from
the people?s taxes," he said.

Swaziland is Africa?s last absolute monarchy and is known for its
annual Reed Dance celebrations in which thousands of bare-breasted
young women dance in front of the royal family.
________________________

7. Anger over royal lifestyle. Mpho Dube. The Citizen, August 25, 2008.

King Mswati III has angered the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN)
because of his expensive lifestyle, and also the arrest of Jan
Sithole, general-secretary of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions
(SFTU).

The SSN has threatened to protest against the King?s 40th birthday and
independence celebration, 40/40, at the Swaziland Embassy in Pretoria
on September 6.

King Mswati IIIs wives are reportedly in Dubai and Thailand, spending
millions of rands ahead of the event.

SSN spokesman Lucky Lukhele yesterday told The Citizen that Mswati?s
days in power are numbered.

He said, The people of Swaziland are suffering but King Mswati III is
spending millions of rands to entertain his wives.

On Thursday, more than 1 000 women marched to the Swaziland
authorities voicing their anger about the trip.

Lukhele said Sithole was detained on Thursday after Swaziland
authorities fingered him for protesting against King Mswati III during
the SADC summit.

The SSN also condemned the SADC?s appointment of undemocratic Mswati
as chair of the troika, saying it is indicative of the lack of
leadership in Southern Africa.
__________________________________________

8. Buying the cars: the vehicles were bought at about E600 000 each.
Innocent Maphalala. Times of Swaziland, August 22, 2008.

Government received a huge discount when purchasing the sleek BMW
sedans to be used during the 40/40 celebrations.

The vehicles will be used to chauffeur heads of state around. This
newspaper reported that 20 new BMW sedans had arrived in the country
through the Ngwenya Border Post on Tuesday night. The cars were later
driven to Carson Motors in Manzini.

It had been reported that the vehicles are worth about E916 000 each,
which meant that, had government paid the actual purchase price, they
would have cost about E18 million (not E22 million, as reported).
Lutfo Dlamini, Enterprise and Employment Minister, said yesterday that
the vehicles were bought at about E300 000 less each.

This means the vehicles were bought at about E600 000 each. "The E916
000 is correct, but it is not the price that government paid," said
the minister. "You can work the price out, but government got a
discount of about 35 percent, on average, on each car." This means
that for 20 vehicles, the amount paid could be about E12 million. This
is a discount of about E6 million in total. Dlamini said their aim was
to ensure that at the end of the day, government did not lose much on
this deal. He said the idea was also to sell the vehicles immediately
after the celebrations because they would still be new. "We did not
want to keep the cars lying idle and sell them after a long time when
they would have lost value," he said.

Congratulated

He said the 40/40 committee, which he is part of, should actually be
congratulated for striking this deal with BMW South Africa. He said
the cars had not yet reached government, as they were with Carson
Motors, the local BMW dealer. The 40/40 celebrations will be held on
Saturday, September 6, 2008.

They are to celebrate His Majesty King Mswati III?s birthday and the
40th independence anniversary.

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport confirmed that the vehicles
would be sold soon after September 6.

This happened in 2003, when Swaziland hosted the Smart Partnership
Dialogue. For this event, government bought BMW sedans which were put
on auction soon after it ended.

Then, government made a loss as the vehicles could not be sold at
their book value.

___________________________________

9. "We are dying, they are flying!" Mbabane (Plusnews), 22 August 2008.

Several hundred Swazis, including people living with HIV, marched on
21 August to highlight the need for government to prioritise funding
to alleviate the humanitarian crises in the country.

The protestors had been spurred by reports that eight of King Mswati's
13 wives had taken a trip to the Middle East and Asia. The King's
Office at Lozitha Palace, 30km east of the capital, Mbabane, would not
reveal the nature of their trip, but the Swazi media noted that the
wives were taking advantage of school holidays to travel with their
children.

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

"King Mswati declared AIDS a national emergency, and said if nothing
is done there will be no Swaziland. But we are dying, and they [the
royal family] are flying."

Two-thirds of Swaziland's people live in chronic poverty, according to
the UN Development Programme, and 26 percent of adults are
HIV-positive, giving Swaziland the highest HIV prevalence rate in the
world.

After the worst ever harvest in 2007, production improved in 2008 but
is still below the national requirement, while the global food and
fuel crisis has further contributed to the chronic food insecurity
affecting more than 20 percent of the population.

"I was dismayed when I learnt that not only had the wives travelled,
but their bodyguards, maids and children were flown, too," said
protest organiser Siphiwe Hlope, Director of Swazis for Positive
Living (SWAPOL), an AIDS support organisation founded by HIV-positive
women.

"There are many problems that are engulfing the country and, as we
speak, there is a shortage of not only antiretroviral drugs but other
drugs in our hospitals. The elderly do not get their pensions, but
public funds are used for the queens' travel," said Hlope.

The first-ever march to protest royal activities drew blistering
attacks from royal and government officials. Government spokesperson
Percy Simelane and traditional Prime Minister Jim Gama condemned the
marchers' plan to wear black as an affront to traditional mourning
customs.

"Women do not take to the streets! Do they have permission from their
husbands to do this?" Gama said to reporters.

Without revealing how the queens' trips were financed, King Mswati's
older brother, Prince Jahmnyama Dlamini, said, "People always think
that the royalty uses taxpayers' money at all times; the royal family
has its own properties and [is wealthy]."

The march moved through the streets of downtown Mbabane at a slow pace
to accommodate marchers who were HIV-positive, while some women lay
down on the pavement to demonstrate the effects of starvation.

Jan Sithole, Secretary-General of the Swaziland Federation of Trade
Unions (SFTU), was detained and questioned by police while the march
was taking place and could not participate.

Sithole said a major workers' demonstration was planned for 3
September, three days before King Mswati's 40th birthday celebration,
which has been declared a national holiday and will be marked by
publicly financed celebrations.

The daily Times of Swaziland newspaper commented on 22 August: "How
the king wants to move this country forward, either through
power-sharing or absolute control, will determine if the monarchy has
another 40 years to celebrate."

____________________________________________

10. Leo Igwe,  Reason is at a shortfall as superstition thrives and
undermines the growth and development of Swaziland. Superstition in
Swaziland. Political Cortex - New York, 25 August, 2008.

Recently I attended a human rights meeting in Swaziland. It was held
in Ezulwini, one of the countries few cities and tourist destinations.
This event offered me an opportunity to acquaint myself with the Swazi
society - the history, thought, culture and tradition of the people. I
interviewed many Swazis, met with some university students and
activists to find out about the religious and superstitious beliefs in
the country. Swaziland in a land locked nation surrounded by South
Africa and Mozambique .

It is one of the smallest countries in Africa with a population of
almost one million comprising primarily Bantu speaking Swazi people.
The Kingdom was colonized by Britain and gained independence in 1968.
Swaziland is a deeply religious and superstitious society. The Swazi
people like other Africans believe in God, spirits and charms to a
fault. They revere these supernatural objects and uphold all sorts of
irrational beliefs and traditional nonsense to the extent that they
undermine their cultural development, political emancipation and
civilization.

According to the online Encyclopedia - the Wikipedia - 82 percent of
Swazis are Christians, while 18 percent profess Islam, Bahai, Hindusm,
and other beliefs.

But as often the case, religions have remained impotent in the face of
country's multifaceted problems and crisis. Many Swazis live in
chronic poverty. Hunger and starvation are widespread. AIDS has taken
a heavy toll on the society with 40% of the population believed to be
infected with HIV. The virus has depleted the country's working
population and orphaned many children. A major humanitarian crisis
looms in the land.

Due to lack of adequate care and support, many children orphaned by
AIDS are forced to roam the streets and scavenge for food and
survival. Not surprising religious exploitation is high in the
country. Religious groups are waxing strong. They are taking advantage
of the people's desperate situation and gullibility.

Local and foreign evangelists are organizing revivals across the
country where they  get the people to part with their money in
exchange for divine blessings, comforting myths and miraculous
nonsense that do not change or improve their dire situation. Islamic
clerics from Asia and North Africa are trooping to the country.  They
are building mosques and Islamic centres where they indoctrinate the
people with dead and disabling dogmas. In fact in Swaziland religion
is thriving while the people are dying. The faiths are flourishing
while the faithful are famishing.

No matter the religion or belief they may profess, no matter the level
of education they may attain, most Swazis believe in charms popularly
known as muti. The belief is so prevalent that Swaziland can rightly
be called the Land of Muti . Muti is a magical potion prepared by
local witchdoctors called sangomas. Sangomas are believed to have
supernatural powers which they use to produce this substance.

In Swaziland, people attribute everything - good or bad - that happens
to muti. They believe one can use muti to kill one's enemy or rival,
ward off death, disease or mis fortune Swazis believe one can use muti
to enhance one's sexual libido, get a lover, wife or husband, have
children, get a job, check marital infidelity, succeed in exams,
business or at election. One popular superstition in Swaziland is that
one can use muti to send thunder and lightning to kill someone else.
Because of the high demand for muti in Swaziland, ritual killing is
common in the country.

Ritual murder especially of children is a common experience in
Swaziland . During the human rights meeting, there  were several
reported cases of ritual murder and sacrifice And many Swazis I spoke
to said they were expecting more ritual killings to occur as the
country prepares for elections in November. Politicians would be
looking for human body parts to prepare the muti which they believe
would help them win elections. In May, the media reported a very
pathetic and horrifying case of ritual sacrifice. Somebody found a
baby that was tied with its umbilical cord in a bush.

And in a related development, two charms were found in the field
during football matches. One was a wrapped piece of paper containing
the names of players and the other was a dead chicken. Swazis believe
charms could make a team win a match or be defeated as the case may
be. Meanwhile Swaziland is not among Africa's top football nations.
Neither its national team nor club side has ever won any major
tournament in Africa.

The need for skepticism in Swaziland cannot be overemphasized. In fact
the skeptical consciousness is critical to the quest for change and
progress in the country. During my stay I visited the University of
Swaziland in Mastapha. I interviewed 9 students to know their thoughts
and views about many superstitious and irrational beliefs in the
country. Only one student showed distinct signs and inclination to
skepticism and critical mindedness. Other found it hard to reason
outside and beyond local superstitions. In Swaziland like in other
parts of sub Saharan Africa, skepticism and critical thinking are the
exceptions; blind faith, dogma and conformism are the rule. And this
situation must change if Swaziland must experience genuine growth and
transformation.

The people of Swaziland need the skeptical awakening to abandon
ancient beliefs and customs that darken and destroy their society.
Skeptical reasoning would help Swaziland to combat ritual killing and
sacrifice. This horrifying ritual persists because the Swazi people
have refused to challenge, question and critically examine the
underlying misperceptions and misconceptions like the belief in muti.
Skeptical intelligence would facilitate democratic change in this
Kingdom. Part of the reason why the country's transition process is
wobbling is the belief that the King has supernatural powers. And that
he uses these `powers' to counteract and neutralize any form of
opposition. Absolutely there is no evidence for this. And all Swazis
need to embrace this and other liberating truths. All Swazis need to
exercise their will to doubt, oppose, object, disagree, disbelief and
differ with anyone including the King without fear.

The people of Swaziland need muster the skeptical will and courage to
challenge the alleged powers of the sangomas, and combat their dark,
negative and destructive influence on Swazi culture and society.
Swaziland needs scientists, technologists, engineers, philosophers and
medical doctors not sangomas or witch doctors to grow, develop and
flourish. The people of Swaziland need skepticism and scientific
rationality to build a modern, civilized and progressive nation, and
realize a true democracy and genuine enlightenment in this 21st century.

Full discussion: http://www.politicalcortex.com/story/2008/8/15/62711/3491

________________________________

11. Devils' Advocates: Despots and the lobbyists who love them. James
Kirchick, The New Republic, August 13, 2008.


Joe Szlavik remembers the moment when he began to suspect that his
work on behalf of the Kingdom of Swaziland was an enormous waste of
time.

It was 2006, and Szlavik - a lobbyist who had represented foreign
governments ranging from Burundi to Gabon to Uganda, as well as the
late Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan - was helping Swaziland, a tiny,
landlocked monarchy sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique,
navigate the tricky waters of Washington politics.

Swaziland's King Mswati III ("a great guy, one-on-one," says Szlavik,
but "real green behind the ears") and his foreign minister ("crusty,
old guard, and incompetent") were in town, and the lobbyist met them
at the stately Willard InterContinental Hotel. Szlavik, whose firm was
pulling in $20,000 per month from its Swaziland account, had some
difficult news to deliver about a certain Swazi custom. "You have this
reed dance, with these virgins," he explained to me recently.
Szlavik's message to his client was simple. "Listen to me," he
implored the king. "You got to stop this."

The reed dance, or "umhlanga" in the Swati language, is probably
Swaziland's best-known tradition. Every August or September, thousands
of girls congregate at Ludzidzini, the King's royal residence, for an
eight-day festival of music, dancing, and singing, officially in honor
of the king's mother. On the seventh day, the young women - all
topless - don skirts made of freshly cut reeds and perform personally
for the king, who may decide to choose one of them as a bride. The
reed dance had recently been a source of domestic political
embarrassment for Mswati. In 2001, troubled by his country's high HIV
rate (at least one-third of the population is believed to be
infected), Mswati had issued a decree that no girl below the age of 18
would be allowed to have sex for five years. Then, in 2004, at the
annual reed dance, Mswati chose a twelfth wife. The problem: She was
16 (and a former Miss Teen Swaziland finalist to boot), meaning that
the king was now technically in violation of his own law.

Soon enough, the sex ban was lifted. The reed dance, however,
continued  - and, back in Washington, it was causing Szlavik no end of
problems. Earlier, he had brought the king and Swazi ambassador to
meet with Chris Smith, a socially conservative Republican
representative from New Jersey and then chairman of the House Foreign
Affairs Subcommittee on Africa. Smith "understood there was a
traditional part to the dance but in light of the gravity of the HIV
situation [thought] maybe they could put tradition aside," Szlavik
recalls.

Such arguments were lost on King Mswati. "Look Joe, I understand the
whole thing with the West, but we look at breasts like you look at
feet," the monarch told him. It wasn't an unreasonable point. In some
rural African cultures, women refraining from wearing tops is about as
common as U.S. postal workers wearing shorts in the summer. But try
explaining that to a conservative Republican congressman.

"I like breasts personally," Szlavik, a fast-talking cheerful man of
about 40, told the king. "But, you know, there's a sexual undertone to
it clearly."

In fact, Szlavik had good reason to think the Swazis might take his
advice on reforming the reed dance. Since he began working for the
Swazi government the year before, he had helped convince them to sign
Article 98 of the Rome Statute - a clause that ensures legal immunity
for U.S. government officials (including soldiers) serving abroad -
and persuaded the king, Africa's last absolute monarch, to suspend a
1973 decree issued by his father banning political parties. Reforming
the reed dance, however, was a step too far.

___________________________________________

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PUDEMO Extraordinary Congress held at Elijah Mango College of
Education, Nelspruit Republic of South Africa, August 2008


Declaration

The Peoples fighting organ and the trusted fighters and defenders of
our People have met here in the Republic of South Africa, Elijah
Manago  Collage of Education to reflect on the political situation in
Swaziland and accordingly position the Movement  to meet  the
challenges of the time , adopt a correct mode of doing work and usher
our freedom.

The conditions under which our people are living under requires of us
to double our efforts in the fight against the parasitic tinkhundla
royal ruling regime. We can not as a People's Movement allow the
calculated killing of our People thought starvation, with acute food
shortages, poor health care system which has become genocide with
hospitals being slaughter houses, the rise in the cost of food and
other commodities, making life unbearable, the HIV & AIDS pandemic
which has spiraled to uncontrollable levels and the regime being
arrogant to the needs of the people.

Understanding and acknowledging the attack by the regime on the
Peoples resources through the extravagance as displayed by the regimes
high appetite for leisure and in the process sending the country's
economy into the doldrums. The poor people of our country continue
living on hand outs and literally scavenging in dustbins.

The Peoples fighting spirit for self emancipation and determination
has been demonstrated in the mass action activities undertaken by the
organs of the people as a demonstration of unity against  a common
enemy and their determination to end the many years of royal
oppression and exploitation .

We  are inspired by the determination and combat radical action of the
woman of our country , which must be built as a foundation towards the
National Women's Movement "Nsondonzima" to fight the arrogant
plundering of the national resources and monies by the royal family.

It must be understood from now on that this display of arrogance in
handling national resources forces us to target all tinkhundla
activities as an expression by the Peoples United Democratic
Movement's and the poor's anger in the manner we are being governed.

The regime desires to remain in power and its total refusal to
facilitate genuine democratic processes towards transition into a free
and democratic Swaziland has resulted in its adopting a military
offensive by the Peoples Movement and the Poor.

We undertake to ensure that Mswati comes to his sense to stop the joke
called national elections and in this regard to raise the level of
struggle by turning every community into a site of struggle against
elections towards a free and democratic Swaziland whose primary
mandate is to make the lives of the People better through free and
democratic elections.

We declare to the world that the regime will not be allowed to
monopolize violence against the Peoples Movement, its Leadership,
Cadres and their families. The Peoples Movement has also noted that
our  People and Comrades are no longer safe both inside and outside
the country's boarders.

We therefore declare that we are taking a decisive action to protect
our People and Comrades . We declare that PUDEMO is embarking on the
highest form of struggle and sacrifice of military and combat action
against the Mswati regime and all its structures and extensions.

We further declare and embrace the existence of the PUDEMO military
organ, the Swaziland Peoples Liberation Army. The Peoples Army shall
protect the People of Swaziland , our Leadership and our Cadres. The
Peoples Army shall embark on a total military onslaught against the
enemy.

The struggle will be advanced through the political, military and
combat action, the action will be a) a military strategy for the
attainment of the Peoples power for the poor and the oppressed and  b)
specific responses to enemy attacks.

We take this opportunity to salute the People of Swaziland for having
stood by the Peoples Movement under the prevailing trying conditions
over the years. PUDEMO, its Leagues and the Peoples Army want to
assure the People of Swaziland even at this late hour that we shall
execute this task and noble cause with utmost discipline, dedication
and respect of life.

We shall never abandon the coarse of the People until the People of
Swaziland are free. We declare to the world that we will not rest
until there is freedom and democracy in the country which will be a
product of a free and democratic elections.

We welcome the Peoples resolve to move in unison towards a free and
democratic Swaziland and the birth of the Swaziland United Democratic
Front (USDF) hails a historic moment in the struggle of the People of
Swaziland and we declare to work with and support this mass of organ
of the People of Swaziland.

The year 2008 presents an opportunity for the People of Swaziland to
take decisive action against the ruling royal regime and end the 40
years of royal slavery.


FORWARD TO REVOLUTIONARY VIOLENCE FOR FREEDOM, FORWARD !

LONG LIVE PUDEMO LONG LIVE!

LONG LIVE SWAYOCO LONG LIVE!

LONG LIVE SBHEJANE LONG LIVE!

LONG LIVE NSONDONZIMA LONG LIVE!



LONG LIVE THE SWAZILAND PEOPLES LIBERATION ARMY (SWAPLA) LONG LIVE!

Swaziland@Newsletter 75

Earlier issues can be read at
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SAK-Swazinewsletter together with
documents and other materials not included in the regular newsletter.
If you wish to subscribe to the newsletter, please send mail to:
SAK-Swazinewsletter subscribe@.... Suggestions as to
content and themes of the Swaziland@Newsletter are welcome to
pmm@....
__________________________


1. Royal Swazi screwball. The Times, August 24, 2008.

2. Swaziland: Trade Union Leader Arrested. Infoshop News. August 24, 2008.

3. Swaziland Solidarity Network: Press Release on arrest of Jan
Sithole. Notice of protests. 23 August, 2008.

4. SADC looks on while unions bear persecution in Zimbabwe and
Swaziland. Terry Bell. Business Report, August 22, 2008.

5. Police raid and arrest of Comrade Jan Sithole - cowardly and
barbaric: Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), 21 August
2008.

6. Swaziland: Women challenge royal extravagance. Sebastien Berger,
Southern Africa Correspondent. Telegraph.co.uk, 21 Aug 2008.

7. Catch a bomber, get E 100 000 cash. Sisho Magagula The Swazi
Observer, August 19, 2008.

8. Sentletse Diakanyo, Absolute Swazi monarchy also a blot in SADC.
Thought Leader - Johannesburg,South Africa. 18 August 2008.

9. 'Mugabe and Mswati III are not legitimate'. Independent Online IOL
16 August, 2008.

10. Security on high alert.  Sisho Magagula. The Swazi Observer August
16, 2008.
____________________________

Dear readers

Forbes Magazine reports that the Thailand King Bhumibol is the richest
royal sovereign with a fortune estimated at 35 billion US Dollars.
Among the top are The Aga Khan Prince Karim Al Hussein (1.0 billion)
and Kuwait's Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad (500 million) and -

And King Mswati III of Swaziland: 200 million US Dollars.

Now turning 40 this year, many of his subjects in the poverty-stricken
kingdom are not going to be lucky enough to live to that age (The
Times, August 24, 2008).

Mswati is simply stealing from his people, whom he has subjected to an
ignoble and pitiful existence (Sentletse Diakanyo, Absolute Swazi
monarchy also a blot in SADC, 18 August 2008, below). How long will
this have to last?

And once again, Swaziland rulers have demonstrated their (quote)
authoritarian nature by illegitimate and unacceptable harassment and
arrest of a trade union leader (Infoshop News. August 24, 2008). It
seems to go on and on.

Terry Bell writes in Business Report, August 22, 2008, that the labour
movement is (quote) potentially the most powerful organised force in society,
(and) remains a major threat. Which is why the persecution of trade
unionists continues. How long will it, how long can it continue?

Jim Gama, the governor of Ludzidzini, has condemned the women's march:
"All I know is that a woman has to seek permission from her husband to
register her disagreement with whatever was happening in society but
not for her to march. That is un-Swazi."

Then, perhaps, it is time not only for the mothers and daughters and
wives, but for all to march. They do not have to seek permission
anywhere.

Editor
Swaziland@Newsletter

____________________________________________

1. Royal Swazi screwball. The Times, August 24, 2008.

Even though he has the hormones of a randy teenager, Africa?s last
remaining absolute monarch, King Mswati III of Swaziland, turns 40
this year.

Many of his subjects in the poverty-stricken kingdom are not going to
be lucky enough to live to that age.

Nevertheless, ahead of the celebrations, eight of his 13 wives, their
children and an entourage to match, went on an international shopping
expedition, in a chartered jet, so that the queens might look, as they say,
radiant for the big day.

When women in Swaziland marched in protest against this waste of
money, they were told their actions were unSwazi.

In recognition of his failing to put his people before his libido, we
declare the randy king a right royal Mampara.

_________________________


2. Swaziland: Trade Union Leader Arrested. Infoshop News. August 24, 2008.

Brussels, 21 August 2008: The ITUC strongly protests against the
arrest of Jan Sithole, secretary general of the Swaziland Federation
of Trade Unions (SFTU), by the Swazi authorities.

According to the information received by the ITUC, Sithole has been
subjected to intense harassment following a recent march organized by
trade unions and other civil society groups against the participation
of Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and King Mswati III of Swaziland in a
meeting of Southern African Development Community (SADC), which took
place in Johannesburg on the 16th August 2008.

In a letter sent to the authorities, the ITUC urged Prime Minister
Dlamini to ensure the immediate release of Jan Sithole and guarantee
that no charges are made against him. The ITUC called on the
government of Swaziland to respect ILO Convention 87 on freedom of
association and the right to organise, which Swaziland has ratified
and is therefore obliged to respect.

The ITUC understands that Sithole has now been released from detention.

"Once again, Swaziland rulers have demonstrated their authoritarian
nature by this illegitimate and unacceptable harassment and arrest of
a trade union leader in violation of fundamental rights enshrined in
international law," said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder.

The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 155 countries and
territories and has 311 national affiliates.

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32
2 224 033. http://www.ituc-csi.org/spip.php?article2360

_________________________


3. Swaziland Solidarity Network: Press Release on arrest of Jan
Sithole. Notice of protests. 23 August, 2008.

The Swaziland Solidarity Network condemns in strongest terms the
arrest of general secretary of Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions
(SFTU), Jan Sithole. These tactics of harassment, detention and
torture are evidence of a tyrant regime - displayed by all similar
regimes throughout the history of mankind.

Just like many of those undemocratic regimes, the REGIME OF SWAZILAND
WILL FALL. No unjust government can continue its rule forever. The
whites of South Africa thought they could suppress and oppressive its
people forever - they failed - so will Mswati and his cronies.

Recently the regime spokesperson lied when he said that Sobhuza and
Mswati were allies of the ANC - they were puppets paid and bought by
the apartheid regime and they actively suppressed ANC operatives
allowing the apartheid regime a free hand.

We in SSN will not forget this betrayal of Mswati. Moreover we will
forget the poverty and suffering of the majority of Swazis in the
hands of royal family that steals taxpayer money.

It is in this light that Comrade Jan Sithole is arrested and harassed.
Comrade Jan stands and fights for everything that is just and
democratic, while the regime is unjust and undemocratic. Therefore,
they will do anything in their power to weaken and oppress the forces
of Goodness and Justice. They will fail! Their arrest only strengthens
the democratic forces. Their harassment only makes us all more
determined to support the democratic forces of Swaziland.

We condemn SADC's appointment of undemocratic Mswati as chair of the
troika. It is indicative of the lack of leadership in Southern Africa.
However the days of Mswati's comfort in SADC meetings is coming to
end. We will do everything in our power to assist the democratic
forces of Swaziland led by PUDEMO, to expose the undemocratic regime.

The Swazi regime is getting ready to waste tax payers money on the
40/40 celebrations - this is the Kings Birthday and Swazi
pseudo-independence Day.

We condemn such extravagance while the people are hungry and dying of AIDS.
As SSN we will protest against this 40/40 celebrations on Sept 6 and
the sham elections on Sept. 19, 2008.

We condemn the undemocratic royal "rubber stamp" elections under the
conditions of banned political parties and free speech. We condemn
such elections under harassment and arrest of our comrades. We condemn
such elections that results in a puppet government while Mswati still
holds dictatorial powers over the legislature, judiciary, and executive.
_________________

4. SADC looks on while unions bear persecution in Zimbabwe and
Swaziland. Terry Bell. Business Report, August 22, 2008.

When the land grab crisis struck in Zimbabwe, the media concentrated
on the small minority of mainly wealthy white commercial farmers who
were harassed, beaten, in a few cases killed, and had their properties
looted. Little attention was paid to the farm workers and their
families, many of them members of the General Agricultural and
Plantation Workers' Union.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), having received
financial backing from the commercial farmers, also remained silent
regarding pleas that any redistribution of farming land should
concentrate on the creation of farm worker co-operatives. So, with
little publicity, as many as 40 000 farm workers and their families
suffered largely in silence as they were evicted, beaten, killed or
subjected to new forms of virtual slavery.

Such media silence also extends to the pro-democracy and trade union
movement in Swaziland. Yesterday police in Mbabane arrested Jan
Sithole, the general secretary of the Swaziland Federation of Trade
Unions (SFTU).

Sithole and the SFTU supported the recent protests outside the
Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Johannesburg,
chaired by Swaziland's feudal monarch, King Mswati III.

The Mswati regime in Swaziland is just as aware as Zimbabwe's
President Robert Mugabe and the ruling elite of Zanu-PF that the trade
union movement is a central pillar of the resistance to their rule. In
Zimbabwe it was the unions that provided the impetus for the formation
of the MDC, whose leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, is a past general
secretary of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU).

In Swaziland the SFTU and other unions are part of a pro-democracy
movement headed by the Peoples' United Democratic Movement. As a
result, there have been concerted efforts by the governments in both
countries to weaken or take over the labour movement.

But the unions continue to resist attempts to woo or manipulate them.
While in Zimbabwe membership has fallen along with massive job losses,
the memories of militancy and the role played by the ZCTU in
resistance to autocracy are still fresh.

As such, the labour movement, potentially the most powerful organised
force in society, remains a major threat to both regimes. Which is why
the persecution of trade unionists continues.

Next week the ZCTU president and general secretary, Lovemore Matombo
and Wellington Chibebe, respectively, appear in court in Harare for
"spreading falsehoods prejudicial to the state". They were arrested
after a May Day rally where they gave details of the suffering of farm
workers.

Stringent bail conditions have effectively gagged them and, as the
talks facilitated by President Thabo Mbeki dragged on, their case was
delayed. Union officials maintain this was to ensure their silence.

Now Sithole has been arrested, while Mswati III continues to be
accepted by the SADC as the representative of the people of Swaziland.

Having the apparent support of SADC, both regimes appear intent on
sending a message to activists: if we can do this to your leaders,
what chance do you stand?

This intimidation has roused the International Trade Union
Confederation (ITUC), which represents more than 166 million workers
in 156 countries.

ItUC heard only yesterday about Sithole, but it has launched an
internet campaign to demand the immediate and unconditional release of
Matombo and Chibebe.

The ITUC campaign can be found at www.wearezctu.org.
____________________________

5. Police raid and arrest of Comrade Jan Sithole: cowardly and
barbaric. Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), 21 August
2008.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has condemned as
"cowardly and barbaric" this morningraid and arrest of the
Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) secretary general, Comrade
Jan Sithole.

News of the raid and arrest of Comrade Sithole by 30 armed Swazi
policemen who stormed his home in the early hours of today, has come
as a shock to the labour movement.

We wish to state in no uncertain terms that neither the raid, led by
Joseph Bhembe, nor the continued arrest of Comrade Sithole will deter
us and the SFTU from pressing on with the campaign for the boycott of
Swaziland goods, until real constitutional democracy is realised in
that country.

This kind of act can only be described as cowardly and barbaric. We
note that since the recent SATUCC-SADC march against Zimbabwe and
Swaziland which took place in Johannesburg on the 16th August 2008,
where King Mswati III took chairmanship of the SADC Summit, the SFTU
secretary general has endured intense harassment.

Although no formal charges have so fair been laid against Comrade
Sithole, we fear that he might be subjected to police brutality and
torture. For someone who is still weak and recovering from a major
operation, no amount of reasoning can be advanced to explain his
arrest as he is no threat to the State.

We call for the immediate release of Comrade Sithole as his continued
arrest can only point to rampant action to silence dissent.

COSATU wishes to reiterate demands carried in a memorandum to the SADC
Summit held in Johannesburg on16 August 2008, presented by the
federation and organs of civil society. Among other demands, we urged
SADC leaders to support multi-party democratic elections in Swaziland,
unbanning of political parties, return of political exiles and
evolution of a truly representative national dialogue or national
convention.

_____________________

6. Swaziland: Women challenge royal extravagance. Sebastien Berger,
Southern Africa Correspondent. Telegraph.co.uk, 21 Aug 2008.

Women's rights activists in Swaziland have mounted a rare protest
march against the extravagance of the royal family, triggered by a
shopping trip for eight of its queens.

Swaziland is Africa's last remaining absolute monarchy and has been
under a state of emergency since 1973. Public criticism of the
monarchy is extremely rare, but a journey to Europe and the Middle
East by eight of King Mswati III's 13 wives, their children, maids and
bodyguards, in a specially chartered aeroplane, has provoked outrage.

Sources in the royal family said they needed to go shopping to prepare
for the country's "40-40" celebrations next month, which will mark
both its 40th anniversary of independence from Britain and the 40th
birthday of King Mswati, who was educated at Sherborne School in Dorset.

"The queens have to look radiant and that is why they have to go and
buy quality for the big day. They were being spoiled," said a source.

The demonstration in the capital Mbabane was organised by the Women's
Coalition of Swaziland, whose spokesman Ntombi Nkosi pointed out that
by some estimates the country has the world's highest HIV rate at
almost 40 per cent, and condemned the trip as a waste of money.

"Those given the money do not even contribute a cent to the money they
are looting," she said.

Siphiwe Hlophe, of Swaziland Positive Living, a co-organiser of the
march, added: "We are against the idea of public funds being used in a
questionable way by people who are not employed and do not bring any
revenue to the country's coffers."

The sprawling royal family is a major drain on the landlocked
country's limited resources. King Mswati's polygamy is a mere fraction
of that of his father Sobhuza II, who had 70 wives, 210 children, and
more than 1,000 grandchildren by the time of his death in 1982.

Nonetheless in a traditionally deferential society public protest is
rare, and Jim Gama, the governor of the Swazi royal capital
Ludzidzini, condemned the women's march as "un-Swazi".

"I have never heard of women marching," he said. "All I know is that a
woman has to seek permission from her husband to register her
disagreement with whatever was happening in society but not for her to
march. That is un-Swazi."

____________________________

7. Catch a bomber, get E 100 000 cash. Sisho Magagula The Swazi
Observer, August 19, 2008.

The Royal Swaziland Police Service (RSP) has offered a whopping E100
000 reward to anyone who may provide information that would lead to
the arrest, prosecution and conviction of the persons or groups behind
the current spate of bombings in the country.

This follows the bombing of a number of structures in the country last
Friday by unknown people. Speaking at a press conference yesterday
morning at the Police Headquarters, Deputy Police Commissioner Isaac
Magagula said the recent spate of bombings was an indication that
there were loose canons on the prowl who were hell-bent on causing a
reign of terror, fear and panic to the general citizenry.

"These are obviously devilish acts perpetrated by some syndicated
group acting in pursuance of some cheap and old-fashioned political
orientation. In a civilised society we cannot allow to prevail
unabated terrorist acts which take the country to dark ages and
undermine the rule of law and cherished peace and stability. It is
quite unfortunate and indeed unthinkable that there are people in our
midst who are still of such myopic mind disposition to believe that
resorting to violent and unorthodox methods can solve anything as
history has presented a number of hindsight which point to the fact
that violence is degenerative and ultimately leads to a no win
situation," said Magagula.

The deputy police chief said if anything, violence begot violence
which was a recipe for anarchy. Magagula disclosed that for valuable,
quality and credible information volunteered, a monetary reward of a
range up to E100 000 was being offered to any member of the public.

He emphasised that the money would not be wholly received by each
individual, but would be broken down according to the nature of the
information volunteered. The money will be received by person(s) who
volunteer information that will lead to ?discovery and or/
confiscation of contrabands in the form of explosives, or incendiary
material intended for illegal use as improvised explosive devise (IED)
capable of causing an explosion or fire in furtherance of acts of
sabotage?.

Arrest of suspects or persons responsible for the acts of sabotage
that characterised planting of the exploded or unexploded IEDs at
various places as published by the press and targeted at the country's
infrastructure.

- Prosecution of such suspects for planting and/or possession of such items.

- Conviction of such suspects for planting and/or possession or
causing or assisting in the explosions or attempted explosions at the
various places.

- Prevention of injury or damage that would result from the illegal
planting or explosion of any IED or incendiary material.

- Successful or useful information in the investigation of the
incidents or cases that have come to the notice of the police.

_______________________

8. Sentletse Diakanyo, Absolute Swazi monarchy also a blot in SADC.
Thought Leader - Johannesburg,South Africa. 18 August 2008.

Chief Lucas Mangope, of the erstwhile homeland of Bophuthatswana, once
told a story about his childish indiscretions while wandering home,
barefoot, through a watermelon field after a parched day tending sheep
and cattle.

Like all fallible humans, he became susceptible to the sweet lure of
the bulbous fruit. Mangope told of his fathers admonition and the
severity of the punishment that followed.

The severity of the crime was increased by the perpetrator status,
and the punishment was to fit that of a chiefs son. Lashes were
followed by a period of ostracism. But more painful than the physical
hurt was the awful sense that he had abused his father?s trust.

He recounted these words from his father, Chief Lucas Manyane: ?The
son of a chief does not steal; whatever you take illegally for
yourself deprives your people of their means of life. The son of a
chief must learn that he is responsible for the well-being of each
tribe member. You must serve your people, not abuse them.

I have often wondered whether King Sobhuza II had not sat down his
son, King Mswati III, during his formative years and taught him the
responsibilities that the monarchy had to its people. Mswatis early
coronation at the tender age of 18 years wrenched him into a premature
burden of responsibility; it deprived him of his youth and immediately
thrust him into the realm of adulthood and statesmanship.

It has become apparent during the Mswati reign of pillaging the
resources of the kingdom that either his father never warned him to the
shamefulness of a hand caught in the cookie jar or perchance the young
king is only defiant.

Mswatis reign since 1986 in Swaziland has been a tragic affair. More
than 40% of a tiny population of just over a million is unemployed and
a staggering 70% live below the poverty line; all this while Mswati
and his entourage of young wives live an existence of opulent
extravagance.

Mswati is simply stealing from his people, whom he has subjected to an
ignoble and pitiful existence. His people have to contend with
dehumanising conditions of abject poverty, often resulting in
thousands of half-naked maidens parading themselves and dancing to the
drooling monarchy with the hope of marriage to the king extracting
them and their family from poverty.

If the people of Swaziland have a desire for a shift in their
political landscape from autocratic rule to democracy, where they can
have a voice through elected representatives and a head of government
who is not a mere puppet of the king, then they will rise up against
the absolute monarchy and seek their freedom.

Peasants led a widespread insurrection in 1381, and in the many years
that followed peasants revolted against any form of subjugation and
affirmed their right to justice. The Swazi should obtain inspiration
from their neighbours in South Africa who rose against the tyranny of
apartheid and liberated themselves. King Sobhuza and his son Mswati
have prepared a fertile soil from which a revolution could blossom.

Sentletse Diakanyo: sentletse@...
____________________________

9. 'Mugabe and Mswati III are not legitimate'. Independent Online IOL
16 August, 2008.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions handed a memorandum calling
for a transition to democracy in Zimbabwe and Swaziland to a Southern
African Development Community official in Sandton on Saturday.

"We, civil society organisations from South Africa, Zimbabwe and
Swaziland, gathered at this meeting of SADC Heads of State in
Johannesburg on August 16 2008, reassert our commitment to the
struggle for a transition to democracy in Zimbabwe and Swaziland," the
introduction to the memorandum read.

The memorandum said the principles of democratic governance, embodied
in the SADC and African Union charters, were the birthright of every
African.

The key defining features of both Zimbabwe and Swaziland were
electoral fraud, political manipulation by ruling elite,
institutionalised oppression, state brutality and an environment of
fear and oppression, the civil societies said in the memorandum.

The signatories urged SADC countries to be guided by the Zimbabwe
People's Charter; which was adopted after widespread deliberation and
discussion with the public.

Elections would remain illegitimate until they were held under a new,
democratic constitution and that a constitution was invalid unless it
was the product of a people-driven, participatory process which made
room for the input of all Zimbabweans, the Charter read.

The main points concerning Zimbabwe were the cessation of political
violence, the establishment of law and order through the release of
political prisoners, the abolishment of repressive laws and the
facilitation of humanitarian relief via the lifting of bans on aids
groups.

"Swaziland has the oldest state of emergency in the region, with all
public institutions and decision-making the monopoly and sole preserve
of the royal family," the memorandum read.

"Years of convenient silence on Swaziland have promoted a culture of
impunity and disregard for the fundamentals of democracy in the whole
region."

"We urge SADC to adopt a new sense of urgency to tackle the crises in
Zimbabwe and Swaziland. We have for too long allowed these
illegitimate and undemocratic regimes to fester and begin to affect
the entire fibre of the region," the societies said.

"Robert Mugabe and Mswati III are not legitimate leaders of their
countries and cannot claim any legitimacy to rule, for they have not
been democratically elected by the peoples of their countries."

Signatories of the memorandum were: The Congress of South African
Trade Unions, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, Zimbabwe
Solidarity Forum, Revolutionary Youth of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Exiles,
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, People's United Democratic Movement of
Swaziland, Swaziland United Democratic Front, Swaziland Federation of
Trade Unions, Swaziland Federation of Labour, Swaziland Youth
Congress, the Federation of Unions of South Africa, the Treatment
Action Campaign and the Anti-privatisation Forum. - Sapa

___________________________

10. Security on high alert. Sisho Magagula. The Swazi Observer August
16, 2008.


The security forces were on high alert yesterday as more
attempts to bomb the country?s big institutions and strategic places
were made.

Security forces patrolled companies like Illovo, Simunye and Sappi
Usuthu on Thursday night after being alerted on threats to cause
structural damage to them. These threats follow attempted bombings in
Big Bend and Mpaka.

Other attempts were made at the dawn of yesterday morning as two power
transformers at Mavuso Trade Centre and the large water pipe supplying
the Ezulwini Power Station were bombed by unknown people.

The transformers were bombed at around 2a.m. whilst the pipe was
bombed at 5a.m. yesterday. At Mavuso, a hole was dug up under each of
the transformers and explosives were planted underneath. It appears
the motive was to blow them up from below, thus causing a huge
explosion. However, the attempt failed dismally as the explosives
failed to blow up the transformers.

A security guard from VIP, Sifiso Nyamane, who is stationed at the
Mavuso Exhibition and Trade Centre, said the night shift security
personnel heard a loud bang from the Helemisi direction at around 2a.m.

- When they rushed to find out what was happening, a huge smoke
engulfed the transformer and the guards realised it was an attempted
bombing, he said.

Nyamane added that just as the security men were busy inspecting the
transformer, another bang was heard from the main entrance of Mavuso
Trade Centre opposite the William Pitcher College.

- Security responded promptly again and found the transformer next to
the gate covered in smoke, said Nyamane.

Here, the bombers mission failed yet again as the transformer did not
catch fire, though traces of ash were visible.

The security guards called the police and the Bomb Disposal Unit
responded promptly to ascertain the extent of the damage.

The Mavuso Trade Centre is expected to host the annual Swaziland
International Trade Fair later this month.

At Ezulwini, the attempt to bomb the large water pipe supplying the
Ezulwini Power Station was made at around 5a.m. The bombers planted
explosives beneath the pipe, on the upper side of it. However, even
here, it was mission unaccomplished again as the pipe was not damaged
a bit.

The Police Bomb Disposal Unit was busy on both crime scenes yesterday morning.

A resident, Ntfombi Mnisi, said she heard a loud ?explosion? yesterday
at 5a.m. and quickly went outside in her nightdress.

- The sound was so loud and terrifying. I went outside quickly,
forgetting that I was still in my nightdress. I found neighbours
already waiting outside, but no one had any idea what had caused the
sound. We called the police, she said.

The bombers are still at large and the motive behind the bombing
remains unknown.

Assistant Police Public Relations Officer Stephen Dlamini confirmed
that there was an attempt to bomb the said structures.

?Police are currently conducting intensive investigations regarding
the matter and the long arm of the law will catch up with the
perpetrators,? said the assistant police mouthpiece.

Last week, explosives were found under two bridges at Big Bend and Mpaka.

________________________________________

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Mario Masuku: The historical and current political situation in
Swaziland: Cand what remains to be done

Abridged from a paper presented at the Zimbabwe-Swaziland Solidarity
Conference, organised by COSATU, at the St. George Hotel, South
Africa, August 10?11, 2008.



On behalf of the fighting people of Swaziland, dear comrades, please
receive warm and fraternal greetings from the oppressed masses of our
country. Our country stands on the brink of disaster, a catastrophe
that has become accepted by some as beyond redemption, for its
magnitude runs deeper than the source of the mighty volcanic eruptions.

This revolutionary gathering is a fitting tribute to the great work
and contribution of our assassinated stalwart, leader and outstanding
cadre of PUDEMO, the late Dr Gabriel T. Mkhumane. From where I am, I
can already see where he could be seated, were he among us today, a
seat that is still not occupied, for few among us would dare fit the
shoes of such a great legend.

The more things change, the more they remain the same, words of wisdom
have always echoed. Since 1973, so many things have happened to the
lives of the people of Swaziland, but all those things have not
changed the quality of life of the people for the better.

We do not seek to speak narrowly on behalf of our selves, but to
acknowledge the massive contribution we have made together as
progressive forces in our country, including all our comrades from
Swaziland present here today.

We also appreciate unreservedly the support from our South African
comrades, particularly from the Alliance [African National Congress,
South African Communist Party, Congress of South African Trade
Unions], who have done all in their power to raise the issue of
Swaziland, much to the annoyance of certain forces who believe that
Swaziland should still belong to some 17th century archive or
political museum, as a source of tourist attractions and academic
interests for European anthropologists keen on studying how 17th
century Africa looked, a classical example of backwardness and
primitive social relations of the worst order, with no regard for
human dignity, of women in particular.

Since the first march and blockade against the Swazi regime, we have
made great strides, but have also suffered setbacks and this moment
provides a great space for deeper reflection on all these for a
renewed push forward.

Should it not be of interest to all of us that in our region we have a
country that has evaded the powerful media screens, the academic
freedom train of political scientists and all the world?s watchdogs
who should be ashamed of their witting or unwitting silence and
failure to uncover more than 35 years of legalised political fraud in
the name of Swazi culture and tradition.

But why should a fast-evolving world of information super highways and
governance systems on a global scale afford to tolerate the longest
state of emergency in the region, and most probably on the continent
as a whole. These are the questions we should pose to our governments,
multilateral institutions of governance in our region and continent,
as well as beyond. But even more uncomfortably, we must also pose them
to ourselves. Should we be pardoned, for we did not know, or we did
not see or we just choose silence, for it is golden sometimes and more
convenient than the sacrifice that comes with challenging things?

Background to the crisis in Swaziland

Swaziland was a British colony until 1968 when an arrangement of
convenience was made between the colonialists and the local
traditional leadership under the monarchy for a settlement that would
comfortably accommodate both forces in some form of partnership, that
would not upset the conditions designed by colonialism, but only
integrate a few among the historically oppressed in the form of the
monarchy and its appendages. This is what is usually referred to as
``independence'', which in less than a month from now will be costing
the Swazi taxpayers millions to "celebrate" together with the birthday
of the king, popularly known as the 40/40, as both are marking their
40th anniversary.

In 1973, the king proclaimed a decree that banned political parties
and criminalised all forms of political activity, which paved the way
for the monopoly over public affairs and politics by the royal family
and their friends, a case that holds to this day. We have a royal
family that regards all of us as mere objects of exploitation,
oppression and the satisfaction of its greedy interests, disguised as
our national pride and culture.

The luxury of elections is too farfetched for our people. Since 1973,
the whole nation has never seen what it is like to participate in free
and democratic elections, where you can openly contest, freely
persuade people, be openly scrutinized and, finally, be held
accountable for your promises.

Even when Southern African Development Community (SADC - the regional
grouping of Southern African countries adopted the protocol of
guidelines on the conduct of democratic elections, we raised our
eyebrows that a new glimmer of hope was emerging on the horizon; guess
what, we were to yet learn the mechanics of reality that, the nearer
we get, the further we move away from our final destination.

Having considered all the factors above and seeking to characterize
the ruling system in Swaziland, we can safely say, despite resistance
from some quarters, that the tinkhundla system is and remains a
neocolonial and semi-feudal system, founded on the premise of the
exclusion of the overwhelming majority of our people, because of a
royal regime that has failed to transform society and the economy to
serve the interests of the people, but instead integrated itself as an
extension and corrupt elite into the well-oiled system of accumulation
already in place then.

A brief balance sheet of the socioeconomic profile of Swaziland

-  Swaziland has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in the world, which
is now at 38% from around 40%.

-  Swaziland has one of the highest levels of inequality between the
rich and poor, with wealth being unevenly distributed.

-  The economy is no longer growing, but has stagnated and has, in
fact, been going down every year since around 2000.

-  The abuse of women is "dressed in nice gowns" and called Swazi
"tradition and culture", which undermines the rich heritage in our
true culture, thus serving the narrow selfish interests of a royal
minority.

- About 70% of the population live below the US$1 a day and more
300,000 of Swaziland's around 1 milion citizens depend on food aid as
means for survival.

-  The bulk of the economy is now based on the informal sector, and on
casual and contract labour, which provide very insecure jobs and pay
very low.

-  More than 52% of the total income of the Swazi government is
derived from the Southern African Customs Union pool, and were this
not so, and our reliance on the South African rand (to which the Swazi
currency is pegged), inflation would be in the double-digit figures.

The economy of Swaziland is centred around the royal family and its
friends. Cabinet dances to whatever tune that sung by the master;
recently the royal family received funds and aid and distributed it
through the king, queen mother, princes and princesses, in order to be
perceived as benevolent and caring for the poor and suffering, while
they are the primary cause of the hunger experienced by our people.
Balancing these handouts with the extravagant expenditure by this
family on itself is like chasing a wild goose.

A new constitution or a revised 1973 king?s draconian decree

In his proclamation to the nation, the monarchy on April 12, 1973 said:

"Now, therefore I, Sobhuza 11, king of Swaziland, hereby declare that,
in collaboration with my cabinet ministers and supported by the whole
nation, I have assumed supreme power in the kingdom of Swaziland and
that all legislative, executive and judicial powers is now vested in
myself and shall, for the meantime be exercised in collaboration with
my cabinet ministers. I further declare that to ensure the continued
maintenance of peace, order and good government, my armed forces have
been posted to all strategic places and have taken charge of all
government places and all public services. All political parties and
similar bodies that cultivate and bring about disturbances and
ill-feelings within the nation are hereby dissolved and prohibited."

Many spectators have convinced themselves that this decree has ceased
to be the foundation of the ruling political architecture of our
country. Our view is that it still continues to be the force behind
the establishment. The new constitution is rather a reinforcement and
further entrenchment of this decree and its fundamental provisions.

The royal regime, in response to the pressures of our people, tried a
hasty constitutional review process in which it was  the player, the
referee and the match commissioner at the same time and all we were
privileged to be was spectators in a game we were supposed to be the
players.

This is why we rejected the process and its outcomes with the contempt
it deserved and still maintain that no shortcuts will take Swaziland
to the promised land of milk and honey, but only a protracted, honest
and all-inclusive process leading to a multiparty democratic
constitutional dispensation will deliver us to the land of our dreams.

That is why the Swazi constitution reaffirms the fundamental
perspectives of banning political parties and all forms of political
activity, frustrating the popular aspirations of the whole population
and undermining the supremacy of the rule of law. Such an arrangement
will not take us forward.

Undemocratic elections or elections without democracy

In the circumstances in Swaziland, what are the possibilities of
holding free, fair and democratic elections that should constitute the
basis of a legitimately acceptable outcome and whose product could be
the express will of the people?

We have, time and again, affirmed the centrality of a process that
will lead to a democratic outcome for our country, in many documents,
such as the Way Forward to a Constituent Assembly Through a
Negotiated Settlement and the Road Map to a New and Democratic
Swaziland, which fundamentally outline the essence of our alternative
route out of the mess tinkhundla has plunged our country into.

The regime has once again, as expected, defied all logic and organised
an electoral process that lacks even the most basic semblance of
democratic participation. To test its authenticity and claims for a
free democratic space, as PUDEMO we held our rally to commemorate our
25th anniversary in Manzini on the July 6, 2008, and four of our
leaders were arrested and brutalised, while other comrades were
hospitalised as a result of police brutality. Further, it has been
made clear beyond doubt that political parties remain banned and
illegal, which means they cannot contest the coming elections.

The following conditions obtain as regards elections:

-  Political parties remain banned.

-  The media, judiciary and all public institutions remain tightly in
the monopoly of the royal family and its friends and are used to
criminalise political parties as divisive, fomenting war and are
described as "unSwazi".

-  Traditional institutions and structures continue to be vehicles of
intimidation and abuse, agitating against democratic practices.

-  Parliament has no powers, but is a mere rubber stamp of the royal family.

-  The constitution remains illegitimate and does not have fundamental
guarantees for the creation of a conducive environment to conduct
democratic elections.

We also note that various international organisations have clearly
refused to condemn the current king, Mswati, at best preferring to
play hide and seek with words like "not sufficiently democratic for
proper elections".

We further note the hypocrisy of the UN in encouraging women to
participate in undemocratic elections against the progressive
movement's call for a boycott of the elections. This is an attempt to
use a very legitimate issue - the dehumanisation and
under-representation of women in Swazi decision-making processes - to
support an undemocratic, highly patriarchal and oppressive system,
which shall turn a few women in parliament into stooges or agents of
patriarchy and political tools of oppression.

We condemn this in the same way that we condemn the Commonwealth which
designed the current constitution, supported tinkhundla oppression and
is now turning against the product of its own failures, the royal
elections, because it has been exposed for its hypocrisy and
opportunism and is shying away from associating with the mess of its
own making, which unfortunately is costing our country, people and the
struggle in general.

The same Commonwealth of Nations dressed down the last national
elections in 2003, and ran short of calling them a sham, elections
that elected a legislature which does not have political power, where
power is entrusted to one person, and where political parties are
banned.

The European Union has romanticised the tinkhundla system, politely
calling for some changes and failing to act with the decisiveness
required or known of it in other instances. It is not assisting the
process in any way. We did call for smart sanctions against the royal
family, specifically, but the EU played its games, and preferred to
passively raise concerns and not confront the evil system directly.

The royal regime prides itself in the hope that there would be various
observers who would declare, at the end, that the elections were free
and fair since there was no violence. In this case we ask ourselves if
it is indeed worth the trouble of going to watch a basically
undemocratic election process ? - would these observers be (actually)
legitimising an illegitimate process.

As mentioned earlier in my presentation, we believe that for the
process to be worth its salt it must embrace broader democratic
participation, clear constitutional safeguards and the respect of all
the international human rights principles and conventions, including
the Declaration on Human Rights, the African Charter on People's and
Human Rights, the Harare Declaration of the Commonwealth of Nations
and the SADC Principles on National Elections.

The Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) is the way forward to a
new and democratic Swaziland

We are proud to be members of the newly formed Swaziland United
Democratic Front, an initiative of the struggling people of Swaziland
collectively. It is their united voice against the tinkhundla system,
in their quest to establish a truly united and democratic Swaziland.

Indeed the history of the struggle for democracy all over the world
provides one key lesson, and that is it matters not how deep the
oppression may be or whether the captain of the oppressive rule is a
military junta or a traditional despot, foreign or local. That lesson
is that unity is a fundamental precondition for democratic victory!

It has always been the collective and individual desire of the
struggling forces of Swaziland to act in unity against a divisive
system that always plays one against the other, sometimes infiltrating
forces of progress to drive even deeper wedges between the people and
their organisations and between organisations themselves. In our
address to the workers in May 2005, PUDEMO clearly and articulately
called for the forces of change to unite and speak in one cohesive
voice, and we are, therefore, proud that this call has been achieved.

It has been our constant call for the unification of the labour
movement in the country under the call for "One country, one
federation" and "One industry, one union". This year, the workers
commemorated their day [May Day] together as one, and not as a
fragmented movement. This is a positive step towards a united mass
democratic movement.

We are proud to be among those who have refused to be bullied by the
system into the sham elections or any of its fraudulent constitutional
schemes, despite massive pressures, patronage and corrupt material
temptations. We have refused to be second-class citizens in our own
country, but continue to demand our rightful place as full citizens
and not objects of royal pity and subjugation. We stand tall, in the
midst of a cold world that conveniently pretends not to see what our
people are going through daily, with all the indicators of a
terrifying political and socioeconomic crisis.

Tasks of the Swazi revolution in the current phase:

We are called upon to act with renewed urgency, to arrest a deepening
feeling of hopelessness, in which both local and international
organisations are beginning to feel that nothing can be done to change
things in Swaziland. It is a country "cursed by the gods", with a
monarchy that is determined to go to any lengths to destroy every
element of democracy and decency in our society.

The following tasks are central to what must be done:

-  Strengthening of the mass democratic forces to root themselves
among the masses of our people, which is the core anchor of any claim
to being progressive and democratic.

-  Deepening of strategic thinking and deeper ideas backed by solid
and scientific facts around all the issues affecting our people in
order to develop popular, workable and viable alternatives to the
crisis of the system. In our Road Map document, PUDEMO was beginning
to do just that.

- Restructuring and broadening of the international solidarity
movement, as well as strengthening all solidarity efforts in order to
enhance, deepen and unite all attempts to expose the tinkhundla
system, raise the profile of the Swazi people's struggle and mobilise
resources for the struggle of the people. In this case, we must ensure
that structures of this nature are led by our international friends as
we Swazis are actively involved in the frontline trenches of our
struggle, which they are acting in solidarity with.

-  We need to deepen political education for all-round ideological and
political development of the forces of struggle, in which case,
clarity around core perspectives of the struggle and its evolving line
of march shall be better enhanced. In this case, we know that our
South African comrades are very much advanced here, and their
expertise would be useful for us.

-  Uniting all the forces under the banner of the SUDF around the
issue of multiparty constitutional elections, which should be able to
offer a decisive way forward, though this does not mean undermining
the individual programs of different organisations within the front,
but as a means to build cohesion and unity in action.

Finally, we would not have done justice if we do not also add our
voice, once again, to the call for speedy democratisation, stability
and success in the negotiations process in Zimbabwe, which is a factor
the region has felt so heavily these past days. We are encouraged by
the democratic breeze seemingly emerging from the negotiation table
lately, and it is proof that Africa is indeed capable of resolving her
own challenges amicably, for we are our ``brother?s keeper''.

Our call for democracy in Swaziland is a call for democracy all over
the region and continent. We believe that without a firm and
revolutionary movement for the deepening of democracy all over Africa,
there will be no democracy or at least, sustainable democracy in
Swaziland.

Let all who love our country join the march to a new and democratic Swaziland!

All life has no meaning outside the life-affirming struggle for human
dignity (The Road Map to a New and Democratic Swaziland).

___________________________________

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Bongani Masuku: Address to the fourth SADC side event Conference of
Southern African Peoples Solidarity Network (SAPSN) in Kempton Park,
15th August, 2008.

The history of Swaziland shall be written before and after 2008...Quote
me next time!

Introduction

Chairperson, I have been requested to address the issues related to
Swaziland and what should be done.

I have recited the situation in Swaziland so many times, it has become
a poem, of course, with the benefit of being a Swazi, who has and
continue to actively participate in the struggle and related
activities that generate the forward momentum of the cause of the
people of Swaziland. With this, I want to say, am sure you do not
expect me to say something new from what I said in such forums before,
where some of you might have been, except for latest developments,
background information, strategic orientation and fundamental demands
of the people remain primarily, the same.

I acknowledge the presence of Cde Randall Howard, SATAWU General
Secretary and COSATU CEC member and fellow Panelists, Elinor Sisulu
from Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition and Lovemore Madhuku from the NCA of
Zimbabwe, as well as the more than 20 fellow Swazis who travelled by
bus all the way from home to attend this important gathering, from a
diverse set of organisational and political backgrounds; unions, NGOs,
churches, students and youth organisations, women?s organisations, etc.


Background

As we all know by now, Swaziland is a neo-colonial and semi-feudal
enclave ruled by an absolute monarchy together with his family. It is
a country that is naturally endowed with abundant resources, but is
suffering from the crisis of a royal kwashiorkor, called tinkhundla
system.

This system was formalised in 1978 and by definition is about the
entrenchment of royal hegemony in all spheres of Swazi society, thus
turning the people into objects of royal pity and plunder. You go to
security, you find; Royal Swaziland Police (RSP), finance, you find;
Swaziland Royal Insurance Corporation (SRIC) and Royal Swaziland Sugar
Corporation (RSSC), sports, you find; Sihlangu Semnikati (the shield
of the owner, literally translated and the owner is the king) and
Sitsebe Samhlekazi, (Mhlekazi being the Queen Mother), etc.

This is the essence of royal rule, through imposed hegemony, where the
king is everything. He is the Chancellor of the University, he is the
Commander-in-Chief of the Army, he is the Patron of thousands of NGOs
that front for his hegemony in the name of serving the poor, he is a
head of state and more than anything else, a very key businessman,
with huge economic interests in every sector of Swazi society. His
hands are full of activity that reinforces his greed and entrench his
monopoly over every sphere of our society, not least the economy.

This basic truth, which you know by now, is important to always
remember and recite in order to capture the real essence and structure
of the Swazi capture, and why it is not performing. It is obviously
suffering from the heavy weight of royal plunder, lack of innovation
and creativity and more than anything else, greed and cancerous
corruption, which has permeated every sector of our society and has
destroyed the moral fibre of our society.

It is in this sense that we must also locate the critical debate about
what has become known as Swazi culture and tradition. The little of
what remains from the rich heritage and tapestry of Swazi being, has
been eroded in favour of royal interests, which is the core of what
remains in the whole idea of Swazi culture and tradition today.

Certainly, the decent Swazi culture that our fore-bearers cherished so
much would never tolerate legalised rape or even children and women
abuse, it would never promote slavery, where the poor people are
forced to work in the private farms of the chief and the king, it
would never tolerate that an individual could amass so much wealth
while our people languish in desperate poverty, as it would never
allow decision-making and participation in matters of public interest,
to be a monopoly of the royal family and their friends. We must expose
evil practices disguised as our culture and call them what they really
are, we must call things by their name.


The Swaziland that always changes in order to remain the same

The country has undergone so many changes, but fundamentally, all the
changes are about how best to preserve royal rule, at all costs. These
artificial and cosmetic changes create a false illusion and gives an
impression that something dramatic is happening in that country, yet
daily we are drifting further and further away from where we should be
going, towards a new and democratic Swaziland, free from royal plunder
and oppression.

The more the changes happen, the more things remain the same and the
more royal oppression becomes deeply institutionalised in our society.
Our people, have even begun to lose some hope that things will ever
really change in that country.

When PUDEMO Comrades; Mandla Hlatshwako and Mario Masuku were seduced
by the system to flirt with it and join the royal bandwagon of
political deceipt, it thought it has landed a huge deal and would
decisively weaken the forces of struggles, alas, to their dismay, the
opposite was to happen. Principled as they are, these comrades,
products of a principled movement and disciplined cadres that they
are, openly refused and chose to remain on the side of the poor and
oppressed. This happened, even against some elements beginning to
think we must allow the comrades to "infiltrate" the system, without
realising that the system would, in fact have infiltrated us, instead.

We stand tall and proud that we, belong to an organisation that has
refused to be associated, in any way, with an evil system, tinkhundla.
That organisation is called PUDEMO, the proven and trusted movement of
the oppressed and struggling masses of Swaziland, which has, over the
years, proven that however, ranged against you, the odds may be,
principle remains high. We also applaud that we work together with our
allies in the labour movement and other social forces, who now
together constitute what is the Swaziland United Democratic Front
(SUDF).

We are proud to have been part of the fore-bearers of the SUDF
initiative, the commitment to work together and bring under one
umbrella all progressive forces in order to isolate the enemy. The
enemy is one and that is the tinkhundla royal system that has
subjected our people to years of suffering and oppression.


A brief balance sheet of the socio-economic profile of Swaziland

-  Swaziland has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in the world, which is
now at 38 % from around 40%.

-  Swaziland has one of the highest levels of inequality between the
rich and poor, with the wealth being so unevenly distributed.

-  The economy is no longer growing, but has stagnated and has, in fact
been going down every year since around 2000.

-  Women abuse is dressed in nice gowns, called Swazi tradition and
culture, which undermines the rich heritage in our culture, thus
serving the narrow selfish interests of a royal minority.

-  About 70% of the population live below the $1 a day and over 300,000
of the around 1milion citizens depend on food aid, as means for
survival and livelihood have been crushed by a failing economy.

-  The bulk of the economy is now based on the informal sector, casual
and contractual labour which are all, very insecure jobs and pay very
low, thus creating a further crisis for decent livelihoods.

-  It is common knowledge that more than 52% of the total income of the
government is derived from the Southern African Customs Union pool,
and were this not so, and our reliance on the South African Rand (to
which the Swazi currency is pegged), inflation would be in the double
digit figures.

Like all other undemocratic regimes the world over, the economy of
Swaziland is centred around the royal family and their friends.
Government is merely an extension or auxiliary of the royalty, which
was made more evident by the recent handouts to ordinary and poor
people by the monarchy, in order to project itself as being
benevolent, using the state machinery to play to the gallery and
grandstand in the midst of deep pain and hunger, whilst they are the
primary cause of the hunger experienced by our people.


Where are we today

The regime remains stubborn that only tinkhundla non-party elections
shall take place and that the tight-hold of the royal state on the
leverages of power is not about to be eased. This means, we must
prepare ourselves for a deep-protracted and painful struggle. Any
illusion that we are about to be free or that we are on the horizon of
the promised land is too romantic to be true.

On the 19th September, the system shall be conducting its daylight
fraud called elections, legally fooling the world that things are
happening or about to happen in that country. In a world of double
standards, who cares! We live in a world where the interests of the
powerful countries determine where cameras should focus, no matter
what the issues and their depth.

Who can dare explain to me the logic of a country that has never seen
anything close to democratic elections since 1973 or explicitly put,
multiparty democratic elections, yet no one, including civil society,
have raised this issue. All of us prefer to remain quiet or at best,
passively lament about this situation.

While we welcome Botswana?s stand on Zimbabwe, we would have more
reason to believe it is honest and principled, if they did the same
with Swaziland all these years or at least once. For now, all we can
see is hypocrisy and selective morality or double standards in the
application and defence of democratic principles and traditions.

Dear Comrades, the struggle for the affirmation of human dignity will
not be televised or appear in the big screens, but in the humble
surroundings of our communities and places.


The revolutionary tempo has and must change!

Unless we resort to new and more effectively decisive methods of
struggle, tinkhundla will continue to laugh at us as a bunch of
desperate fellows, without any firm resort. In all our sites of
struggle, we must and have resolved that things must change if the
situation in Swaziland has to change. You may have seen in the past
few days that COSATU has engaged a new gear on the issue of Zimbabwe
and Swaziland, and things are about to happen, wait and see.

The new resolve of the internal democratic forces inside Swaziland is
inspiring and encouraging, it allows the solidarity momentum generated
elsewhere to be nurtured by the fertility of the political moist on
the ground. The formation of the SUDF is the apex and climax of that
resolve. Added to this is the fact that, for the first time trade
unions in Swaziland held a joint May day this year. All these pointers
make one clear statement, which is that, the time for disunity and
divisiveness are over and we should not allow the enemy to weaken and
divide us any further.

We must force the world to realise that unless they act and act
decisively on Swaziland, there shall be no peace in the whole region
and beyond. We have heard enough of excuses about not knowing what is
happening and pretending not to be affected by what is happening. The
geo-political size and strategic significance of the country is no
reason enough for the people to continue suffering for so long, while
new terrains of struggle are making decisive headways towards some
form of political resolution.

We have a march tomorrow in which we are glad that you shall be part,
true to the traditions of militant struggle and activism that this
movement is known for, we are glad to welcome you and to work with you
in consolidating the forward momentum of this new tide. We are also
glad to indicate that on top of the 20 Swazis already in this
Conference, there are about three or more buses coming for tomorrow?s
march, indeed an indication that things have and must change. We are
building a solid force starting from inside the country and firmly
reaching out to all genuine patriots the world over, as part of this
renewed momentum and you are definitely a key part of it.

All this should be critical, but wait until we finalise the coming
thunderstorm, involving the non-handling of goods and services to both
Zimbabwe and Swaziland, to be launched soonest and see if things will
not change in Swaziland. We must be ready for the release of a new CD
by Mswati sometime soon, singing an entirely different and new song
and not a different tune of the same song, but an entirely new song.
New times require new methods and this is the time!

Once again, dear Comrade Chairperson, please accept my gratitude for
your sterling work and your invitation for me to share ideas on these
issues, as we intensify the march to a new and democratic Southern
Africa through a new and democratic Swaziland and Zimbabwe!

Amandla!
_____________________________


Free subscription to the Swaziland@Newsletter will also give access to
a 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.

Swaziland@Newsletter is published by Africa Contact (Denmark) and
distributed to more than 1700 national and international
organisations, research institutes, universities, trade unions and
labour movements, political parties, church organisations, print and
electronic media, governments, diplomatic missions, members of
parliament, parliamentary committees and private individuals in
Southern Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

Support the democratic movement in Swaziland: MANDELA FUND: Den Danske
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MANDELA FUND is a registered national collection in Denmark.

Swaziland@Newsletter 74
Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SAK-Swazinewsletter together with
documents and other materials not included in the regular newsletter.
If you wish to subscribe to the newsletter, please send mail to:
SAK-Swazinewsletter subscribe@.... Suggestions as to
content and themes of the Swaziland@Newsletter are welcome to
pmm@....
__________________________

Dear readers

In the first edition of Ulibambe Lingashoni, the quarterly newsletter
of the Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), there is a poem.
Its title is the question: What makes a Democracy? Is the building of
a few good roads enough, a genteel façade of shops, the entertaining
of visiting dignitaries?

The building of a few good roads
does not make a democracy
if most still scrabble inside wheezing vehicles
held together by rust and hope

A genteel façade of shops to buy cheese
and designer sun glasses
does not make a democracy
if when peeled back the hovels appear
and the poor cower in fear
to be made invisible

The entertaining of visiting dignitaries
in salubrious thatched lodges
and endless power point presentations
showing progress
to fuel the lies they use
to hide their own
willing acceptance of his patronage
does not make a democracy

The imprisoning of democrats
banning and burning their words
does not make a democracy

BUT ONE DAY IT WILL


These are the questions. The answer is simple: it is really only the
people itself that can answer it.

This text would be a perfect contribution to the coming 40/40 project
celebrating both the anniversary of independence and the royal
birthday. There is even 40 000 Emalangeni for the best 40/40 song
composer in the competition. But since the chairman is a royal prince,
it is doubtful if this song can win.  But, in a way, it will still
most probably win in the end.

Otherwise, the content of this newsletter is news on Swaziland and its
people. Turbulent times ahead is the title on one of the articles. And
that is perhaps quite true.

Yours sincerely
Patrick Mac Manus
Editor
Swaziland@Newsletter
__________________________

1. Declaration of Zimbabwean and Swaziland Civil Society delegates at
a COSATU-convened Solidarity Conference, 10-11 August 2008.

2. Boycott of Swaziland and Zimbabwe: COSATU. SAPA 12 August 2008.

3. COSATU vows to bar Mugabe and Mswati from summit. Munyaradzi
Mutizwa, The Zimbabwe Times.  August 11, 2008.

4. Swazi condemns rebel group: The Umbane People's Liberation Army
11 August 2008. News 24 (South Africa).

5. 40 000 Emalangeni for best 40/40 song composer. The Swazi Observer.
August 12, 2008.

6. Opening address by Zwelinzima Vavi, COSATU General Secretary, to
the Zimbabwe and Swaziland Solidarity Conference, 10 August 2008

7. Turbulent economic times ahead! Hlengiwe Ndlovu. The Swazi
Observer. August 11, 2008.
___________________________

1. Declaration of Zimbabwean and Swaziland Civil Society delegates at
a COSATU-convened Solidarity Conference, 10-11 August 2008.

Swaziland

We are cognisant of Swaziland having the oldest state of emergency in
the region, with all public institutions and decision-making the
monopoly and sole preserve of the royal family, with no democratic
elections, systemic and institutionalised corruption and state terror
against political and worker activists, founded on the basis of the
1973 king?s decree that concentrated all power in the hands of the
monarchy. The years of convenient silence on Swaziland have promoted a
culture of impunity and disregard for the fundamentals of democracy in
the whole region.

We further note the deepening political and socio-economic crisis, as
well as the protracted political impasse which has not been resolved
by the new constitution promulgated in 2005, which itself is a product
of an illegitimate process and royal imposition, Swaziland civil
society congregated under the banner of the Swaziland United
Democratic Front affirms the following demands:

1. Multi Party democratic Elections: The continued denial of
political space, particularly the ban on multiparty politics and the
right to participate in public institutions of decision-making,
remains a denial of a core tenet of democracy and flies in the face of
the SADC Mauritius Principles governing elections.

2. The Unbanning of Political Parties: The continued banning of
political parties which was initially authored by the King?s
proclamation to the Nation of 1973 has since been validated by the new
constitution promulgated in 2005.

3. The return of Political Exiles: Although continually denied by
the state, several Swazis remain in exile for fear of persecution by
the state.

4.    The evolution of a truly representative national dialogue or
national convention which will result in a truly democratic
constitution which will be a true representation of the people of
Swaziland: The current constitution remains illegitimate as it was
unilaterally driven without the critical input of Swazi stakeholders.

5. End to the cancerous corruption and greed: The royal family has
entrenched a deep culture of cancerous corruption and greed in Swazi
society, with the state institutions permanently ingrained in
pervasive corruption that eats away the social fibre of Swazi society.
A huge part of the budget is corroded by perpetual corruption and
greed, which is led by the ruling minority, particularly in a country
where almost 70% live on international food aid and which is almost a
world leader in suffering the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS

We also note and welcome recent positive developments on the side of
the oppressed and struggling people of Swaziland. Most notable is the
formation of Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF), which brings
together all progressive forces and further unites all the people in
struggle for democracy and social change.

We further note the joint celebration of May Day by all worker
organisations and trade unions in the country, for the first time in
the history of the country, sending a clear statement that the time
for the people to act together has come and that the people will
resist all attempts at disuniting them.

To that end the following goals of the Swazi struggle remain the key guide:

- Creation of a new and democratic constitution that derives its
legitimacy from the will of the people.

- Building and institutionalisation of the culture of democracy, the
rule of law and accountability.

- Democratisation of traditional institutions to serve the needs of
the people and respond accordingly to the desire of the people to be
free and prosperous.

- Full recognition of the rights and responsibilities of civil
society, and its independent right to exist and act freely from any
form of state influence and control, including royal patronage.

These require that we ensure that we:

- Work to raise of the profile of the Swazi struggle consistently.

- Actively mobilise resources for the democratic forces to build their
capacity.

- Build a solidarity movement throughout the world to popularize the struggle.

- Mobilise the Diaspora to participate in the struggle.

The Mswati regime rules without the mandate and will of the people. If
in Swaziland, Mswati?s claim to natural and divine right to rule is
the automatic ticket to permanent self-imposition of his interests, in
Zimbabwe, Mugabe?s liberation credentials and wild claims give him the
right to the same status.

These false assumptions elevate these two regimes to levels above
scrutiny and accountability, not only in their own countries or to
their own people, but to the world community of civilised conduct.
This is why institutions of global and regional governance, have not
acted with the required amount of decisiveness expected of them in
confronting these rogues for such a long time.
_________________________


2. Boycott of Swaziland and Zimbabwe: COSATU. SAPA 12 August 2008.

A week-long boycott of goods destined for Zimbabwe and Swaziland
will be launched next month throughout the Southern African region,
Cosatu general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said on Tuesday.

"We commit ourselves to the creation of an effective momentum for
sustained boycotts of goods destined for the two countries, throughout
the region, with the trade union movement taking an active lead," said
Vavi addressing the media in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.

He said Cosatu was planning a one-week long boycott in September
during which all workers would refuse to touch goods destined for these
countries, in a bid to put pressure on their leaders.

"All workers must refuse to serve President Robert Mugabe and King
Mswati the Third, as well as their close associates and collaborators,
anywhere in the region, so as to ensure that they indeed feel the heat
of isolation."

Vavi said specific dates for the boycott would be announced at a
later stage, but Cosatu was hoping to hold it near Swaziland's 40/40
independence celebration, planned for September, which marks the 40th
anniversary of Swaziland's independence from Great Britain.

He would check the government's response after a week. If nothing
transpired, Cosatu might extend the boycott to a second week.

This was one of the resolutions taken at the Zimbabwe and Swaziland
"Solidarity Conference" which ended in Johannesburg on Monday.

The conference also called for a halt to Zimbabwe's political
violence which followed the March 29 elections.

"All the structures which have been perpetrating and directing
attacks must be immediately dismantled and international monitors
should be invited to Zimbabwe to assist."

Another call was for a lift of the ban on aid groups and civil
society organisations, so that they could attend to victims of the
humanitarian disaster.

The conference declared there was a need for multi-party democratic
elections in Swaziland.

"The continued denial of political space, particularly the ban on
multiparty politics and the right to participate in public institutions
of decision making, remains a denial of a core tenet of democracy."

__________________________

3. COSATU vows to bar Mugabe and Mswati from summit. Munyaradzi
Mutizwa, The Zimbabwe Times.  August 11, 2008.

South Africa labour federation Cosatu on Monday vowed it will stage
demonstrations to prevent Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and King
Mswati III of Swaziland from attending the three-day SADC Heads of
State summit which kicks off in Midrand, South Africa, on Friday.

Speaking at the Zimbabwe-Swaziland Solidarity conference held in
Johannesburg Cosatu secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi said Mugabe and
Mswati should not be invited to the summit. He said if the two leaders
were invited COSATU would make things as difficult as possible in
South Africa and along the borders.

- Our message is clear Zimbabwe and Swaziland cannot continue to be
islands of dictatorship surrounded by a sea of democracy in our
region, Vavi said. We demand freedom and democracy for citizens of
both countries. In the meantime we do not recognise Mugabe as the
President of Zimbabwe. We insist that he should not be invited to the
SADC heads of state summit that takes place in South Africa on 15-17
August, 2008.

- We shall accordingly protest his presence here and we call on COSATU
members in Gauteng, as well as all progressive civil society
formations and other freedom lovers to join us to register our disgust
at his presence.

- We want a total isolation of Mugabe and his cronies and for the
freedom of workers in those countries we will fight until the last
drop of blood in our bodies is dried up.

Vavi said human rights abuses in Zimbabwe had scaled new heights as
the beatings of ordinary people, the burning down of their property,
the killings and torture continue as though the current negotiations
meant nothing to the illegal Mugabe regime.

Cosatu said the ongoing power-sharing talks between Zanu-PF and
opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) should not recognize
Mugabes June 27 re-election but should instead recognise the will
expressed by Zimbabweans in the March 29 election when MDC leader
Morgan Tsvangirai won hands down.

- The June elections were illegitimate and therefore the outcome must
not be recognised. Any settlement that does not recognise the will of
the people as expressed in the 29 March elections will not be
acceptable. It will represent an elite accord that can never enjoy
legitimacy in the eyes of the ordinary people of Zimbabwe, Vavi said.
He said any government to be formed should be an interim government
whose main task should be limited to preparing for a fresh round of
elections that will strictly adhere to the SADC elections protocols.

Mugabe won the June 27 runoff election after Tsvangirai pulled out of
the race few days before, citing violence, intimidation and vote
rigging.

The Zimbabwe Times: http://www.thezimbabwetimes.com

_________________________

4. Swazi condemns rebel group: The Umbane People's Liberation Army
11 August 2008. News 24 (South Africa).

Mbabane - Swaziland's government on Monday condemned a group that has
claimed responsibility for explosions at bridges ahead of
parliamentary elections next month in Africa's last absolute monarchy.

"If I can use the Bible, these are Philistines who are hell-bent on
destroying our most envied peace," government press secretary Percy
Simelane said.

"Swazis should be wary of such people because they want to destroy the
infrastructure that Swazis invested so dearly with their hard earned
money."

The Umbane People's Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the two
blasts last week in Big Bend and Mpaka in the country's east, causing
damage, but no injuries.

"This is a warning to the government to stop the undemocratic
elections scheduled for September 19," the group said in a statement.

"This sham election defies all treaties on genuine democracy."

The group demands the ban of political parties be lifted and has also
released a document claiming responsibility for a spate of bombings
that took place in Swaziland some 10 years ago.

Political organisations are banned in Swaziland and the reigning
monarch, King Mswati, appoints a prime minister every five years.
Candidates for elections can only stand as individuals.

_________________________________________

5. 40 000 Emalangeni for best 40/40 song composer. The Swazi Observer.
August 12, 2008.

The choir to compose the best song for the 40/40 celebration will win
itself E40 000, which was pledged by Swaziland National Council of
Arts and Culture Chairman Bongani Mamba.

Mamba made the pledge during the Standard Bank Choral Music
Championships recently.

During the event, the prince encouraged music composers, those in
choral, to take part in this challenge.

Council's Acting CEO, Vusi Nkambule said the competition would be held
in two weeks' time depending on what the executive agrees upon.

"The choirs do not have much time as the celebrations are next month.
There is not much time left. We are planning on having the competition
in two weeks," Nkambule said.

He said the choirs would help them secure professional judges for the
competition, who will choose the best composition.

The country will be celebrating 40 years of independence together with
His Majesty King Mswati III's 40th Birthday anniversary in September,
known as the 40/40 project.

Nkambule said they expected all the choirs in the country to take part
in the competition.

_________________________

6. Opening address by Zwelinzima Vavi, COSATU General Secretary, to
the Zimbabwe and Swaziland Solidarity Conference, 10 August 2008

Swaziland got its independence from Britain in 1968 under King
Sobhuza. However, this was merely a transfer of power from the British
colonial masters to a neo-colonial monarchy, through which the British
sought to re-establish its domination and exploitation.

The nature of this monarchy was defined the King's 1973 proclamation
to the nation:

"Now, therefore I, Sobhuza 11, king of Swaziland, hereby declare
that, in collaboration with my cabinet ministers and supported by the
whole nation, I have assumed supreme power in the kingdom of Swaziland
and that all legislative, executive and judicial powers is now vested
in myself and shall, for the meantime be exercised in collaboration
with my cabinet ministers.

    "I further declare that to ensure the continued maintenance of
peace, order and good government, my armed forces have been posted to
all strategic places and have taken charge of all government places
and all public services. All political parties and similar bodies that
cultivate and bring about disturbances and ill-feelings within the
nation are hereby dissolved and prohibited."

This decree laid the basis for the current political architecture,
where politics are the exclusive preserve of the ruling royal elite.
In 1978 they introduced a system of called tinkhundla, which sought to
entrench the hegemony of royal supremacy and deepen the semi-feudal
and neo-colonial character of Swazi society. It fragmented Swazis into
competing localities called tinkhundla in the name of "unique and
home-grown democracy", which is directly in conflict with the
universal principles of democracy.

The world has conveniently remained silent about Swaziland and allowed
the ruling royal regime to get away with murder. The world remains
silent, after a regime has been allowed to enforce a state of
emergency for more than 34 years, despite Amnesty International
raising, on several occasions, the issue of extreme police brutality
in Swaziland, in its fact-finding mission's damning report on the
Swazi security forces.

Why does the Commonwealth and Britain apply double standards when it
comes to Swaziland, in contrast to their hysterical attacks on Mugabe?
Why does it not apply smart sanctions against the stubborn regime for
refusing to unban political parties and political activities in general?

Why does the Commonwealth support and heap praises on a constitution
that entrenches the power of the ruling aristocracy and affirm the
state of emergency, yet unequivocally demand clear guidelines for
democracy elsewhere?

Poor people are on the receiving end of the regime's viciousness, with
more and more Swazis being forced to cross the borders into South
Africa in search of jobs, yet the country is well endowed with
abundant natural resources that have become a preserve of a tiny
ruling minority.

Finally, the following conditions obtain as regards the royal 'elections':
Political parties remain banned, with the exception of the royal
broederbond, which is the only legal political force that has monopoly
over the entire political life of our country as an organised force.

The new constitution of the monarchy, itself a direct off-shoot of the
king's decree of 1973, bans political parties and criminalises all
forms of political activity and the basic rights to associate and
organise, not to mention demonstrations and marches.

Parliament is nothing but a rubber stamp and stooge of royal power. It
has no power to determine anything that is not in the interests of the
royal family and the monarchy, aside the fact that it is largely
comprised of royalists and their apologists.

The media and judiciary are extensions and auxiliaries of the royal
establishment, independence is a luxury they cannot afford.

Political activists are regularly detained for their peaceful
political activities, which are in anyway, illegal even according to
the new constitution proclaimed by the king recently

    King Mswati is not welcome in South Africa. He is not a head of
state. There has never been any democratic election in Swaziland where
he was elected. Political parties remain banned. Free political
activity is not allowed. Basic freedoms such as a freedom of speech
and association are brutally denied?.
__________________________________

7. Turbulent economic times ahead! Hlengiwe Ndlovu. The Swazi
Observer. August 11, 2008.

South African Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni has advised his
colleagues, Central Bank governors in the SADC region, to discard
their conservative nature and begin to actively educate the populace
about the current economic scenario.

He said this should be done to ensure that the public is aware of the
current economic crisis, especially characterised by high inflation,
low economic growth and high unemployment and other vices entails.

Speaking at a dinner organised by African Alliance on Friday at the
convention centre, the evidently wizened Mboweni warned that the
Central Bank of Swaziland should especially take the prerogative of
providing civic education to the people on the general economic status
quo and further explain the implications of such in a manner that even
the ordinary person at grassroot level has a clear understanding of
such issues.

In this regard, he observed that Central Banks were all along
perceived as being secretive institutions whose mandate and operations
were concealed from the public domain. But Mboweni warned that such
taciturn behaviour should stop, adding that Central Banks should take
an active role in disseminating information, providing alerts where
need be as well as educating members of the public about the general
economics and the implications these have in their lives.

"It will get worse before it gets any better and it is only fair to
warn and educate the people about the economics of the country and
tell them exactly what this situation implicates for the future," said
Mboweni. He was, however, quick to add that the global economic crisis
would improve in the future, but placed emphasis on the fact that it
would only get worse before it got any better.

In his presentation, Mboweni provided an overview on how South Africa
is dealing with the economic crisis, especially through the applied
use of the inflation targeting policy.

He told the audience that any central banker would have to pursue low
inflation and that the alternative instruments did not work, adding
that the advantage of targeting was that it was transparent and
ensured central bankers could be held accountable.
Mboweni expressed concern about inflation, saying all must do their
bit to bring inflation back within the target range "in the medium
term".

He did, however, emphasise that inflation targeting was South African
government policy, adding that calls to abandon inflation targeting
were heard when interest rates were high, not when they were low.

In South Africa there had been suggestions that alternative
instruments be used to control inflation. But cash reserve
requirements would force banks to hold reserves, which would lead to
higher borrowing costs because the banks would recoup the cost of
holding the reserves from customers. The credit ceilings that had been
in use many years ago did not work. And open market operations were a
way of implementing inflation targeting, not an alternative instrument.

In his rousing presentation, governor Mboweni called for the creation
of fiscal consolidation and the calculated move towards the
stabilisation of financial markets.

He said governments should desist from deceiving themselves by
thinking that they can grow their economies on ever expanding budget
deficits.

"Operating on a budget deficit means that you are increasing debts
into the future and this is wrong," he said, adding that Finance
Ministers should ensure that governments collect revenue more than
losing out as a result of the uncanny habit of operating on budget
deficits.

________________________________________________

Free subscription to the Swaziland@Newsletter will also give access to
a 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.

Swaziland@Newsletter is published by Africa Contact (Denmark) and
distributed to more than 1700 national and international
organisations, research institutes, universities, trade unions and
labour movements, political parties, church organisations, print and
electronic media, governments, diplomatic missions, members of
parliament, parliamentary committees and private individuals in
Southern Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

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.

Swaziland@Newsletter 73
Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at
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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.

___________________________________________

1. Lawyer says political parties must co-exist with system. Sabelo
Mamba: The Swazi Observer, August 8, 2008.

2. Attorney General says multi-partism is no democracy. Sabelo Mamba:
The Swazi Observer, August 8, 2008.

3. Bongani Masuku, Swaziland: the oldest rogue safely shielded from
global focus. Conference on Zimbabwe and Swaziland, 8 August 2008.

4. Unions call for mass stay away. Nelsiwe Ndlangamandla: The Swazi
Observer, August 8, 2008.

5. Sikelela Dlamini:  Tinkhundla elections are no joke! Swaziland
Solidarity Forum, 7 Aug 2008.

6. Swaziland is a shopping mall for human body parts. Donny Nxumalo.
The Swazi Observer, 7 August 2008.

7. Swaziland needs tighter spending discipline. International
Monetary Fund (IMF). Afrol News, 8 August, 2008.

8. International Cooperation: European Union funds development aid
project in Swaziland. European Research. August 1, 2008.

_________________________________________

Dear readers

There are a number of articles here which raise central issues in
Swaziland today.

The lawyer Thulani Maseko points to the fact that the royal Imbokodvo
National Movement demands that Swaziland to be a no-party state, while
it itself is the party of the king.

Of course, the royal and obedient Attorney General Majahenkhaba
Dlamini declares that political parties do not fit the present system
of government.  But perhaps, it is the present system of government
itself that does not fit.

Bongani Masuku at the Conference on Zimbabwe and Swaziland, portrays
royalty as the oldest rogue of the region, safely shielded from global
focus.  A rogue that has successfully crushed, with brutal might,
all possible opposition and imposed his divine right to rule as he
wishes without anyone questioning him. That would seem to be the case,
it is and it must be changed.

The Swaziland Federation of Labour (SFL) and the Swaziland Federation
of Trade Unions (SFTU) will embark on stay-aways if problems remain
unresolved. But how long can a people really stay away? The time
comes, sooner or later, when they must turn directly against an
unacceptable authority and power that defines their lives and their
future.

Sikelela Dlamini Tinkhundla plays with the idea of participation in
the Tinkundla elections. She knows what will happen: Let the world
begin to see an over-flooding of treason trialists in political
prison cells. Perhaps most of the world knows it already, knows that
things must change.

There is no need for treason trials, what is needed is a democratic
constitution where the people themselves begin to form their own lives.

Yours sincerely

Patrick Mac Manus
Editor Swaziland@Newsletter

___________________________________________

1. Lawyer says political parties must co-exist with system. Sabelo
Mamba: The Swazi Observer, August 8, 2008.

Lawyer Thulani Maseko submitted that political parties have to
co-exist with the present system of governance.

He said nobody should be restricted from contesting the current elections.
Maseko said a right to join political parties was an individual choice.

He argued that the country's constitution allows people to make that decision.
"No body should be forced to do anything under the political
dispensation," he said.

"Political parties have to exist in a mixed bag or parliament should
be composed of members with different opinions. People can stand as
individuals or political parties."

He alleged that the Imbokodvo National Movement allowed Swaziland to
be no party state whilst it still existed as a political party.

Political parties

Maseko contended that there has to be a law allowing political parties
to be registered, adding that such was based on Section 25 of the
constitution.

He asked the court to read together Sections 25, 29 and 84 of the
constitution and then harmonise them so that the bill of rights could
be achieved.

Maseko denied allegations that the political parties or trade unions
were asking the court to declare some of the sections in the
constitution null and void.

"If that law protects the rights of the people, let it be so," Maseko
submitted.



__________________________

2. Attorney General says multi-partism is no democracy. Sabelo Mamba:
The Swazi Observer, August 8, 2008.

Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini has said multi-partism does not
provide a democratic system.

The AG was making his submissions during a full bench case at the High
Court where political parties and trade unions are challenging the
legitimacy of the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and its
individual members.

He said, as result, political parties did not fit the present system
of government.

"At nomination stage, a person nominated has to be supported by 10
people to stand as a candidate," he said.

"Individual members are stakeholders of the Tinkhundla system of
governance, but political parties are not to the elections.
Multi-partism does not mean there is democracy."

He said in a multi-party state the opposition often does not stage, a
reasonable chance of winning.

"Democracy is not based on the political party system," Dlamini said.

If two people agree, they do not have to form a political party, he said. The
party system is not an agreeable concept on the ground. Multi-partism
does not provide a democratic system.

The full bench comprised Justices Stanley Maphalala, Jacobus Annandale
and Mbutfo Mamba, who reserved judgement.

The applicants include People's United Democratic Movement, Ngwane
National Liberatory Congress, Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions,
Swaziland Federation of Labour and the Swaziland National Associations
of Teachers.

The respondents are Prime Minister Themba Dlamini, Justice and
Constitutional Affairs Minister Prince David, Parliament Speaker
Prince Guduza and Senate President Gelani Simelane.

__________________________


3. Bongani Masuku, Swaziland: the oldest rogue safely shielded from
global focus. Conference on Zimbabwe and Swaziland, 8 August 2008.

On Swaziland, we note that it has become accepted by almost everyone,
including even some progressives that democratic elections are never
going to happen in that country and that it is no longer worth pursuing
the struggle for democracy and human rights, because, anyway, the king
has successfully crushed, with brutal might, all possible opposition and
imposed his divine right to rule as he wishes without anyone questioning
him.

Since the banning of political parties and all the rights to organise
and march in 1973, the royal family has had a field day recycling itself
and a small elite of friends in positions of power, through the
tinkhundla system, which is a consolidation of royal despotism and
institutionalisation of human rights abuse in the name of culture.

Worst of all in Swaziland, state violence, arrest of trade union and
political activists, silencing of the media and judiciary, as well as
brutal police torture happen without any condemnation and away from the
international spotlight as consistently noted by Amnesty International
in most of its reports. The continued evasion of the international human
rights radar by the Swazi monarchy regime affects the momentum of
international pressure and focus on this regime.

This is why we must and will force the issue of Swaziland back on the
global agenda, because we refuse to accept that the oldest state of
emergency and the most persistently festering wound in the region should
just become a normal part of our existence without challenge, an
acceptable spoiler to regional progress and democratic consolidation.

However safely distant the ruling Swazi monarchy is from the world?s
media cameras, it is and must remain high on our agenda, because it was
only through SADC and civil society?s inability to act on time to arrest
the crisis in Swaziland that Mugabe, amongst others, then gained
confidence that he could get away with murder, as the two were once the
closest allies, closely learning from each other and even advising each
other most of the time.

It is no secret that Mswati learnt over years that it is possible to
force through circus elections and still stand tall amongst world
leaders, making claims to be a democratic and legitimate leader of the
Swazi people.

Since 1993, the first elections after his claims to have embraced
democratic changes, he has conducted these acts of daylight fraud in
the name of elections without any person, organisation and institution
challenging him, except for the democratic forces within the country,
particularly workers and political organisations, namely, the SFTU and
PUDEMO. This is a serious lesson we must learn from. Hence our firm
refusal to allow Mugabe to get away with it, for it is clearly
spreading now. The tragedy of Swaziland not having held proper and
democratic elections since 1973 without reprimand is now haunting us.

We support the demands of the people and workers of Swaziland for the
unbanning of political parties and the creation of a conducive climate
for real elections to be held and not the royal circus, in which only
members of the royal family and their friends have a right to organise
themselves, assisted by state machinery and institutions of royal
control, to access public institutions and use them for narrow material
and personal gains.

We must act together

We call on all forces of change in the region, supported by our comrades
all over the world, to intensify their own contribution to the cause of
saving a people and a generation. This is no longer about the people of
Zimbabwe and Swaziland, but about all of us in this region and the
future of democracy and our people in general.

Democracy and people?s power are the only precious weapons we have in
confronting the challenges of poverty and underdevelopment in our
region, hence the task of mobilising our people to act as their own
liberators against all these setbacks in our society.

More co-ordination through SATUCC for effective regional solidarity

We seek to work through regional institutions, such as SATUCC, to
institutionalise solidarity as a permanent feature of our trade union
and civil society activism in the region, always working to co-ordinate
all our individual efforts into a mighty wave against all forms of
oppression, exploitation and other threats to workers and the poor.

It will be rooted in the true traditions of working class
internationalism and unity in action. This is more so, in the context of
burning issues such as the savage attacks on workers in the form of the
skyrocketing food prices, European imposed EPAs (new forms of structural
adjustments) and the energy crisis as a result of neo-liberal planning
failures and market-driven solutions to development approaches by
leaders in the region.

We have learnt through bitter experiences that unless we remain
organised, vigilant and active, we shall forever, be in the periphery of
real power and decision-making in the region. We run the risk of
allowing elites, who do not have the interests of the people and are
mostly corrupt, driven by their desperate desire to secure power, to
determine the future of the region and our people.

Bongani Masuku, COSATU International Relations Officer, 011 339-4911,
Cell 079 499 6419. E-Mail: bongani@...
__________________________

4. Unions call for mass stay away. Nelsiwe Ndlangamandla: The Swazi
Observer, August 8, 2008.

Trade unions have called a two day mass stay away early next month.

The Swaziland Federation of Labour (SFL) and the Swaziland Federation
of Trade Unions (SFTU) have announced that the mass action will be on
September 3 and 4.

They are complaining that the Wages Order is still not in harmony with
the Employment Act, saying the anomaly was supposed to have been
rectified by now, but it has not.

SFL Secretary General, Vincent Ncongwane said they wanted government
to amend the Wages Order.

He said the Commissioner of Labour, Jinnoh Nkambule has always told
them that something would be done but nothing changed. ?Even if
Parliament has dissolved, we believe there are people still in office
who can address this issue,? said Ncongwane.

A letter to the Chairman of the Labour Advisory Board (LAB) who is
also the Labour Commissioner, reads: We hereby serve a notice to the
Board in terms of Section 40 of the Industrial Relations Act of 2000
as amended to embark on protest action on the 3rd and 4th September,
2008 to demand that government addresses the concerns we raised in
respect of the Industrial Court Case No: 672/2006.

The two unions stated that they would embark on other stay aways at
different intervals if the problem remains unresolved.

The September 3 action involves protest marches in Mbabane and Manzini
- while workers from other towns will stay away from work.

The Minister of Enterprise and Employment, Lutfo Dlamini said he had
received a copy of the unions? letter.

________________________

5. Sikelela Dlamini:  Tinkhundla elections are no joke! Swaziland
Solidarity Forum, 7 Aug 2008.

These elections have for four decades put self-serving individuals in
a largely ceremonial parliament and subsequently a government which
derives its mandate from the king rather than an electorate whose only
significance are their votes, which are needed to validate the
charade. In other words, the elections have shored up, bolstered, and
sustained the Tinkhundla lie.

At the hazard of coming across as controversial and becoming
unpopular, which I sense I already achieved rather prematurely anyway,
I suggest that we can effectively draw out, and lay bare once and for
all the Tinkhundla lie for the entire world to finally actually see as
opposed to just hearing about and imagining what this politically
unaffiliated ?democratic? representation based on a warped philosophy
of ?individual merit? represents in essence.

I suggest that in accordance with the royal constitution, we
(progressives) attend umphakatsi meetings; engage the gatherings in
party politics, remembering to be grounded firmly in the daily
language and routines in a manner that will persuade the local folk to
see their plight and a solution in our discourse; delay or avoid
rhetoric that sounds arcane and might immediately upset deep-seated
sensibilities such as around the role of the monarchy in our grand
political and economic mess; prime your audience to gradually work out
the correlations for themselves, or we might alienate the people whose
backing or rejection makes or breaks the campaign; enter the election
race; join other comrades in parliament and use our collective mandate
to challenge, propose (no one has so far actually had the balls to do
this), and vote for and against such legislation as will facilitate
constitutional amendment and the readmission of multiparty politics.

Allow our party to be our boss and focus on our agenda with the
knowledge that we have nothing to lose as we, unlike the non-party
representatives, are not drooling over dangling cabinet positions.

This suggestion represents a daring tactic grounded in single-minded,
selfless cadreship on the part of locally based comrades. This is not
so much an ideological as it is a pragmatic chess-like move in the
protracted struggle for democracy in Swaziland.

If we are chucked out of a meeting for espousing anathema party
politics, we expose the constitutional lie that imiphakatsi and
tinkhundla centres are open arenas for political debate. Half-hearted
pushes in this regard have evidently been few, uncoordinated, and far
between to serve as convincing evidence that this strategy cannot work.

If we are charged with treason for the free expression of ideological
difference, we expose the constitutional lie-cum contradiction that
Tinkhundla is an open, participatory democracy committed to the
promotion of tolerance for divergent ideo-political orientations that
are the basis for the freedom of association that is enshrined in
democratic constitutions universally.

Let the world begin to see an over-flooding of treason trialists on an
unprecedented scale in Tinkhundla political prison cells. That we
currently dont have any is a measure of how far off the pace we still
are in intensifying the struggle within our borders before we even
enlist the welcome assistance of our international comrades.

If we are outnumbered and outvoted by the king?s appointees in
parliament, we expose the constitutional lie that the king has since
February 2006 become a constitutional monarch and effectively ended
his rule by decree ushered in by the hideous 1973 independence
constitution coup d?état. This avenue has never been explored and
vigorously exploited in the manner I suggest here. Instead,
individuals with ambivalent aspirations and posing as progressives
have gone to parliament professing to seek to overhaul Tinkhundla from
within only to be swallowed up by the system in the absence of well
articulated party objectives for going there, including support
structures and clearly defined exit plans designed to expose and
embarrass the Tinkhundla establishment.

These propositions may therefore not be totally new. In fact, they may
even have been mooted, volleyed around, critiqued, and indeed even
discredited and discarded ostensibly because they fall within the
non-viable scenarios category at various forums and levels of the
Swazi struggle for democracy. Of course they are not easy options.
They demand the utmost level of self-denial, personal sacrifice, and
grit determination.

They have not been fully tested because putting them into practice is
a much more trying test of will than conveniently trashing them from a
more comfortable armchair position. But that is not how Madiba (
Nelson Mandela) wrestled, eventually weakened, and outlasted a
watertight apartheid regime. Swazis have got to be prepared to get
their hands a little dirty by developing, strengthening, and
sharpening especially locally based initiatives that will lead and
only be complemented by rather than appear to merely support what
increasingly look like from-the-outside-looking-in interventions for
their own internal struggle.

Unfortunately, unlike Zimbabwe, we have no conceivable resources to
induce the world to fight our cause. Our struggle will thus of
necessity have to intensify the local front in order both to retain
its indigenous flavour and definition and to be effective and
successful on the ground where it really matters. Tinkhundla elections
are no ?joke?. They are the serious business of keeping out
progressives and delaying the return of democracy. Progressives are
playing into this trap by indiscriminately dismissing them offhand as
a ?joke?.

We can beat Tinkhundla at its own mind games if we really put our
minds and efforts to the serious internal business of doing so. If we
seriously seek to create political space for ourselves, let us
intersperse howling at the system from a distance with practically
taking advantage of every possible opportunity in even the Tinkhundla
constitution and elections to dig our trenches closer to the
battlefield.

By the way, the Morgan Tsvangirai MDC, now so near to taking over in
Zimbabwe, did not participate in Mugabes successively cooked
elections because the conditions were perfect. They had to stick it
out in order to allow the world a window into what really
characterized Zimbabwe democracy. When they finally pulled out of
the June 27 presidential run-off, the world had sufficient empirical
data of the lie that those elections represented. Zimbabwe and
Swaziland have different political complexities.

But I do not accept that Swazis should wait until conditions are normal
for proper elections to take place. I say we should look at all
available avenues to expedite that normalization process. That
includes engaging in a lot of uncomfortable legwork, including
strategically sharing the platform with the enemy in order to expose,
weaken, and finally move in for the kill. If this makes me even more
unpopular, at least I live as I believe.

A second thought

Here is my frustration regarding what?s the best way of pursuing
democratic reform in Swaziland.

For one thing, the elections are a direct product of an exclusionary,
undemocratic constitution, one whose crafting received the financial
and technical backing of the Commonwealth (CW) and whose
implementation had the approval of both the CW and the European Union
(EU). For this reason, Swaziland can neither be suspended nor kicked
out of the CW, or even face EU sanctions in recognition of the
kingdom?s ?impressive? progress toward democratization.

Exactly how should Swazis and all those who sympathize with their
struggle for democracy internationally interpret the CW and EU?s
latter-day condemnation of the Tinkhundla elections as undemocratic
when they collaborated in the construction of the founding instrument
for such elections in the first place?

Progressives were betrayed and set up to live with this frustrating
state of affairs. Our boycotting of these elections has not led to
support from these influential international bodies because as far as
they are concerned, recent political reforms in Swaziland have not
exactly represented total gloom and doom for the pro-democracy movement.

Boycotting has borne no fruit within Swaziland either because one just
cannot get anything done within the current setup.

What we need is to generate substantial LIVED evidence for the
Commonwealth and European Union of their monumental error in
supporting the creation of a constitution for zero change in
Swaziland. We cannot achieve that only through seasonal, largely
externally backed border blockades, for example.

We need to also show the world, through carefully thought out ways of
practically engaging and testing the very provisions of an obviously
lopsided constitution such as the route to parliament that the
constitution is at odds with the basic universal principles of
democracy. We need to look for and take advantage of every opportunity
to make the obvious tangibly and problematically so for a world which
does not live our daily pain to actually see what we mean when we say
the constitution is a non-starter.

_______________________

6. Swaziland is a shopping mall for human body parts. Donny Nxumalo.
The Swazi Observer, 7 August 2008.

Swaziz  have reacted angrily to a South African TV programme on
Tuesday night, in which a South African mutiman boasted that his
business strives on human parts he obtains from Swaziland.

In a candid interview with SABC 3, the mutiman whose identity was
concealed, claimed he has helped a number of people in distress in
South Africa - by recommending testicles and other parts from Swazis.

He told the producers of the investigative journalism programme
'Special Assignment' that his clients come to him in need of charms to
boost their persona or business and that he always recommends a body
part, which he advises must be obtained in Swaziland.

He claimed that his clients are the ones who hire the hitmen to come
to Swaziland and 'get' the necessary human part required - by all
means necessary.

The human parts are then made into herbs, from which the lucky charms
are created and given to the client. The man said by hearing the
nature of his client's wish, he is able to decide there and then what
kind of a Swazi should be killed for the right part to be obtained.

"I am able to say it should be a short man, tall man or woman -
whatever I think is necessary to help my client," the Thohoyandou
based mutiman claimed.

Police spokesman Vusi Masuku said they too were worried about the
claims of the mutiman. Even readers who saw the programme have
expressed alarm at the man's outrageous claims on national television.

Said Masuku: "We have taken a more than keen interest in the matter
and will definitely engage our South African counterparts to get to
the bottom of this - using the regional protocols that are there.

"We do not take this man's claims lightly, especially because there
are a number of pending cases where people have been killed and
mutilated. We want to get to the bottom of this matter."

The Special Assignment producers were unable to give us the mutiman's
contact details when we asked yesterday.

_________________________________

7. Swaziland needs tighter spending discipline. International
Monetary Fund (IMF). Afrol News, 8 August, 2008.

Declining trade preferences for sugar and textiles could see
Swaziland's current account in 2008 deteriorate, with inflation
further expected to rise to 12.9 percent from 8 percent in 2007.

A statement issued by International Monetary Fund (IMF) at conclusion
of consultations in Mbabane this week, warned of increasing downside
risk to macroeconomic stability, in southern African last remaining
absolute monarch, as a result of high inflation driven by rising fuel
and food prices and a slow down of global economy.

While IMF mission and officials in Mbabane discussed reforms to
accelerate growth and make progress toward poverty reduction, the body
also encouraged Swaziland to maintain a fiscal policy that should also
take into account downside risks to SACU revenues - the main source of
Swazi government revenues.

IMF also noted further fiscal savings, saying these would allow for
expenditure smoothing in anticipation of revenue declines. "The
mission recommended that composition of government spending shift
toward higher quality spending on health, education, agriculture, and
capital projects with high social rate of return," said IMF mission's
statement.

It also added that further improving expenditure efficiency and
targeting were needed in Swaziland, to help ease burden of high food
and fuel prices.

"The mission welcomed efforts to expedite use of resources from Global
Fund and other donors to fight HIV/AIDS. It urged stronger efforts to
improve capacity to fully utilise budgetary allocation for social
sectors," said IMF statement.

It continued that while it supported implementation of performance
management system to improve productivity in the public sector, there
was a clear need for an implementation strategy for Poverty Reduction
Strategy and Action Program (PRSAP), which would include ensuring its
consistency with medium-term fiscal framework and macroeconomic
stability.

"In light of the adverse effects of high fuel and food prices,
additional efforts are needed now in order to ensure progress toward
Millennium Development Goals. This will also require steps to improve
the enabling environment for private sector-led growth," added IMF
statement.

Known for its extravagancy in up-keeping its monarchy, Swaziland has
been forced onto a reforms lane, that could see the country appreciate
absolute democracy in near future, while in the economic field,
non-state players are already making inroads.

IMF has however warned in the wake of reforms and developments,
saying: "In recent years, growth of non-bank financial institutions
has increased access to finance for a larger segment of population,
but has also created risks. In this connection, the mission urged
authorities to strengthen the supervision and regulation of nonbank
financial institutions, including by passing the Financial Regulatory
Authority Bill."

Swaziland's real GDP growth is expected to moderate to below 3 percent
in 2008 from 3.5 percent in 2007, reflecting slowdown in the
construction, sugar, and textile sectors, according to IMF, which
added that high level of revenue from SACU contributed to a marked
improvement in external current account and international reserves in
2007.

The URL and reference to the article is http://www.afrol.com/articles/30203

________________________________

8. International Cooperation: European Union funds development aid
project in Swaziland. European Research. August 1, 2008.

The European Union has allocated EUR 130 million for development
projects over the next eight years. These monies come as part of the
new 10th European Development Fund (EDF) and National Indicative
Programme (NIP) for the year 2008-2013.


Swaziland, a small landlocked kingdom in Southern Africa, has recently
come under focus as part of the EU?s Development Fund. Statistically
Europe is the biggest provider of development aid in the world, and in
the case of Swaziland, the EU is by far the largest funder of the
private sector in Swaziland.

In a recent agreement signed between the countries, Swaziland will
benefit from EUR 63 million which will be spent on projects focusing
on human development, which will receive EUR 21 million, and water
supply, sanitation and irrigation which will receive EUR 29 million.

The EU is quick to note that the funds mentioned would not aid the
Micro Projects scheduled for the current year. However projects would
be eligible for funding by 2009. The EU is currently funding
Micro-projects to the tune of EUR 4.7 million.

It is envisioned that the funding will be channelled to the completion
of the Lower Usuthu Smallholder Irrigation Project (LUSIP), education
and technical cooperation and HIV and AIDS. All projects funded will
be carried out in close collaboration between civil society and the
government of Swaziland.

Swaziland will also be eligible to participate in numerous calls for
proposals sponsored by the EU, in various areas which are open to all
developing countries. Numerous applicants have been successful so far.
These have fallen under the calls for Water Facility and under the NGO
and poverty related diseases.

Recent droughts and fires have devastated the rural areas. Experts
have estimated that last year?s drought was responsible for wiping out
80% of the country?s maize production. As a result of these
conditions, two thirds of the population lives on less than one dollar
a day, and the unemployment rate has increased to an almost
unimaginable 40%. To top it off 4 in 10 people depend on some sort of
food assistance to stay alive.

Swaziland is at a critical stage in its development and has not
received much in terms of development aid thanks to a skewed income
rating. A very rich minority comprised of Colonial-era landholders and
a small clique of businesspeople have managed to amass so much wealth
that statistically speaking the country appears to be comprised of a
middle class, an image which is far from the truth.

In part, this has been recognised by the World Bank which has called
for a more pro-poor development policy framework to be implemented.

EU aid is also contingent upon the implementation of a governance
reform programme which will limit waste and mismanagement.

The EU has also embarked on a capacity building in development
planning. This part of the project aims at supporting the ministry of
economic planning and development with capacity building of civil
servants key to the development of the priority areas. The EU
contribution in this sector is EUR 2.7 million.

With regard to Gender in Development, the EU is allocating
approximately EUR 1.4 million.

Swaziland is also one of the 18 African Caribbean Pacific (ACP)
countries. This means that they will also benefit from the special
accompanying measures of the recent sugar market reform which will
reduce EU sugar prices.

http://ec.europa.eu/research/headlines/news/article

________________________

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Swaziland@Newsletter 72
Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at
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If you wish to subscribe to the newsletter, please send mail to:
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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.
_________________________________________

1. Musa Hlophe,  Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations
Warns Government: Swazi Elections are Illegal. 30 July 2008.

2. Interview: SADC turning blind eye to Swazi repression:  Siphasha
Dlamini (PUDEMO). Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone). 25 July 2008.

3. Swaziland king invites Mugabe to royal independence festivities.
Agence France Presse, July 26 2008.

4. Swazi unions plan street protests over food prices. AFP (Mbabane)
28 July 2008.

5. International Monetary Fund (IMF): Low economic growth rate. The
Swazi Observer, 29 July 2008.

________________________________________

Dear friends

In this edition of the newsletter, there are a number of statements
with which it is difficult to disagree.

Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations (SCCCO): the
announcement of national elections for 19 September (is) premature,
unconstitutional and therefore illegal.

Siphasha Dlamini (PUDEMO): Our primary objective has always been the
establishment of a multi-party democracy system in Swaziland. However,
we are also particularly worried about the human rights situation in
our country.

Agence France Presse: While world leaders have condemned as a sham
Mugabe's victory in a Zimbabwean presidential run-off, Africa's last
absolute monarch is "looking forward" to hosting its neighbour's
president on September 6.

Jan Sithole, general secretary of the Swaziland Federation of Trade
Unions (SFTU): Trade union members (will) stage a mass protest on the
eve of Swaziland's 40th independence anniversary to voice their anger
at rising food prices.

International Monetary Fund (IMF): When the rest of sub-Saharan
Africa was growing over the last decade, the economy of the Kingdom of
Swaziland stagnated.

If all this is the case, then it would appear that something must
change. It is perhaps difficult, but nonetheless necessary.

Patrick Mac Manus
Editor
Swaziland@Newsletter

________________________________________


1. Musa Hlophe,  Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations
warns government Swazi elections are illegal. 30 July, 2008.

The Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations today, 30
July 2008, issued a warning to government of the Kingdom of Swaziland
declaring the announcement of national elections for 19 September as
premature, unconstitutional and therefore illegal.

Existing Cases

It notes that the status of political parties and how national
elections are to be contested is already before the courts in a case
submitted by our colleagues at the National Constitutional Assembly.
It is further dismayed by the government high-handed attitude to the
Coalitions own case, submitted to the High Court last week, asking
for the appointment of the purported Elections and Boundaries
Commission to be set aside and for all actions and decisions taken by
them to be declared unlawful and also set aside.

The decision to go ahead with the elections in spite of the cases
before the courts seems to pre-suppose the outcome of the cases.  The
decision is informed by either arrogance or ignorance but either way
it puts at risk the reputation of Parliament as well as chancing the
millions of Emalangeni of public funds that are being spent in the
organisation of an election that may be declared illegal.

Delaying Tactics

The NCAs case is already under way and the Coalition?s case is
structured in such a way that the governments previous tactics of
delaying the hearing of a case until the points to be argued are long
past and therefore academic cannot work.  The Minister for Justice and
Constitutional Affairs, Prince David, the Attorney General, and the
Deputy Attorney General have all been personally served with notices
and so must be aware of their contents.  As lawyers of national
standing, and the government?s legal officers, we would expect the AG
and Deputy AG to have advised caution to their colleagues.

Full Knowledge

The risks of going ahead with the elections have been taken by the
government with open eyes and full foreknowledge.  The enormity of the
consequences of losing cannot be used as an argument.  The facts will
not be academic; the issues will not be moot.

The Coalition believes that the appropriate response of the government
should be to avoid using their habitual, but ineffective, delaying
tactics: reply to the case in as short a period as possible and let
the courts decide these cases of national and constitutional
importance sooner rather than later.

For more information please contact:
Musa I N Hlophe,
+268 6048988  sccco@...


________________________________________

2. Interview: SADC turning blind eye to Swazi repression -  Siphasha
Dlamini (PUDEMO). Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone). 25 July 2008.


Mmegi staff writer TSHIRELETSO MOTLOGELWA catches up with SIPHASHA
DLAMINI, Secretary General of Swaziland's opposition movement,
People's United Democratic Movement, on the sidelines of the Botswana
National Front's Jwaneng conference.

MMEGI: Welcome to Botswana. Take us back, how was the Peoples United
Democratic Movement formed?

DLAMINI: It was really conceived a while back. It existed perhaps as
an idea at the height of the liberation struggle. A lot of Swazi
people who were involved with the liberation movement in apartheid
South Africa had a major input in the formation of the movement. The
Soweto Uprising and other events then also had a bearing on the rest
of the sub-continent; meaning that the mood had a ripple effect on the
rest of the region.

In Swaziland in particular, King Sobhuza II suspended the constitution
in 1973, and imposed a state of emergency, which granted the monarchy
absolute power and banned opposition movements.

All these events led to the emergence of an organised group, which
opposed the state of affairs and in 1983 PUDEMO was officially formed.

The Youth League was formed in 1992 and the Women's League the following year.
What were the major objectives of PUDEMO?

Our primary objective has always been the establishment of a
multi-party democracy system in Swaziland. However, we are also
particularly worried about the human rights situation in our country.

Swaziland is an absolute monarchy. What does this mean for a political
party such as yours?

We are a banned organisation because, according to the constitution,
political parties are illegal.

How do you run an illegal organisation successfully? Where do you get
funding? How do you measure the level of your following?

We just depend on our own personal earnings to sustain the movement.
We have a major problem because people feel threatened to come out and
support even if they follow us. The monarchy is very powerful and for
anyone to take membership in our party they would have to forgo a lot
in their personal and professional life. However, we know that we have
a substantial following because the position we hold is what the
majority of Swazis support.

We know that the situation in Swaziland is perhaps similar to that
obtaining in Zimbabwe. Why is it so difficult to get the world's
attention on the Swaziland situation even though it has been unfolding
for a long time?

Zimbabwe is a mess just like Swaziland. But I believe Swaziland is
worse because it does not even have any pretence to adhering to some
democratic system. In Zimbabwe there was a time when some sort of
democratic system was used whereas in Swaziland none of that ever
happened and the repression is at the same level if not worse.

The reason why the Swaziland issue has not captured the attention of
the world, the Western world in particular, is because the monarchy
serves the interests of the former colonisers. The monarchy is not a
threat to Western interests. Remember that even the Zimbabwean issue
never captured global attention until Mugabe became a threat to the
corporate and imperialist interests.

But also you have SADC, which has shown the same lukewarm attitude
toward the state of democracy in Swaziland. I mean Swaziland is a
signatory to so many SADC protocols on elections and democratic
governance. They do not even uphold any of those principles and yet
you won't hear any complaint from SADC.


How do you see the Botswana situation then?

Botswana is similar to Swaziland in many ways. The political system in
Botswana is favourable to the imperialist interests; so that is why
Botswana continues to be praised as an icon of democracy despite the
open limitations in its democratic system.

How far are you from reaching your goals especially that of a
democratic Swaziland?

Here is progress minimal as it is especially regarding our major goal.
But you know, we do not just measure our progress with real changes to
the system we are contend to have more and more people showing a
dedication to our vision. We are working on a long-term change.
Ultimately the challenge would be on the Swazi people to say enough is
enough and change the system.

Let us turn to Africa once again. What do you think has been the major
cause of this seeming loss of direction in liberation movements
post-independence? Look at ZANU-PF, who could have thought that we
would be seeing the current crisis under ZANU-PF? What happened to
that vision?

The liberation movements lacked a definite policy position that is
developed by the masses and could be defended by the same. Those
policies would have guided against political careerism. So what you
see as soon as the liberation movement takes over people start to
think of themselves alone and forget the primary goals of the
liberation struggle. A government formed from a liberation movement
should always remember that it exists for the sole benefit of the
majority of the masses. After long the policies become self-serving.
You find the political elite exists to basically defend their own
misappropriation of the state resources.

However even where the country is relatively peaceful and economically
stable, a majority of people still wallow in poverty. Look at
Botswana, or South Africa, countries that are consistently praised for
rapid economic growth, a majority of the people still live in poverty.
What is the cause of this discrepancy between the praise by the
international community and the hopeless situations of poverty?

The policies are designed for the interests of only a few together
with their international supporters. That is the problem. So you find
the disjuncture between what the international community says about
the country and what the majority of the people feel because the
people do not enjoy the benefits of the success.

As a woman and a leader in such a big organization how do you view the
position of women in Swazi society?

Swaziland is a patriarchal society. Women are also relatively reserved
as a result. We do have women in leadership positions and others who
are specifically dedicated to addressing women issues. Our movement
has taken the position of giving the people's issues more attention
because we think everyone is oppressed; so we are fighting for
everyone's liberation.

You have been invited by the Botswana National Front. What is PUDEMO's
relationship with the BNF?

We share the same values, and are both dedicated to real democracy. We
are opposed to imperialism in any way or form. We have the same way of
thinking. However, we have not been completely working together and
are just starting to explore areas of co-operation.

We have a working relationship with the South African Communist Party.
We are moving towards establishing more of these relationships with
other sister parties in the region

Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/200807281288.html?viewall=1

_________________________

3. Swaziland king invites Mugabe to royal independence festivities.
Agence France Presse, 26 July 2008.

Swaziland has invited Robert Mugabe to attend a royal day of
celebration marking 40 years of independence from Britain and King
Mswati III's 40th birthday, media reported.

While world leaders have condemned as a sham Mugabe's victory in a
Zimbabwean presidential run-off, Africa's last absolute monarch is
"looking forward" to hosting its neighbour's president on September 6.

Swazi News, a weekly paper published on Saturday reported that Mugabe
was one of 13 Southern African Development Community leaders invited
to attend the day of royal festivities.

"The invitations were sent before the Zimbabwean presidential run-off.
We are looking forward to hosting the one who is president of that
country if he accepts our invitation," Foreign Ministry Principal
Secretary Clifford Mamba told the weekly.
The cost of the festivities would cost close to 50 million emalangeni
(4.2 million euros or 6.5 million dollars).

An official speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP that a fleet
of new German-made cars were on their way to Swaziland and would be
unveiled during the double celebrations popularly known as 40/40.

"New cars for the King, the Queen Mother, his wives and other senior
royal family members have already been ordered and they should be
arriving mid-August," the source said.

King Mswati III offended Mugabe when he chaired a meeting of regional
leaders which called for the run-off election to be postponed.

Addressing a rally just before the run-off, Mugabe told thousands of
his supporters that leaders like King Mswati III cannot teach him
anything on multi-party elections.

________________________


4. Swazi unions plan street protests over food prices. AFP (Mbabane)
28 July 2008.

Trade union members are to stage a mass protest on the eve of
Swaziland's 40th independence anniversary to voice their anger at
rising food prices, the main labour federation announced on Monday.

Jan Sithole, general secretary of the Swaziland Federation of Trade
Unions (SFTU), said unionists had decided to take to the streets from
September 3-4 after the government failed to reply to a letter
outlining their grievances.

"We have already written to the Labour Advisory Board notifying them
of the intended action," Sithole told AFP.

"Given government's failure to respond to our concerns and the ever
increasing food prices that have greatly affected our members, we have
since resolved to embark on a staggered action. The first instalment
is slated for 3-4 September," Sithole said.

The unions also want the government to reverse a ban on political
parties contesting a parliamentary election taking place later this
year in Africa's last absolute monarchy.

"We want the 2008 elections and beyond to be held under a multi-party
system," said Sithole.

Swaziland, which celebrates its 40th anniversary of independence from
Britain on September 6, is one of Africa's poorest nations with more
than two-thirds of its one million people living below the poverty line.

___________________________


5. International Monetary Fund (IMF): Low economic growth rate. The
Swazi Observer, 29 July 2008.

When the rest of sub-Saharan Africa was growing over the last decade,
the economy of the Kingdom of Swaziland stagnated.

The slow growth may have worsened already difficult conditions in the
tiny, landlocked country where in 2001, the latest year for which
there are data, about two-thirds of its 1 million residents lived in
poverty and 20% of the population claimed two-thirds of the income.

A major contributor to the stagnating Swazi economy has been its
financial sector, which, while in the main healthy, has taken steps
backward in the past decade.

Swaziland?s real per capita GDP growth declined from an annual rate of
2% during 1980-1994 to 0.7 % since then. In contrast, real growth in
all of sub-Saharan Africa has averaged 1 percent annually since 1995
and in other lower-middle-income countries, growth averaged 7 %.

Shallower banking system

Some studies suggest that the deeper the financial system that is, the
more access businesses and individuals have to varied financial
services - the better equipped it is to mobilise resources and the
more important is its effect on growth, poverty reduction, and income
equality.

But instead of deepening, or increasing its role in the economy,
Swaziland banking system has, by almost any measure, become
shallower. Private sector lending, money supply, and bank deposits as
a percentage of GDP have all declined since 1995 (see chart 2) while
high poverty and income inequality persist in a country that also has
the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the world.

Financial, real economies linked

There are a number of important linkages between the real economy and
the financial sector in Swaziland that explain, at least in part, the
country performance:

The country mobilises too little domestic saving (8 % of GDP) to
finance investment, and foreign savings have fallen off since the
1980s and 1990s.

Annual investment rates have declined from 25 percent of GDP for the
period 1981-1994 to 19% since then - far below other low-income and
lower-middle-income countries in the region.

High government spending, well beyond current revenues, has produced a
large civil service wage bill that, together with poor selection and
appraisal of public investment projects, has hurt growth.

Access to finance is limited, which constrains financing of
growth-enhancing investment projects. The commercial banking system
has concentrated on export financing and bypassed a large portion of
the adult population.

The World Bank estimates that only 35% of the Swazi adult population
has access to a bank account -too low, given its stage of development.
There is no public credit registry, and private credit bureaus cover
only 38% of the population.

Loans

Despite the sizable loans it receives from banks, the export sector
has not been an effective engine of growth and employment. Swaziland?s
main exports are soft-drink concentrates, sugar, textiles, and pulp
paper. But growth prospects for those exports are limited because of
intense competition from other countries and gradual erosion of
preferential arrangements with trading partners such as the United
States and the European Union, as well as adverse movements in
Swaziland?s real exchange rate.

?Swaziland has a weak investment climate, which tends to push up the
cost of capital and the rate of return investors seek. With few viable
real investment opportunities in Swaziland, most private domestic
savings -in particular from pension funds and insurance companies- are
invested in South Africa?s deeper financial markets, which offer a
wider array of financial services to a broader spectrum of investors.
In response, Swazi authorities have required pension and insurance
companies to gradually return a portion of those investments to the
domestic market.

________________________

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__________________________________________

1. No parties during elections says the Attorney General. Sabelo Mamba.
The Swazi Observer. July 25, 2008.

2. "...but constitution allows parties". The Swazi Observer
July 24, 2008.

3. Elections Team cannot be taken to court. Sabelo Mamba. The Swazi
Observer, July 23, 2008.

4. Union solidarity against dictatorship. Raul Connolly. 19 July 2008.
International News, Green Left Weekly issue 23 July 2008.

5. SFTU snubs Smart Partnership Dialogue. Arthur Mordaunt. The Times
of Swaziland (Mbabane), 17 July 2008.

6. Another review: Without the King. Kam Williams. EUR DVD Review
July 23, 2008.

7. Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) Executive Summary: The Situation
in Swaziland.
_______________________________________

Dear readers

The discussion continues, the conflict continues. In the court, in the
trade unions and on the street.

No parties during elections, says the Attorney General. ...but the
constitution allows parties, says the lawyer, Paul Shilubane.

Trade unions and political formations are at court challenging the
constitution and its institutions. This is understandable. On the
other hand, as stated by the Swaziland Solidarity Network, the king
has absolute control over the court: Nothing happens without his
dictatorial hand.

And in a review we read: The king owns 7 palaces, a fleet of
luxury cars, the media and sugar industries, and most of the developed
real estate. He has $45 billion stashed away in a Swiss bank for
safekeeping. The miserable plight of the people isn't about to change
any time soon in the absence of a revolution.

These are hard words in a review of the DVD Without the King, written
by Kam Williams.

But hard words are sometimes necessary.


Yours sincerely
Patrick Mac Manus
Editor Swaziland@Newsletter
_______________________________________


1. No parties during elections says the Attorney General. Sabelo
Mamba. The Swazi Observer. July 25, 2008.

Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini says there is no provision in
the constitution, which allows political parties to
participate in the elections.

Dlamini told a High Court full bench that government was being accused
of threatening to violate the trade unions/political party rights
guaranteed under Section 25 of the constitution.

The said section only talks about peaceful assembly and association,
he said.

Dlamini said members of political parties such as PUDEMO and NNLC can
only participate in the elections individually and not as political
groupings.

The applicants? argument is not based on the violation of Section 25
of the constitution, he submitted.

They do not state that at some point the respondent (government)
stopped the applicants from associating peacefully. The applicants in
their papers want to be registered and recognised, but under which
provision of the constitution it is stated that they should be
recognised as political parties.

The AG said political parties could exist, but when it comes to
public functions they have to come as individuals.

He submitted that there was no provision in the constitution entitling
members of the political parties to join the Elections and Boundaries
Commission (EBC).

Dlamini said the political situation in South Africa was different
because SA was a party state. He said Section 79 of the Constitution
(Tinkhundla government system) was a way of life of the people of
Swaziland.

It lays down the system of government which should be the
foundation, he said.

The AG was making submissions before a full bench comprising Justices
Stanley Maphalala, Jacobus Annandale and Mbutfo Mamba.

The trade unions/parties brought an application for an order allowing
them to participate as a group in the forthcoming elections.

They are also challenging the legality of the EBC and its members.

The applicants are Jan Sithole (in his capacity as a Trustee of the
National Constitutional Assembly-Trust), Mario Masuku, People's United
Democratic Movement, Dominic Tembe, Ngwane National Liberatory
Congress, Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, Swaziland Federation
of Labour and the Swaziland National Association of Teachers.

The respondents are government, Prime Minister Themba Dlamini,
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Prince David, Attorney
General, Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Team, House of Assembly
Speaker, Senate President, Minister of Housing and Urban Development,
EBC and the Judicial Service Commission.

The AG is being assisted by Mndeni Vilakati.

____________________________

2. ...but constitution allows parties. The Swazi Observer
July 24, 2008.

Lawyer Paul Shilubane said under the common law of Swaziland political
parties were permitted in the country.

He said there was no law prohibiting the formation of political parties.

Shilubane argued that NNLC and PUDEMO were voluntary associations and
as such were legal entities under the law of Swaziland.


He said they had a right to be recognised, registered and to organise,
operate, engage in free political activity in the country including
participating in free and genuine democratic elections without
intimidation or harassment by government.

Shilubane said there was nothing in the constitution that proscribed
the existence of political parties given that the advent of the
constitution created a new dispensation, which entrenched the Rule of
Law, Freedom, Liberty and Democracy.

The respondents have not filed anything to challenge the submission
that political parties are no longer banned in Swaziland, he contended.

The applicants are voluntary associations subject to the general law
of Swaziland. The issue raised by the respondents in their heads of
arguments is that Section 79 of the constitution prohibits applicants
from contesting elections as political organisations.

Section 79 of the constitution states: The system of government for
Swaziland is a democratic participatory Tinkhundla based system which
emphasises devolution of power from central government to tinkhundla
areas and individual merit as a basis for election or appointment to
public office.

He said given that Swaziland was a democracy, political parties must
be allowed to participate in the elections particularly because of the
content and meaning of Section 24 as read with Section 84 of the
constitution.

The attorney submitted that it was unconstitutional for government not
to allow political parties to be part of the electoral process.

This is an infringement of section 84 of the constitution, he said.
_____________________________

3. Elections team cannot be taken to court. Sabelo Mamba. The Swazi
Observer, July 23, 2008.

Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini told a High Court full bench
that the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and the Judicial
Service Commission (JSC) cannot sue and be sued in their own names.

The AG explained that Section 90 of the country's constitution Act No.
001 of 2005 does not declare the EBC was a corporate body with the
power to sue and be sued in its own name.

He said by the same token Section 159 of the constitution read with
Section 3 of the Judicial Service Act 13/1982 does not confer separate
legal persona on the JSC.

"Therefore, both commissions cannot be brought to court in their own
names," he argued.

The AG was making submissions during an application brought trade
unions and political formations, which are challenging the
constitutionality of both commissions.

Cited as applicants are Jan Sithole, Mario Masuku, Peoples United
Democratic Movement, Ngwane National Liberatory Congress, Swaziland
Federation of Trade Unions, Swaziland Federation of Labour and the
Swaziland National Association of Teachers.

The respondents are government, Prime Minister Themba Dlamini,
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Prince David, Attorney
General, Chairman of the Constitutional Drafting Committee, House of
Assembly Speaker and the Senate President.

The AG argued that the unions/parties ought to have cited the
chairpersons of the commissions in their representative capacities.

"The applicants contend that the use of the word independent in
Section 90 (1) and 159 (1) of the constitution implies that the EBC
and JSC have power to sue and be sued in their own name," he said.

"Put differently, the EBC and JSC are constitutional bodies and hence
they can litigate. This contention was rejected by the court in Sipho
Eric Thwala versus The Civil Service Commission and two others Civil
case No. 269/2007 (unreported).

"The applicants further contend that in South Africa, that country's
constitution does not declare that the Independent Electoral
Commission is a body corporate with power to sue and be sued in its
own name. This contention is without merit in that it ignores the
provision of Section 22 of the Electoral Commission Act 51/1996."

"Prayer 2 of the so-called interlocutory application seeks a
declarator that the composition of the EBC is unconstitutional. This
prayer is not ancillary to a declarator that members of PUDEMO and the
NNLC are entitled to be members of the EBC."

He submitted that the constitutionality of the EBC ought to have been
raised in fresh application.

The AG explained that the composition of the JSC was governed by the
Judicial Service Commission Act, 1982. "Therefore, prayer 3 is an
attack on the constitutionality of the JSC Act," he said. "The
constitutionality of the JSC Act ought to have been raised at the time
the proceedings were initiated and not less than two weeks before
argument."

The AG was assisted by Mndeni Vilakati.

The full bench comprised Justices Stanley Maphalala, Jacobus Annandale
and Mbutfo Mamba.

Paul Shilubane and Thulani Maseko represented the unions.

Link: http://www.observer.org.sz/main.php?id=45563&section=main

_____________________________

4. Union solidarity against dictatorship. Raul Connolly. 19 July 2008.
International News, Green Left Weekly issue 23 July 2008.

According to a July 15 statement by Congress of South African Trade
Unions (COSATU) spokesperson Patrick Craven, a meeting of southern
African trade union representatives that day had issued a call for
unions to place industrial bans on goods destined for Zimbabwe in
solidarity with the struggle for democracy.

The meeting involved COSATU, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
(ZCTU), the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions and the Swaziland
Federation of Labour as part of preparation for an international
solidarity conference with Zimbabwe and Swaziland to be held in
Johannesburg on August 10-11, to mobilise solidarity with the people
of Zimbabwe and Swaziland in their struggle for democracy and human
rights.

Arguing that the situations in Zimbabwe and Swaziland pose a massive
challenge to the people of Africa, the statement claims that recent
developments threaten to roll back the spreading trend towards
democracy in Africa.

It is an opportunity for the workers of Africa to lead a campaign of
the people of Africa to demand the establishment of democracy and
respect for human rights, Craven stated.

The statement noted that this year is a year of elections in both
countries, but in neither case does the process resemble any accepted
standards of democracy. While the Zimbabwe March 29 general elections
were stolen by the regime of President Robert Mugabe, Swaziland
remains an absolute monarchy in the premier league of human rights
offenders.

The Southern African Trade Union Co-ordinating Council (SATUCC) and
individual affiliates in the region need deeper engagement to
institutionalise solidarity as a permanent feature of the regional
trade union movement?, according to Craven, with the aim of
constituting ?a broad solidarity front of the working class in the
region.

Craven said that, The meeting agreed to oppose Western
powers-initiated sanctions other than sanctions targeted at the
leadership of the illegal government. We however support actions
initiated by workers of the region, continent and the world over.

In this regard the meeting called on COSATU, SATUCC and the rest of
the workers everywhere to refuse to handle goods destined for Zimbabwe
and Swaziland for an initial period of one week, which will be
extended if no progress is made in the realisation of our demands.

We agreed to work with the rest of civil society to stage a mass
protest and rally when the [Southern African Development Community]
heads of states summit is convened in South Africa on 15-17 August
2008. The protest march and rally will be held on 16 August near the
venue of the summit.
___________________________

5. SFTU snubs Smart Partnership Dialogue. Arthur Mordaunt. The Times
of Swaziland (Mbabane), 17 July 2008.

The Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) snubbed Monday's Smart
Partnership Mini Dialogue.

The organisation said it could not participate in the dialogue because
it did not see it as the appropriate forum to discuss the issues
discussed there.

SFTU Deputy Secretary Archie Sayed confirmed the snub. "We
intentionally did not attend the dialogue. That's because we don't
believe it is the appropriate forum to discuss those matters," said
Sayed. "For us, the right forum is the Social Dialogue that was
formulated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). So, our
Secretary General (Jan Sithole) communicated with them that we could
not participate."

Sayed disclosed that this was an SFTU position on the matter but other
civic organisations and labour formations invited could participate if
they wanted to.

The Social Dialogue he was referring to is a tripartite attended by
labour, business and government. When it is in session, it is chaired
by Deputy Prime Minister Constance Simelane.

Complaints

However, there have been complaints that government either did not
take the dialogue seriously or was deliberately not availing itself
due to the fact that some decisions taken at the dialogue can be
binding.

Apparently, this belief is reinforced by the fact that, for a long
time now, the dialogue has not been held.

Present at Monday's event, which was held at the Mavuso Trade Centre
in Manzini, was Prime Minister Themba Dlamini, cabinet ministers
Elijah Shongwe (Public Works and Transport), Dumsile Sukati (Natural
Resources and Energy), Mtiti Fakudze (Agriculture and Co-operatives)
and Thandi Shongwe, the Tourism, Environment and Communications
Minister.

Country CPTM Director Dr Gideon Mahlalela referred enquiries on the
matter to Principal Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office
Lomathemba Hlophe who could not be reached for comment. She was
reportedly held up in a cabinet meeting.

Link: http://www.times.co.sz/002.html

___________________________

6.  Decadence comes in all colours. Another review: Without the King.
Kam Williams. EUR DVD Review. July 23, 2008.

King Mswati III is a benevolent despot ruling the tiny African nation
of Swaziland with a velvet-gloved iron fist.

This last absolute monarch on the continent governs just about the
only sub-Saharan country somehow untouched by civil war or ethnic
cleansing over the last 30 years.

In contrast to such war-torn lands as Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, Liberia,
Sierra Leone and The Sudan, Swaziland has enjoyed a
relatively-peaceful existence.

This, despite the fact that its citizens have a 42% AIDS rate and the
world's lowest life expectancy at 31. Plus, most of the population has
to survive on about 63 cents a day, and are thus very dependent on
donations from international charities to survive.

Meanwhile, the royal family lives in the lap of luxury, starting with
the king. He has 14 wives, and picks another new one to add to his
harem from the 75,000 topless young virgins participating in the
annual Reed Dance, a weeklong celebration of chastity.

He also owns 7 palaces, a fleet of luxury cars, the media and sugar
industries, and most of the developed real estate. Plus, he has $45
billion stashed away in a Swiss bank for safekeeping. Political
parties are banned in Swaziland, so the miserable plight of the people
isn't about to change any time soon in the absence of a revolution.

Besides Mswati, the film focuses on the decadent behaviour of his
spoiled-rotten eldest child, an airhead attending college in
California. Well aware of the exploitation of her father's subjects,
this future queen sarcastically appraises the situation shortly before
the curtain comes down, vaguely promising to make some changes while
rolling her eyes.

We're supposed to buy the idea that the Swazis will be saved by
Africa's answer to Paris Hilton. Yeah, right. Proof-positive that
decadence comes in all colours.

Excellent (4 stars). In English and Siswati with subtitles.
Running time: 84 minutes. Studio: First Run Features.
DVD Extras: Deleted scenes and a theatrical trailer.

___________________________

7. Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) Executive Summary: The Situation
in Swaziland.

The following conditions now practically exist in Swaziland:

1) King Mswati III has full absolute control over the Legislative,
Judicial and Executive. Nothing happens without his dictatorial hand.

2) The King is Commander in Chief of the police and army of Swaziland,
using them to maintain his absolute power by brutal suppression of
comrades.

3) All political parties remain banned.

4) All political activity must be under royal control, and must
support the current system. Otherwise they are suppressed brutally by
the armed forces.

5)   Worker and union activity is suppressed in order to weaken
workers and bolster the Kings control.

6)  The media (TV/ radio/ newspapers) is under the King?s control, and
independent journalists, journalist critical of the King are banned or
suppressed.

7) The new Swazi Constitution which bans political parties is being
used to carry out the sham elections in October. Under this election
system, political parties remain banned, and people can only contest
elections as individuals who can only stand for elections after
getting the ?go-ahead? by the local chief. It is a given only
?pro-king? candidates will be allowed to stand.

8) Corruption is at an all time high. The King himself holds
controlling shares in many companies. The result is the majority of
Swazis are living in extreme poverty. Half the population is
living/dying with AIDS and nothing is being done to curb the genocide
of the Swazi population. The statistics paint a staggering picture of
the royal elite living in abject opulence and extravagance at the
expense of the impoverished masses of working poor and unemployed.

Any way forward must address some basic fundamental issues that will
put Swaziland firmly on the path of democracy. As Swaziland Solidarity
Network, our role is to galvanize mass international support in
support of the liberation movement led by PUDEMO (Peoples United
Democratic Movement of Swaziland), that lead to genuine democracy.


The Way Forward:

As Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) we support the way forward
enunciated by PUDEMO. That is:

1) We call for the immediate unbanning of all political parties.

2) We call for an Immediate Interim Government, made up of all
political parties. Such an interim government will be in charge of
Executive, Judiciary and Legislative arm of government, together with
the Police and Army.

3) The interim government will engage in a process of setting up
national elections based on one person one vote, leading to a
Constituent Assembly, which will draw up a new Democratic Swazi
Constitution, with a Constitutional Monarchy (The King will enjoy
similar cultural/traditional privileges as King Zwelithini of Kwa-Zulu
Natal, having no executive, legislative or judicial authority over
government).

Conclusion

It is in this light The Swaziland Solidarity exists to support all
pillars of the Swazi revolution until the basic demands are met. The
SSN has been in existence for over ten years with the sole objective
to support the liberation of Swaziland.

__________________________________
Swaziland@Newsletter is published by Africa Contact (Denmark) and
distributed to more than 1700 national and international
organisations, research institutes, universities, trade unions and
labour movements, political parties, church organisations, print and
electronic media, governments, diplomatic missions, members of
parliament, parliamentary committees and private individuals in
Southern Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

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.









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Swaziland@Newsletter Extra
Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at
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documents and other materials not included in the regular newsletter.
If you wish to subscribe to the newsletter, please send mail to:
SAK-Swazinewsletter subscribe@... All correspondence to
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________________________________

Voting without the right to elect:
Swazi electoral system an insult to the dignity of the people

Introduction

The Swazi electoral system evolved in the context of the primitive,
backward and undemocratic political system called tinkhundla, a form
of traditional fascism that entrenches monopoly over Swazi political
life by the royal family and its allies.

The electoral system developed after the independence  of 1968
underwent three major stages:

Multiparty electoral system under the independence Westminster constitution

Post-1973 tinkhundla (non-party) electoral college system

Revised tinkhundla (non-party) post-electoral college system as
underwritten by the current constitution

In this regard, even the limited liberal values of the independence
constitution suffered when the post-independence royal regime led by
the monarchy launched an attack to monopolise all political power
resulting in the banning of political parties and the rights to
associate, organise and speak freely, with the proclamation of the now
infamous 1973 decree, which boldly stated that,

"Now, therefore I, Sobhuza 11, king of Swaziland, hereby declare that,
in collaboration with my cabinet ministers and supported by the whole
nation, I have assumed supreme power in the kingdom of Swaziland and
that all legislative, executive and judicial powers is now vested in
myself and shall, for the meantime be exercised in collaboration with
my cabinet ministers.

"I further declare that to ensure the continued maintenance of peace,
order and good government, my armed forces have been posted to all
strategic places and have taken charge of all government places and
all public services. All political parties and similar bodies that
cultivate and bring about disturbances and ill-feelings within the
nation are hereby dissolved and prohibited."

"In trust for the nation": A revered concept and claim to natural
right and duty to run the country on behalf of the people

The word, "in trust for the nation" is the most frequently used term
to denote or underline the assumption that generally Swazis are not
capable of making their own choices, but always need the superior
wisdom of the royal family all the time.


Tibiyo is a royal investment institution established through public
funds and "held in trust for the nation" by the monarchy, an example
of how the royal family has ordained itself as the natural custodian
of public interest or self-appointed permanent manager of public
affairs and resources.

Linked to that is the centrality of carefully managing people?s
choices in the very designs of the electoral system in Swaziland,
which is an affirmation of royal control over the entire garmut of
Swazi life. It is the desire to subject everything to the rule of the
royal family, hence the deliberate design of an electoral system meant
to shield the royal family system from meaningful elections or
elections that could threaten the foundation of the current system and
result in real change.

The tight political management of the people?s choices or ?rights?,
which are a privilege entirely in the hands of the ruling regime is
not only applicable to elections in Swaziland. Almost all spheres of
life, including personal or private choices are proscribed or within
set limits that seek to regulate the entire social way of life.

According to the designs of the tinkhundla system, Swazis are not
capable of making their own choices, but always need the "wisdom" and
guidance of the royal family in the same way that the apartheid system
in South Africa developed Bantustans as a political enclave meant to
manage the choices of people within certain limits. You can choose
only the person divorced from your interests, not what he will do or
how he will do it. The person chosen must also be compatible with
certain dictates or pliable with the dominant order.

The heart of tinkhundla rule is the further under-development of the
peoples ability to make and exercise choices. It affirms the sanctity
of the royal family over the peoples lives. This explains the fact
that many rural people have the firm belief that the foundation or
source of their existence is the royal family and that without it
there is no life.

Consistent with this belief is the assumption that the people will not
be able to use their rights "responsibly" if they were granted space
to make their choices, they would choose people who are not compliant
with royal interests, which does not augur well for the "peace and
stability" of the country, founded on the basis of forced silence,
anyway.


Undemocratic elections or elections without democracy?

Mechanically taken, elections are supposed to be about choices between
two or more people, hence they are supposed to be inherently
democratic. However, empirical evidence has proven that elections are
not always democratic. People can be herded like cattle into making
certain choices under conditions set out to avoid shocks and surprises.


This is even more so in a situation where the right to organise and
canvass political opinion is only guaranteed to those who organise
?royal regiments? to affirm their blind loyalties, where the right to
speak is only guaranteed to those who will speak what is "in
accordance with the Swazi way of doing things", where the right to
associate is guaranteed only to those who are always eager to
associate with the royal interests in the holy name of Swazi culture.

The management of choices runs through the veins of the system with
control exercised even in the way the tinkhundla elections are run
from primary through secondary to final stages of the elections
process, wherein primary elections are held in chiefs? residences, in
the case of rural areas.

The evolution of the tinkhundla electoral system has moved from the
Electoral College concept which made people queue to choose an
electoral college and not public representatives. The electoral
college would then choose parliamentarians from a given set of people,
some of whom they had never seen and most of whom were members of the
royal family and their friends.

The review of the Electoral College system around was as a result of
the pressure exerted particularly by PUDEMO in mobilising the masses
of the people to demand democracy and their rights to run their own
country affairs. The 1990 treason trial of PUDEMO in which the first
accused was the President of PUDEMO, Mario Masuku, and its
reverberating effect across the political spectrum of Swazi society,
made the regime realise that it will not survive without concessions,
hence the vusela review exercise at a huge cost to the taxpayer.

Since then, the regime has been at pains to regularly adjust the
system to the ever-growing demand for change in our society. The
pressure of the people?s struggles and demands for democracy can no
longer be ignored, hence the intensified state violence and
persecution of political activists in the country.


What makes tinkhundla elections undemocratic?

The tinkhundla system is undemocratic and therefore, cannot by its
very nature produce a democratic process and outcome. A duck cannot
produce a hen egg, only a duck can.

All power is in the hands of the royal minority and no amount of
voting would challenge the power centres of royal monopoly, hence the
rubber-stamping role of parliament

Contest is not based on organised mandates, because political parties
remain banned, but are based on personalised views without any
comprehensive mandating, monitoring and oversight systems. This is why
people, however good their original intentions, then get tempted to
betray the mandate and start focussing on their personal and material
interests, some as a result of their frustrations with the
impossibilities of the system, but some as a result of what the system
promotes, anyway.

People campaign not on the basis of clear policy alternatives, but on
the basis of pandering to sensationalist whims without substance,
providing no workable framework to provide solutions, but expectations
based only on short-term emotional desires

Tinkhundla is a patriarchal system and alienates the massive capacity
of women, but only integrates those who are clear that their mission
is to satisfy their narrow personal interests and not those of the
majority of suffering women

Tinkhundla marginalise the youth and other vulnerable groups in
society, such as people with disabilities, etc. These groups would
find it difficult being elected under the current system which is very
hostile and is designed to favour old and mostly royally-associated men.

The media and judiciary have no space for differing political opinions
or open debates, with the radio and television as the worst royal
controlled propagators of misinformation against multiparty democratic
alternatives to tinkhundla crisis

The most critical issue is that regarding alternatives to the crisis
of tinkhundla. In this regard, the issue of constituency-based system
or proportional representation stands out clearly as one of the areas
for deeper consideration. I sense a fair combination of both is not
only possible, but necessary, but a neatly weaved one for that matter.
This is not an exhaustible debate, hence the intention was just to
stimulate further debate in the context of the SWAYOCO Regional
political education seminar series on the tinkhundla elections.


Author: Bongani Masuku
The writer is the Chairperson of the Gauteng Sub-Region of PUDEMO,
former President of SWAYOCO and former NEC member of PUDEMO (before
being exiled in 1998).
___________________________

Swaziland Newsletter is published by Africa Contact (Denmark) and
distributed to more than 1200 national and international
organisations, research institutes, universities, trade unions and
labour movements, political parties, church organisations, print and
electronic media, governments, diplomatic missions, members of
parliament, parliamentary committees and private individuals in
Southern Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

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.




































----- Slutning af videresendt besked -----

Swaziland@Newsletter Extra
Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SAK-Swazinewsletter together with
documents and other materials not included in the regular newsletter.
If you wish to subscribe to the newsletter, please send mail to:
SAK-Swazinewsletter subscribe@... All correspondence to
swaziland@...

Free subscription to the newsletter will also give access to a 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.
__________________________________________

Free elections and democracy now!

Address by Zwelinzima Vavi, COSATU General Secretary, to the
preparatory meeting for the trade union and civil society
international solidarity conference, 15 July 2008.

"International solidarity is the lifeblood of trade unionism" says one
COSATU core principle. And that principle has guided the
federations approach to the situation in Zimbabwe and Swaziland.

Both countries pose a massive challenge to the people of Africa.
Recent developments threaten to roll back the spreading trend towards
democracy in Africa.

Why Swaziland has escaped the international human rights radar for so long?
Swaziland got its independence from Britain in 1968 under King
Sobhuza. However, this was merely a transfer of power from the British
colonial masters to a neo-colonial monarchy, through which the British
sought to re-establish its domination and exploitation.

The nature of this monarchy was defined the King's 1973 proclamation
to the nation:

"Now, therefore I, Sobhuza II, king of Swaziland, hereby declare
that, in collaboration with my cabinet ministers and supported by the
whole nation, I have assumed supreme power in the kingdom of Swaziland
and that all legislative, executive and judicial powers is now vested
in myself and shall, for the meantime be exercised in collaboration
with my cabinet ministers.

"I further declare that to ensure the continued maintenance of
peace, order and good government, my armed forces have been posted to
all strategic places and have taken charge of all government places
and all public services. All political parties and similar bodies that
cultivate and bring about disturbances and ill-feelings within the
nation are hereby dissolved and prohibited."

This decree laid the basis for the current political architecture,
where politics are the exclusive preserve of the ruling royal elite.
In 1978 they introduced a system of called tinkhundla, which sought to
entrench the hegemony of royal supremacy and deepen the semi-feudal
and neo-colonial character of Swazi society. It fragmented Swazis into
competing localities called tinkhundla in the name of "unique and
home-grown democracy", which is directly in conflict with the
universal principles of democracy.

The world has conveniently remained silent about Swaziland and allowed
the ruling royal regime to get away with murder. The world remains
silent, after a regime has been allowed to enforce a state of
emergency for more than 34 years, despite Amnesty International
raising, on several occasions, the issue of extreme police brutality
in Swaziland, in its fact-finding mission's damning report on the
Swazi security forces.

Why does the Commonwealth and Britain apply double standards when it
comes to Swaziland in contrast to its hysterical attacks on Mugabe?
Why does it not apply smart sanctions against the stubborn regime for
refusing to unban political parties and political activities in general?

Why does the Commonwealth support and heap praises on a constitution
that entrenches the power of the ruling aristocracy and to affirm the
state of emergency, yet unequivocally demand clear guidelines for
democracy elsewhere?

Poor people are on the receiving end of the regime's viciousness, with
more and more Swazis being forced to cross the borders into South
Africa in search of jobs, yet the country is well endowed with
abundant natural resources that have become a preserve of a tiny
ruling minority.

Finally, the following conditions obtain as regards the royal "elections":

- Political parties remain banned, with the exception of the royal
broederbond, which is the only legal political force that has monopoly
over the entire political life of our country as an organised force

- The new constitution of the monarchy, itself a direct off-shoot of
the royal decree of 1973, bans political parties and criminalises all
forms of political activity and the basic rights to associate and
organise, not to mention demonstrations and marches

- Parliament is nothing but a rubber stamp and stooge of royal power.
It has no power to determine anything that is not in the interest of
the royal family and the monarchy, aside the fact that it is largely
comprised of royalists and their apologists

- The media and judiciary are extensions and auxiliaries of the royal
establishment, independence is a luxury they cannot afford.

- Political activists are regularly detained for their peaceful
political activities, which are in anyway, illegal even according to
the new constitution proclaimed by the king recently


There are important differences between the situations in Zimabwe and
Swaziland but the end-result is basically the same - the continued
exploitation and oppression of the poor as under colonialism. The
prime lessons from these three comparisons indicate the following
factors:

- The political structures of these countries and their post-colonial
configuration vary, but the fundamentals of parasitic accumulation and
growth path remain;

- The elites that drive neo-liberalism in these countries differ in
the way they developed, with some emerging from the ranks of
anti-colonial struggles, whilst others were off-shoots of surrogate
accommodation with colonial interests, but they all became fully
integrated into the orbit of global capital accumulation and
parasitism as junior partners of the powerful forces of global
capital, transforming them into elites acting to protect their own
interests and those of global capitalism in general.

- Britain as the former colonial power is partly responsible for the
continuing crisis in these countries, cannot just play an innocent
angel or honest opinion-maker on the situation in these countries. In
fact, Britain, through the Commonwealth and on its own accord, plays
double standards, outrightly condemning Zimbabwe, but doing all it can
to protect the Swazi monarchy in Swaziland.

- The ideological arsenal of these different elites take different
forms with some of them resorting to patriarchal, narrow semi-feudal
values in the name of culture and tradition, whilst others resort to
anti-imperialist rhetoric blended with revolutionary phrase mongering.
They facilitate imperialist accumulation in general. The deployment of
reactionary ideologies to demobilise society and destroy organs of
social revolution and intensified patronage have characterised the
essence of all their approaches.

- Finally, the ruling elites are all determined to maintain, whatever
the cost in human and other terms, their power and privileges. In
other words, they are prepared to go to any extent to keep themselves
in power. Phony "elections" are therefore an integral part of renewing
their legitimacy and tightening their hold on the whole of society.
_____________________________________

Swaziland@Newsletter is published by Africa Contact (Denmark) and
distributed to more than 1600 national and international
organisations, research institutes, universities, trade unions and
labour movements, political parties, church organisations, print and
electronic media, governments, diplomatic missions, members of
parliament, parliamentary committees and private individuals in
Southern Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

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.

Swaziland@Newsletter 70
Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SAK-Swazinewsletter together with
documents and other materials not included in the regular newsletter.
If you wish to subscribe to the newsletter, please send mail to:
SAK-Swazinewsletter subscribe@... All correspondence to
swaziland@...

Free subscription to the newsletter will also give access to a 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.
__________________________________________

Dear friends of Swaziland,

The most surprising article in this newsletter is almost certainly the
one from Ghana. An article on the inevitable demise of monarchy and
chieftaincy in the history of all peoples. Its question is: how
prepared is the nation?

When Ghana is mentioned, it can almost always be read as Swaziland,
its own history and its own future.

Other articles in the edition are in some way or another related to
this theme.

Yours sincerely
Patrick Mac Manus
Swaziland@Newsletter
Editor
__________________________________________

1. People?s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) rally brutally
dispersed by royal police in Swaziland. 11 July 2008.

2. Swazi women ?evil? update. Swazi Media Commentary 12 July 2008.

3. Government prohibits march against increased ritual killings. Media
Institute of Southern Africa (MISA). 9 July 2008.

4. How a Swazi king is made. Swazi Media Commentary 10 July 2008.

5. The inevitable demise of monarchy and chieftaincy: How prepared is
the nation? www.ghanaweb.com: 10 July 2008.
_______________________________________


1. Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) rally brutally
dispersed by royal police in Swaziland. Swaziland Solidarity Network:
Press statement, 11 July 2008.

On 5 July 2008, The People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) held
a rally in Manzini, Swaziland, to commemorate the organization's
founding day. The rally was banned and brutally dispersed by the
intolerant king and his oppressive police.

This behaviour once again demonstrates King Mswati III disdain for
democracy and the right of people to peacefully assemble. What kind of
democracy is this? The kind that bans people from assembling, because
we oppose the King? PUDEMO did not mushroom from the ground yesterday,
for us to be treated like "naughty kids". PUDEMO is a liberation
movement committed to a truly free and democratic Swaziland. The King
and his Tinkundla induna's are not committed to democracy and freedom,
but want to maintain his tyranny through undemocratic means. No
democracy can exist without the right of people to organize into
political parties and contest free and fair elections.

Violence is no means to address political problems. However, it must
be mentioned that for the oppressed people any means necessary to
defend themselves is legitimate and we fully endorse it.

To insult freedom and democracy further, Mswati has the arrogance to
try to play referee in the Zimbabwe crisis. While he bans political
parties in Swaziland, bans and intimidates PUDEMO and the democratic
forces, he wants to ensure there is free and fair multi-party
democracy in Zimbabwe - what a hypocrite!

As the Swaziland Solidarity Network, we condemn Mswati's double
standards. We further condemn SADC attempts to use this Swazi tinpot
dictator as a referee in this sensitive crisis that requires credible
people. We call on SADC to fire Mswati as a member of the security
troika, for he does not qualify to police anyone in SADC.

We want to extend our warm wishes to PUDEMO's existence for 25 years,
and wish our comrades, particularly Comrade Mario Masuku victory in
the democratic struggle of Swaziland.

We endorse PUDEMO's call to SADC, African Union, NEPAD and
Commonwealth, to stand by their resolutions to determine whether the
Swaziland elections are democratic before they are determined to be
free and fair. We know it will not be, due to political parties being
banned. We support PUDEMO's boycott of the elections and all efforts
to render it unworkable. The only way forward is a constituent
Assembly that will lead to unbanning of political parties, free and
fair elections and a constitutional monarchy.

Viva PUDEMO Viva!
Long Live the Swazi People's Democratic Struggle!

Swaziland Solidarity Network
For more information contact
Lucky Lukhele SSN SPOKESPERSON
Cell: 072 502 4141
Tell: 011 339 3621
____________________________

2. Swazi women "evil" update. Swazi Media Commentary 12 July 2008.

I wrote earlier this week that the Times of Swaziland had reported on
a group of chiefs who said that the Vote For A Woman campaign ahead of
this year?s Swazi election was "evil".

Yesterday (11 July 2008) the Times went one better and launched a
stinging attack on the chiefs, saying they should be thrown out of
office.

The Times says the chiefs are acting unconstitutionally and speculates
that one reason why the Shiselweni region (where the chiefs come from)
is so lacking in development is because of the backward chiefs.

It also calls for a full probe into the welfare of women in the region.

The attack comes in the regular Friday Just Thinking column. In recent
weeks this column has been unsigned, but it is usually written by the
Times managing editor, Martin Dlamini.

Although the Times does have a website, it does not have an archive so
its reports and other articles only stay online for a day. This Just
Thinking column deserves a longer life than that so I am reproducing
it in full below.


GET RID OF THESE CHIEFS - women good for nothing but cooking and
making babies for them


When the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) gets done with
the PM and Cabinet over the planned march against ritual murders, they
need to head down south to shake up our back¬ward chiefs.

Chiefs in the Shiselweni region are apparently against the Vote for
Women campaign. They see evil in the exer¬cise and have branded it
'unSwazi'.

These are authority figures who represent the king in their various
communities. They have the responsibility to carry though
pronouncements from the Ingwenyoma on traditional, cultural as well as
political develop¬ments.

One such development is the call by the king urging the nation to
recognise women as eligible politicians and leaders.

Defy

This call has gone as far as having the constitution give a specific
quota for the number of women required in Parliament (30 percent),
which is in line with international conventions that seek to recognise
women as equal citizens.

Not for our chiefs down south though. They are prepared to defy the
king on this one. Chief Dambuza Lukhele, a former Cabinet minister,
who one would think knows better, has been quoted; "this campaign
seems to make Swazis lose their identity and culture. It has a
foreign evil element which we can't accept."

He was supported by his colleagues. Disgraceful!

What has happened to Chief Dambuza? The last time I checked he was
serving in one of the advisory bodies to Their Majesties. He
therefore is in a better position to appreciate the wishes of the
king to rec¬ognising the significant contribution women can make in
our society. Why would he put his foot down against the king on this
one?

He must have read the constitution and the Bill of Rights which make
women equal citizens of this country. This document was presented to
the people at the cattle byre where all chiefs, including Dambuza,
were present.

Are these chiefs more concerned about losing control of their wives
more than what they could probably do for the region or the country?

To think we still have traditional leaders so divorced from reality is scary.

This warrants a full probe into the welfare of women in the Shiselweni
region where men see evil in a woman in a leadership position. There
must be frightening incidents of marginalisation. It gives a
frightening picture of a region with kitchen wives and baby making
factories and no 'women'.

Violate

Then we wonder why the Shiselweni region is so far behind in
development. It's a shame and unforgivable. These chiefs must be
called to order yesterday and forced to withdraw their statements
which violate the rights of women and deprives them of an opportunity
to be nominated and voted for. Such statements strip the women of
their dignity and worthiness.

The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) should see to it that
women in the Shiselwni region have a free and fair election exercise
and not just serve as voters otherwise it makes the entire election
exercise under these stone age statements a sham.

To all the women in the region I urge you to vote for women in their
numbers. The men who are supposed to look after your interests have
labelled you useless for development.

We need a new group of chiefs as these have demonstrated they are not
only a threat to development, but to the king.

Pity they are not democratically elected, otherwise the women would be
voting them out of office come election day. God help us.

Link http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/07/swazi-women-evil-update..html

_______________________

3. Government prohibits march against increased ritual killings. Media
Institute of Southern Africa (MISA). 9 July 2008.

Freedom of expression came under threat when the government
of Swaziland prohibited a protest march organised by civic organisations
who wanted to protest against rising ritual killings in the tiny kingdom.

The government says it fears the march would embarrass both the country
internationally and the king who is currently abroad on a world tour. This
has resulted in a stand-off between the government and the organizers of
the march who have vowed to continue with it despite the government
prohibition.

The march was initially scheduled for 5 July 2008 in Manzini, the country's
second major city. Its organizers have said that despite the government
prohibition they were planning to go ahead with the march on a date yet to
be announced.

Swaziland has seen a rising incidence of ritual murders over the last
couple of months. Media commentators have been quick to link this to the
forthcoming parliamentary elections to be held later in 2008. Some Swazis
still believe in traditional medicine to "strengthen themselves" in order
to gain power. Women and children have been found in the past, during
election time, murdered with their bodies mutilated for reported ritual
purposes or to "strengthen" power-hungry individuals.

More recently, more and more women and children have been reported missing
and some later were found murdered, with body parts missing.

Women's organizations, the church and other civic organizations recently
decided that "enough was enough" and resolved to stage the protest march.
However, the government moved swiftly to ban it, citing that it was trying
to avoid international embarrassment to the country and king.

Swaziland is not a democracy and uses the traditional "tinkhundla" system
of government which encourages individual campaigning for seats in
parliament. This is apparently fuelling the ritual murders as individuals
see an opportunity to gain power through ritual killings.

To protect freedom of expression, which is guaranteed in the Swazi
constitution, MISA-Swaziland has condemned the government ban and has
called for the march to be allowed to take place.

For further information, contact Kaitira Kandjii, Regional Director,
Rashweat Mukundu, Programme Specialist, or Chilombo Katukula, Media
Freedom Monitoring and Research Officer, MISA, Private Bag 13386,
Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232 975, fax: +264 61 248 016, e-mail:
director@..., research@..., rashweat@...,
misaalerts@...,  Internet: http://www.misa.org
__________________________

4. How a Swazi king is made. Swazi Media Commentary 10 July 2008.

A lot of people in Swaziland believe that God chose King Mswati III to
be king.

And because of this divine intervention, the king has special
abilities and wisdom. For that reason, his word must be obeyed. Those
who speak against the king, speak also against God.

Well that?s the theory. And it is very convenient for those close to
the power of the king to allow this falsehood to gather ground in
Swaziland. After all, some people might want to criticise a king, but
who can dare criticise a God?

Of course King Mswati was not chosen by God. A political group plotting
within the ruling elite of Swaziland chose him.

I was reminded of this by the Nation magazine this month (July 2008),
which for the second issue running has included extensive coverage of
the documentary Without the King. As regular readers to the Nation
(and this blog) know the documentary investigated the differences
between the lavish lifestyles of the Royal Family and those of
ordinary people in Swaziland.

Without the King and the Nation reveal how the present king came to
the throne ? and the manoeuvrings are positively Shakespearian.

Unlike in many societies that still have monarchs, in Swaziland the
eldest son does not simply become king once the reigning monarch dies.
The king is chosen by virtue of the rank and character of his mother
in accordance with Swazi law and custom. But the part of Swazi law
and custom relating to the selection of a successor to a king is
unknown to a majority of ordinary Swazi. It may include the mother to
the heir.

The Nation reports, In the documentary, King Mswati III shed some
light on how he got to know that he would be the next King of Swaziland.

He said then he was about 12 ½ years of age and it was after the
demise of his father, King Sobhuza II  when the news were broke to him.

King Mswati III did not say anything about his mother who was then an
ordinary wife to the late king. It was not until the then Supreme
Council (Liqoqo) removed the then Queen Regent for the biological
mother to the then Crown Prince that she was appointed to office.

The act drew reprisals for the Liqoqo members who ousted the then
Queen Regent.

After the king was crowned, the Liqoqo members were charged with high
treason arising from their decision to remove the Queen Regent
Dzeliwe. Some were found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment terms as
high as 15 years.

The king subsequently pardoned them.¨

Link http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-swazi-king-is-made.html

_______________________________

5. The inevitable demise of monarchy and chieftaincy: How prepared is
the nation? www.ghanaweb.com: 10 July 2008.

Whenever I think of Chieftaincy in Ghana, my mind conjures up images
of the Shakespeare Macbeth. In the interposed images, I see everything
from equivocation, intimidation, mysterious rituals, witchcraft, and
usurpation of power to the employment of desperate measures (like
murder) as a means of gaining or holding on to traditional power. Just
as the narrative of Macbeth presents readers or audience with a sense
of a ticking time bomb, we Ghanaians, audience of the ongoing real
life drama called Ghanaian Chieftaincy are perceiving similar
sensations on our national stage as stool after stool, skin after
skin, get engulfed in senseless endless squabbles, litigations and I
WILL SHOW YOU WHERE POWER LIES......

Chieftaincy (monarchy), the first form of governance in almost every
nation of the world, has served us well for centuries but at this
point in our national history, it has very little relevance in our
daily lives and absolutely no place in our democracy. We now see and
hear the ticking hands of the CLOCK OF CHANGING TIMES as more and more
Ghanaians call for the abolition of the institution. Time has run out,
chieftaincy is living on borrowed time.

Chieftaincy has survived fifty-one post-independent Ghana years and
this has prompted some folks to chant the resiliency of chieftaincy.
Beloved Ghanaians, make no mistake, the institution is on its way out.
It is not a question of when but how. Worldwide, the pattern is the
same, democracy comes into a country/state and monarchy (chieftaincy)
goes out. In some states, it goes out quietly, in others, it goes out
with a bang. In France, it went out with a revolution.

HOW WILL CHIEFTAINCY LEAVE OUR NATION? Will it go quietly or with fireworks?
The country of Nepal has recently voted to abolish monarchy (their
version of chieftaincy). CAN WE GHANAIANS TAKE A CUE?

Unlike any other nation in the world, the Ghana bottom heavy institution
of village chief, sub-village chiefs and sub-sub village chiefs is
numerically too large and organizationally too ingrained in the fabric
of our society to be abolished with one mighty stroke of the pen.
However, we cannot keep pretending and allow this cankerworm of
chieftaincy to gnaw right through the fabric of our democracy. We
cannot as a nation practice separation of powers (executive -
president, legislative - parliament, judiciary - courts) at the top of
government only to concentrate all three powers in the hands of some
village chief at the grassroots level.

Although all chiefs have concentrated power, some paramount chiefs
with such power also control very large areas - case in point the
Ashanti region. Before proceeding the reader must understand that this
is an academic exercise to advance an argument. Ashanti region is not
singled out for ethnocentric reasons. It simply provides the best
example. The territorial sphere of influence of the Ashanti regional
minister is almost the same size as that of Asantehene - the king. It
is actually smaller if towns outside the region that swear the oath of
allegiance to Asantehene is added to the mix. While the minister can
only enforce laws passed by the parliament and interpreted by the
courts, Otumfuo (the king) makes his own laws, enforces them and can
prosecute or punish any subject who disobeys laws from his Manyhia
palace / court.

Some modern attitudes question the royal power to effectively punish
recalcitrant subjects. While this is true to some extent, nothing has
taken that power away from him. The anti-chieftaincy camp looks at
situations like this and calls for action but every call for the
abolition of the institution results in a more entrenched
pro-chieftaincy support.

Can we as a nation afford to sit idle as tension between the two sides
builds to a crescendo? Are we oblivious to the insults that follow
every Ghanaweb article on the issue? Can we openly discuss this issue
on the streets of any Ghanaian village, town or city without resulting
to fists, cutlasses, machetes, spears, bows and arrows or shot guns?

This article is intended as the first of a series that seek to prepare
the nation for the ultimate demise of the institution. Although my
viewpoint is anti-chieftaincy, I am very, very aware of the historical
importance of the institution and respectfully ask the government to
build a Museum of Culture to protect this wonderful relic after its
demise. In these series, I will answer questions related to the
history of the institution, its cultural, social, religious, and
political
roles in Ghana as well as the rest of the world. My analysis will
include popular assumptions and theoretical arguments that advocate,
that can modernize and keep the institution intact with all its
paraphernalia.

WILL THE DEMISE OF CHIEFTAINCY IN GHANA SIGNIFY THE END OF GHANAIAN
CULTURE?

No - Culture is defined by Merriam-Webster Online as the
customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial,
religious, or social group; also: the characteristic features of
everyday existence (as diversions or a way of life. Culture therefore
is not a single aspect of our life but the sum of all the individual
little things we do everyday. It is the summary of how we as a people
cope with our environment. It is not static but dynamic; evolving all
the time as we drop certain practices and adapt new ones to suit our
changing circumstances.

Modern Ghana origin is traced to the 12th century with the movements
of the Gonja, the Guam and the establishment of the Bono kingdom.
Along the way, we have made some remarkable cultural changes although
the lack of written records makes it impossible to chronicle them all.
Since the breadth of culture is so wide, I will concentrate on
something distinguishably Ghanaian - our clothing and textile industry
and use it as a metaphor to advance this argument. Less than a hundred
years ago, some of our indigenous people made cloth from tree barks.
We have given up that practice and have replaced the Tree Bark cloth
with KENTE, ADINKRA, BUBU, SMOCK, KABA etc.

ARE ADVOCATES FOR CHANGE CULTURAL SELLOUTS? WHO EMBRACE EUROPEAN
CULTURE TO THE DETRIMENT OF OUR RICH HERITAGE?

No - We Ghanaians take special pride in our traditional wear. We wear
our eight, ten or twelve yard cloth under one armpit and over the
opposite shoulder with or without a Tee Shirt as dictated by the
tradition of our particular locality proudly. We know we have a chip
on our shoulder when we don our Smock, Bubu, Tie and Dye, Adinkra
cloth, or clown it all with our vividly coloured Kente. Our women are
just perfect in Kaba and so some of us get carried away; point
accusatory fingers at our country folks in shirts or a pair of
trousers and shout: followers of the white man!

We forget that our cloths are either adaptations from or are made in
the white mans world. The Calico cloth, we use in our Tie and Dye as
well as in our Adinkra prints, is also a product of that civilization.
The coloured threads for our Kaba and Kente, the needles and
crotchets, the sewing machine and the loom we weave on are also
products of the industrial revolution that occurred years ago in the
world some of us love to hate. Indeed, we have successfully adapted or
have seamlessly imported the very fabric of our Ghanaian identity.

IS CHIEFTAINCY UNIQUELY GHANAIAN? DOES IT EMBODY THE GHANAIAN OR
AFRICAN CULTURE AS SOME CLAIM?

No - The institution predates modern Ghana or ancient Ghana for that
matter. It is found in ancient civilizations on all the continents
except unpopulated Antarctica - from the southern tip of the Americas
to Siberia in North Eastern Europe. Zulu land, Ethiopia, Egypt,
Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Italy, Britain other countries of
feudal Europe, India, China, Japan, native American tribes all had
kings, queens, chiefs long before our nation was founded. We might
have adapted chieftaincy from some earlier civilization. Some argue
that our forebears stumbled onto chieftaincy without outside
influence. After all historical records show monarchy in Egypt
(Africa), Mesopotamia (Middle East), Peru (South America) and China
(Asia) around the same time period. They say no group invented the
institution. Fair argument, but the presence of the institution on
other continents also negates claims that it is exclusively Ghanaian
or the embodiment of African culture. It shows that we Ghanaians are
late adapters of a system of government or social organizational
structure that was tried by others before us.


IF WE ARE LATE ADAPTERS THEN WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSE WHO PRACTICED
CHIEFTAINCY / MONARCHY BEFORE US?

About ninety-five percent of the world?s population had monarchs
/chiefs at some point of their history then moved on to other forms of
governance.

Currently Britain, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait, Brunei,
Bahrain, Thailand, Japan, Swaziland and Native American Reservations
in the USA (to name a few) still maintain some form of chieftain or
monarch. Monarchs of the world are usually grouped into two broad
categories depending on type of power they wield - ceremonial or
absolute. Future articles of the series will expand further on
absolute and ceremonial monarchs. Ceremonial monarchs only represent
their country at functions that require no executive decisions.
Absolute monarchs have executive, legislative and judicial powers.
They also control the pulse or revenue of the country. Almost all
ceremonial monarchs began as absolute monarchs with executive power.
At some point in their history, ordinary people of the realm stood up,
demanded and got change.

DO CHIEFS IN GHANA HAVE CEREMONIAL OR ABSOLUTE POWER?

The Ghanaian story is an enigma. Historically, chiefs in Ghana have
had absolute power in the areas of their influence. They make the laws
for the people - legislative power; they interpret the laws - judicial
power and they enforce the law - executive power. Although the various
constitutions of Ghana have ascribed each of these powers to a
separate branch of government on the national level, none has
specifically striped chiefs of any of these powers.

Usually when a country becomes a republic, it does away with monarchy
and all its entrapments. Ghana became a republic in 1960, got rid of
the queen who lived miles and miles across the ocean but did nothing
about local chiefs whose activities permeates our daily lives. Future
articles of this series will explore this enigma; the various post
independence constitutions and the pandering of our politicians on the
issue. The viability of ceremonial chieftaincy in Ghana will also be
tackled.

SHOULD GHANAIANS DITCH THE TRADITIONS OF OUR FATHERS FOR WESTERN WAYS OF LIFE?

No, not summarily but we should not accept everything old as gospel
either. The realities of Ghana today are far different from the
Ghana of our forebears. We should go through our traditional ways with
a sieve, preserve what is worth preserving in our daily lives and
consign others to museums or history books. As we go along, we should
remember what Marcus Garvey said: people without a history are like a
tree without roots. Chieftaincy is our history, not our future and we
should make provision to preserve it as such.

We should remember that westerners did not arrive at democracy by
chance. They went through periods of tribulation, wars and strive just
as we did. They had chiefs /kings and queens just like we do. Who
knows what we would have come up with if we have been left alone to
develop at our own pace without the interference of the white man?

History tells us that for centuries the Greek City States practiced
some rudimentary democracy while the rest of Europe languished in
serfdom. It took years of efforts by English and French philosophical
writers as well as American pragmatists to put democracy on the map.

IS CHIEFTAINCY SET IN OUR TRADITIONS?

Yes, it is. However, we can practice most of our good traditions
without chiefs. For example, we can always pour libations in our
homes, at our meetings or functions. And we don not need a chief to
preserve our forest. We will still have our family heads, extended
family elders and community leaders. That is stratified family system
and not chieftaincy. A chief is dependant on that structure and not
vice versa.

WHAT DO WE DRAW FROM THIS ARTICLE?

This article has shown that we are at the twilight of the chieftaincy
system.

The institution is part of our culture and not our culture.
The word culture simply means our way of life. Over the years, our
way of life has been changing with our natural and human environment.
We have adjusted to earlier changes and will adjust very well to
having no chiefs.

While the death of the chieftaincy is not yet upon us, it is
imperative that we make provisions for its inevitable demise and be
prepared to:

MARCH ON INTO FULL DEMOCRACY FOR ALL AND STOP THIS PARTIAL DEMOCRACY
FOR THE EDUCATED, VERY RICH OR POLITICALLY CONNECTED FEW.

_____________________________________

Swaziland@Newsletter is published by Africa Contact (Denmark) and
distributed to more than 1600 national and international
organisations, research institutes, universities, trade unions and
labour movements, political parties, church organisations, print and
electronic media, governments, diplomatic missions, members of
parliament, parliamentary committees and private individuals in
Southern Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

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.

Swaziland@Newsletter Extra
Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SAK-Swazinewsletter together with
documents and other materials not included in the regular newsletter.
If you wish to subscribe to the newsletter, please send mail to:
SAK-Swazinewsletter subscribe@... All correspondence to
swaziland@...

Free subscription to the newsletter will also give access to a 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.
__________________________________

A personal letter to the media:

Bongani Masuku: King Mswati?s double standards ? Playing to the world gallery!


According to a Southern African Development Community (SADC)
communiqué, the SADC troika of the Organ on Politics, Defence and
Security Co-operation met on the 25th June, 2008 at Lozitha Palace,
Swaziland at the invitation of King Mswati 111 of the kingdom of
Swaziland and Deputy Chairperson of the Organ, who chaired the meeting
which was also attended by the President of the United Republic of
Tanzania, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, in the absence of the chairperson,
Eduardo Jose Dos Santos.

The troika is comprised of Angola, the Chairperson, Swaziland, the
Deputy Chairperson and Tanzania, a member. The summit was convened
following the recommendations of the Ministerial Troika of the Organ,
which held a meeting in Malawi, on 17th June, 2008. In its meeting the
Ministerial troika adopted particular recommendations, which were then
reiterated by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs on June 23rd, 2008 at
their 29th Session of the Inter State Politics and Diplomacy Committee
of the Organ.

Correctly, the summit, though chaired by the fierce opponent of
democracy king Mswati, noted that the political and security situation
in Zimbabwe appears not to be permissive for holding the run-off
election in a manner that would be deemed free and fair, further
indicating that holding the elections under the current circumstances
may undermine the credibility and legitimacy of its outcome.

It went on to appeal to the authorities in Zimbabwe to consider
postponing the election to a later date. The Organ Summit feels
strongly that because of the current charged atmosphere the parties
and people of Zimbabwe deserve a cooling off period.

During the period of postponement of the election and before holding
the next election, the parties should engage in talks with the aim of
finding best possible ways of resolving their differences and creating
a conducive environment for holding the election and managing the
affairs of their country thereafter.

Finally, the Organ Troika Summit indicated that it believes the people
of Zimbabwe are capable of charting their country?s future in peace
and harmony and that SADC shall avail its support whenever necessary,
and further affirming that it will always remain seized of the
situation in Zimbabwe and Malawi.

The points noted above are interesting not because of their
substantive posture, but because of the arrogant and extreme display
of double standards by the parties involved.

Here is a man who bans political parties and all forms of political
activity from his country, he has appointed himself the goliath of
Swazi political affairs and has, through brutal bully tactics,
outlawed and persecuted political opposition in his country, presiding
over a major political discussion to determine the plight of an
election and what environment is necessary for that election to be
deemed free and fair or democratic enough for the effective and full
participation of the peoples of our sister country, Zimbabwe.

He has no shame, whatsoever, that his guilt would haunt him about the
very situation in his backyard, where as he chaired the very
proceedings, political parties remained banned, all forms of protest
remain criminalized and decisions about the country?s future lies with
him and a bunch of his rotten sycophants and cheerleaders.

For him, the situation of the Zimbabwean people is a distant reality
that has no relevant bearing to the immediate conditions of his own
home yard. It is about some people far away in space, whose
fundamental concerns are not about living beings, similar to those
who, for years, have been subjected to the most extreme forms of royal
oppression, using state of emergency decreed in 1973 by himself.

In a typical Machiavellian style, Mswati is guilty of the same crimes
he has, hypocritically, put on the doorstep of his colleague, Mugabe.

What are the conditions prevailing in Swaziland that the ?benevolent?
Mswati would like us to believe he does not condone or he condemns in
Zimbabwe; political parties remain banned, rights to organize and
speak freely are outlawed and only the royal family has a right to
monopoly over public political life and all institutions that have
failed the people of Zimbabwe, such as the media, judiciary and all
the supposed safeguards of a democratic society, which are virtually a
sham, if not a total royal mirage in Swaziland, serving to massage the
fragile ego of the corrupt monarchy.

In a desperate attempt to bail out his discredited image, following
his disgraceful elections controversy and political shambles into
which he has driven the country, Mswati needed something that would
divert his attention away from his mess and this scenario presented
that opportunity. He did not tell the world that he is guilty of the
same crimes, he did not tell the world that he has vehemently opposed
all forms of democratic attempt by the struggling peoples of Swaziland
and he did not indicate that he has always been cheering his role
model, Daniel Arap Moi for a long time in his brutal crusade against
the people of Kenya for a long time, even sending his most trusted
lieutenants to study them in that country.

When university students were brutally murdered at UNISWA in 1990 in
what has come to be known as the Black Wednesday, it was Moi who
advised Mswati on arrival for the then Preferential Trade Area (PTA)
summit. For years, till today, the university has become a beehive of
secret military and intelligence control, that has literally ensured
that for every five students one is a state security spy, with some
having not even properly qualified to enter the university as was the
case with one Promise Msibi, with whom I once shared a class and his
academic performance was such a disaster until he changed the course,
the rest is history, particularly pertaining to how students dealt
with him and how he became exposed in the first place.

One wonders whether SADC will ever wake up to the reality of the need
for credible, consistent and democratic leadership. George Bush
certainly cant tell any other head of state to resolve conflicts
peacefully, in the same breadth and vein that Mswati can never tell
any other head of state to hold democratic and free elections much
against his record.

Swaziland is going for ?royal elections? soon, however conditions for
free elections are not anywhere nearer. The constitution affirms the
historic ban on political parties, criminalization of free political
activities, suppressing of all institutions of justice and
information, and continued monopoly leverage by the royal family over
public affairs. What will the newly found preacher of democracy tell
the world about his own conduct and lessons from the Zimbabwean
situation?

Mswati must be exposed and so should be SADC. The Mswati scenario
corresponds with the fact that Marwick Khumalo, the head of the Pan
African Parliament is allowed to lead a delegation supposedly to
monitor multiparty elections and determines whether they are free and
fair or otherwise, yet he is a member of the Swazi royalty and has
been in the forefront for years, even using traditional weapons
against political activists, spearheading the call for democracy. He
is such a shame, yet an angel from a distance. These are the realities
of allowing hypocrites to seek an image facelift at a time when their
credibility is in crisis, SADC or the PAP would always be happy to
assist them divert issues or global attention from their own crisis in
their backyards to elsewhere. Marwick and Mswati must also tell us
about Swazi elections!


Bongani Masuku (International Relations Secretary)
Congress of South African Trade Unions
1-5 Leyds Cnr Biccard Streets
Braamfontein, 2017
Johannesburg
E-Mail: bongani@...


______________________________

Swaziland@Newsletter is published by Africa Contact (Denmark) and
distributed to more than 1600 national and international
organisations, research institutes, universities, trade unions and
labour movements, political parties, church organisations, print and
electronic media, governments, diplomatic missions, members of
parliament, parliamentary committees and private individuals in
Southern Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

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.

Swaziland@Newsletter 69
Published by Africa Contact (Denmark)

Earlier issues can be read at:
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SAK-Swazinewsletter together with
documents and other materials not included in the regular newsletter.
If you wish to subscribe to the newsletter, please send mail to:
SAK-Swazinewsletter subscribe@... All correspondence to
swaziland@...

Free subscription to the newsletter will also give access to a 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.
__________________________________

Dear friends,

At the heart of democracy is that the will of the people be freely
expressed.  Should they call for a change of government then that
decision must be respected.

This is to quote a statement of Swazi Civil Society which on one level
refers to the crisis in Zimbabwe. A statement that is relevant - but
not only for Zimbabwe.

There, too, power has become divorced from not only the will of the
people but from reality itself.

The action of government is fundamentally undermining the nature of
elections and democracy. It sets the precedent that power lies not
with the people but with "leaders backed by armed militias".

It is the people and they alone who are the only legitimate force for
peace. And not only for peace. But also for democracy, for human
rights and for a better future.

In Zimbabwe. And at home in Swaziland.

Yours sincerely
Editor
Swaziland@Newsletter
__________________________________

1. Swazi Civil Society urges SADC Peace and Security Troika to
robustly defend democracy, peace and justice in Zimbabwe. 25 June 2008.

2. Swaziland and the Zimbabwe summit. Swazi media Commentary 27 June 2008.

3. Pray for our country - King asks Zion Christian Church. Thulani
Ndwandwe. The Swazi Observer. June 23, 2008.

4. Swaziland sways to ZCC song. Sowetan, 24 June 2008.
http://www.sowetan.co.za

5. Mandela Fund Youth Parliament sitting. The Swazi Observer. June 23, 2008.

6. Swazi radio and censorship. Swazi Media Commentary 24 June 2008.
www.swazimedia.blogspot.com

7. Tackling low condom use dramatically. IRIN/Plus News 20 June, 2008.

8. Heavy hail storm. Summary of report. International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), 24 June 2008.

__________________________________

1. Swazi Civil Society urges SADC Peace and Security Troika to
robustly defend democracy, peace and justice in Zimbabwe. 25 June 2008.

Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations welcomes the
timely intervention of His Majesty King Mswati III in hosting and
facilitating the Southern African Development Community?s Peace and
Security Troika in what we feel to be SADCs most challenging
political hour.  The time for strong leadership has arrived and we
hope that SADC will not be found wanting yet again.

As the crisis in Zimbabwe moves from the economic to the political and
from the national to the regional levels the situation now threatens
to engulf all of SADC.  The 86 confirmed deaths of MDC supporters and
activists and the over 1000 confirmed hospitalisations are but the tip
of the iceberg of horror that is being repeatedly confirmed by
multiple independent and respected sources.  We concur with the
statement of the Zimbabwean Congress of Trade Unions when they call
the 27 June charade (we cannot call it an election) a declaration of
war on the proud people of Zimbabwe by ZANU-PF and their henchmen
aided and abetted by the state security forces.

At the heart of democracy is that the will of the people be freely
expressed.  Should they call for a change of government then that
decision must be respected and the handover peaceful.

Swazi Civil Society notes Robert Mugabes, the party and supporters
actions show that he and they have become divorced from not only the
will of the people but from reality itself.

- Statements that only God can remove him now and asking how can a
simple cross on a piece of paper take away the power of the gun show
the extent of his distance from democracy.

- People are being forced to attend political rallies failure of which
they are being beaten up;

- Deployment and sprouting of several bases led by the ruling party
militia that are harassing and perpetrating violence;

- The usual polling officers, that is teachers and other civil
servants, have been sidelined in the running of elections in favour of
ruling party supporters;

-Thousands of people have been displaced through political violence
and thereby unable to vote;

We urge SADC to reaffirm the primacy of the ballot box as the only
method of selection of governments.  We also urge the Troika to
consider Section 30 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union
states: Governments which shall come to power through
unconstitutional means shall not be allowed to participate in the
activities of the Union.  It is clear that Mugabe and his supporters
actions have violated the Act and the constitution and he is no longer
the legitimate leader of Zimbabwe.

The real lesson of the Kenyan elections is that those who are prepared
to use militias, violence, and the threat of violence to back up their
political positions will be able to circumvent democracy and will
receive international support in doing so in the name of peace and
political expediency.  Mugabe has learned this lesson well.  Temporary
peace founded without a base of justice and democracy can only ever be
at best a stop-gap to allow these foundations to be put in place.

Swazi Civil Society is extremely worried that these politically
expedient moves are fundamentally undermining the nature of elections
and democracy on the continent and setting the precedent for all
governments that power lies not with the people but with leaders
backed by armed militias.

Swazi Civil Society calls on the SADC Peace and Security Council
Troika to do the following.

- Not to recognise the Zimbabwean Election Commission declaration of
Mugabe as president after 29 June as being valid or constitutional.

- Set up a Civilian Protection Force made up of representatives from
SADC and the AU and wider that will immediately restore order and the
rule of law to all areas of Zimbabwe.  The internal security forces of
the Zimbabwe are politicised and compromised in terms of previous
actions and the trust of the people and cannot be a legitimate force
for peace.

- Institute an inclusive mediation process that will set up the means
to free, fair and peaceful elections.  We respect the efforts of
President Mbeki but it is obvious that it is time for someone who has
more distance from the parties to act as the mediator.  The elections
should ideally be held before the end of the year.

- To put in place an interim authority that will reflect the will of
the people as expressed in the poll of 29 March to oversee the running
of the country in the meantime and the regularization of the economy.

- That a process of atonement that fully respects the rights of
victims of politically instituted violence and repression be instituted.


SWAZILAND COALITION OF CONCERNED CIVIC ORGANISATIONS is a non partisan
civil society body that represents the main groupings and
organisations in Swaziland.  It consists of organisations that
represent the Trade Unions, Employers, Churches, Media, NGOs Lawyers,
Women and Youth Groups.
___________________________

2. Swaziland and the Zimbabwe summit. Swazi media Commentary 27 June 2008.

It was rather strange to see Swaziland capital city Mbabane at the
centre of international media attention on Wednesday.

Journalists from print and broadcast media were out in force, and the
BBC reported live from Mbabane throughout the day (25 June 2008).

They were not interested in Swaziland, of course. The international
media rarely are. They were in town to cover the so-called SADC Organ
Troika Summit. It sounds like some kind of musical event, but actually
it was an international meeting of Southern African Development
Community (SADC) members to discuss the worsening elections crisis in
Zimbabwe.

Swaziland King Mswati III is deputy chair of the Organ and it was
in this capacity that that he hosted the summit.

Not surprisingly, the Swaziland media went to town on the summit,
emphasising the role the king had in the one-day event. The Swazi
Observer on Thursday (26 June 2008) ran a special eight-page
supplement on it.

The Times of Swaziland on the same day reported that the king was
"showered with compliments" and "rave reviews" and "accolades" for the
part he played in the summit.

The same newspaper ran a more sober editorial comment in which the
newspaper called the summit a "big let-down". It said African leaders
"turned their backs on the Zimbabwean people and the African
continent". This was because the summit "could only cough out a
suggestion for a postponement of the elections".
The comment went on:

"The fear or soft spot for Mugabe has emerged even stronger with the
Troika blasting Tsvangirai for pulling out of the presidential run-off
election while Mugabe is let off the hook.

"It is as if this was not the same election they want postponed in
light of the violence and the charged political atmosphere ?which
appears not to be permissive for holding the run-off election in a
manner that would be deemed free and fair," according to Dr Salomao,
the SADC Executive Secretary.

The irony of King Mswati III, the last autocratic monarch in
sub-Saharan Africa and the ruler of non-democratic Swaziland, chairing
a meeting to demand ?free and fair elections? in Zimbabwe was lost on
the media, both in the kingdom itself and internationally.

The Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisation (SCCCO) came
in for much criticism from progressives in Swaziland after it issued a
media statement welcoming "the timely intervention of His Majesty King
Mswati III" in hosting the summit.

The statement went on to urge the summit to consider S30 of the
Constitutive Act of the African Union which states, "Governments which
shall come to power through unconstitutional means shall not be
allowed to participate in the activities of the Union".

SCCCO meant Zimbabwe here, but who can truly say that the Swaziland
government was elected by constitutional means?

Members of the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SNN) Internet forum
ripped into the SCCCO statement.

Showing more honesty than the Swazi media, members pointed out the
obvious anomaly of having the Swaziland king pronouncing on democracy in
another country, when Swaziland is not itself free.

One member of the forum put it this way, "How can Mswati ride on the
high horse of political morality yet here in Swaziland we are living
under an undemocratic dictatorship, when even the most basic principle
of freedom - freedom to belong to a political organisation stays banned!"

"Just yesterday Mswati, when talking at his cattle byre, demonised and
made a mockery of discerning political convictions of some of the
citizens of Swaziland by saying he hoped the people who had attended
the meeting had not be wooed by the "spirits of owls" - Mugabe also
does not allow any opposition - ask Morgan".

"Not long ago Swaziland congratulated the then illegitimate government
of Kenya that had stolen an election. How can the leaders trust
tinkhundla to all of a sudden talk sense on the Zimbabwe elections?"

Another member wrote, "I think that members of the Swaziland Coalition
of Concerned Civic Organisations need to understand Mswati is the
problem in Swaziland.

"The reason why his all of a sudden interest in Zimbabwe is because he
wants to divert attention from his own dictatorial regime. It seems
like the SCCCO has fallen for this devious ploy. The statement paints
a picture of a leader who is so much concerned about democracy and
human rights. Nowhere in the statement is any critical reference to
the situation in Swaziland.

"This meeting calls into question the very credibility of SADC and the AU."

Another member wrote, "We are seriously concerned about what is
happening in Zimbabwe but not at the expense of the Swaziland
situation. The reason I like PUDEMO struggle is that it is consistent.
We have said Swaziland is worse than Zimbabwe because the system in
Swaziland is the one that causes all problems. We have not changed
from that position even now that Zimbabwe is in flames.

The member added, "We support the struggle in Zimbabwe fully and it is
now desperate that serious decisions and actions are taken to put a
stop to these problems but not by Swaziland. Because if Swaziland can
take a centre stage in solving such critical disputes to me it means
we are making a joke of the situation in Zimbabwe because our
situation is much worse.

"Therefore, the SCCCO is misdirected to appreciate efforts by Mswati
if they claim to be aware of the Swaziland political situation".

Not everybody was against the SCCCO. One member wrote, "I believe the
SCCCO is correct not to seek to take any opportunistic advantage from
the situation. SCCCO has been a strong clear voice for the oppressed
in Swaziland in the past, and particularly in the recent case of the
striking textile workers. It has nothing to apologise for. It does its
duty at the proper time. Right now the imperative is to support the
struggle on the Zimbabwe front, and to concentrate all available
forces on that front.

"Swaziland is a member in good standing of SADC at the present time.
That fact may be of assistance in the future, and all more so if the
SADC acquits itself well in relation to the Zimbabwean struggle, and
establishes a good precedent thereby.

"Therefore the mature and correct approach is the one that the SCCCO
has taken.

"Swaziland?s time will come. Remember that on that day, too, you will
want to concentrate all available forces on the problem of the day."

Link http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/06/swaziland-and-zimbabwe-summit.html

_______________________

3. Pray for our country - King asks Zion Christian Church. Thulani
Ndwandwe. The Swazi Observer. June 23, 2008.

His Majesty King Mswati III has asked members of the Zion Christian
Church (ZCC) to pray for the country's social, political and economic
development.

ZCC members filled up Somhlolo National Stadium yesterday for a prayer
service. The King told the close to 10 000 members that Swaziland was
headed for national elections and, therefore, needed prayer. The King
also said prayer and total fear of the word of God would be the best
solution to the issues of HIV and AIDS as well as political
instability currently engulfing the African continent. Leader of the
Zion Christian Church, Dr Bishop Engenas Joseph Lekganyane thanked the
King for allowing the church to hold the prayer service in the
country. The bishop also thanked the King for leading the nation
through God's way in that everyone in the kingdom enjoyed spiritual
freedom.

He also urged the country's authorities to carry on with the annual
traditional prayer services saying that was Swaziland's unique way of
showing appreciation to God's love and favours.

Bishop Lekganyane assured the King that his church would make the
prayer service an annual event. The bishop entered the stadium driven
in his black limousine under heavy security. Sounds of whistles and
screams of joy by church members filled the stadium as the bishop
emerged from the car. The event was attended by church members from
the church's headquarters at Moria near Polokwane, South Africa.
Present during the service were Emakhosikati, Prime Minister, Themba
Dlamini, cabinet ministers, Bishop Samson Hlatshwayo of the League of
Churches and other pastors from different denominations.

____________________________

4. Swaziland sways to ZCC song. Sowetan, 24 June 2008.
http://www.sowetan.co.za


The sleepy town of Lobamba in Swaziland came alive on Sunday when
thousands of Saint Engenas Zion Christian Church (ZCC) members met at
Somhlolo Stadium for a mass prayer service.

All border gates to Swaziland operated for 24 hours at the weekend to
allow easy flow of ZCC members into the country. The prayer was
conducted to plead for peaceful elections next month.

Led by Bishop Joseph Lekganyane, Zionists packed the stadium to
capacity in their khaki, blue, green and yellow uniforms.

"When you invited us to come and pray for Swaziland ahead of
elections, we accepted it because every time we set our foot in this
country, we get spiritual freedom," Lekganyane told King Mswati III.

"We feel so at home that we intend to visit this country four times
every year," he said.

Lekganyane, whose fathers inauguration as bishop in 1948 caused a
split in the ZCC, commended Mswati for maintaining the culture "that
was started by his forefathers".

Until 1948 the church, together with Barnabas ZCC, was one church
under the leadership of its founder, Engenas Lekganyane.

But following the 1948 split, a minority of congregants adopted the
name Saint Engenas ZCC and continued at the original location under
the leadership of Lekganyane?s second son, Joseph.

This church adopted a dove as its symbol, and the other, a star.
____________________________

5. Mandela Fund Youth Parliament sitting. The Swazi Observer. June 23, 2008.

Young people feel there is little done by those in authority to
involve them in decision making.

This was highlighted during a Nelson Mandela Youth Parliament on
Leadership - held at the Swaziland Theatre Club yesterday.

Sabelo Ngcamphalala said nothing is done to support the youth and they
end was doing drugs and alcohol. Ngcamphalala stated government should
set up a fund that will help young people start their own businesses.
Another speaker, Hasso Magagula said nothing should be done for them
without them. He said young people needed to influence decisions made
by parliamentarians.

The youth also blamed themselves for not participating in the
elections and not voting. Ntokozo Dlamini encouraged young people to
participate in the elections.

They also felt they could do something to influence the ever
increasing food and petrol prices. Sabelo Ngcamphalala said if young
people in the rural areas could be supplied with water they would
produce some of the needed crops. "We need water so that we can be
able to plant crops and vegetables in that way we can spend less on
food," he said.

Although some speakers felt government was doing something for the
youth some felt it was not enough. Takhe Madonsela said the Swaziland
National Youth Council (SNYC) is an initiative by government to help
young people. Some felt they should be given the money in hand.
"Corruption is a major set back that is why we do not get some of the
money that is entitled to us," said Ntokozo Dlamini. There should be
age restriction in voting.

Young people say old people should not vote as some do not understand
what voting is all about.

Some said old people do not look for the capacity and calibre of
someone to be a politician - but they vote for someone who promises
them material things like food and provision of transport.

Sabelo Ngcamphalala said old people do not understand that voting is
about choosing a Member of Parliament - not someone who would provide
food rations.

"There should be an age restriction since old people think they should
vote for someone who will buy food or clothing for them," he said.
Ntokozo Dlamini said the youth should be encouraged to vote since they
could bring change to better the lives of young people.

Recommendations

After the Youth Parliament on Leadership young people made some
recommendations on education, food security, poverty, health and
social welfare, unemployment, HIV/AIDS, early pregnancy, democracy,
youth participation, human rights and cost of living. Some of the
recommendations were:

- Need for new focus of the vision and mission in education.

- Need for urgent action in food production.

- Provide funding subsidies for farming.

- Make mobile clinics available more extensively.

- Develop skills exchange programmes between countries that benefit
the Swazi youth first.

- Review minimum wages labour and legislation.

- Examine the deeper problems in social fabric of society.

- Government should act decisively with appropriate legal action
against people implicated or found guilty of corruption.

- Youth should be fully involved in all aspects of their lives.

- Need to affirm all rights.

- Need to develop national and regional plans of action to lessen the
impact of rising prices and global inflation upon the citizens of
Swaziland especially young people.

________________________________

6. Swazi radio and censorship. Swazi Media Commentary 24 June 2008.
www.swazimedia.blogspot.com

I made headlines in the Swazi Observer earlier this month (June 2008)
when I said at a public gathering in Swaziland that we should not
consider media workers at the state-controlled SBIS radio to be
"journalists" because, in fact, they were propagandists.

Last week I wrote about how the Swaziland "traditional prime minister"
Jim Gama had threatened journalists with punishments that could
include the death penalty if they criticised King Mswati III.

Now, I am reminded of a case that neatly brings these two topics together.

It concerns a broadcaster at SBIS who allowed criticism of the king to
go out live over the airwaves.

It happened in August 2006 when, according to the Media Institute of
Southern Africa (MISA) Swaziland chapter, management of the radio
station were told by government to "toe the line" or the government
would be forced to "pull the plug" on programmes that are "wayward".

Here is the background, according to MISA,

"On August 24 2006, the minister for public service and information,
Themba Msibi, warned the Swazi media against criticising the king,
instilling further fear into an already timid press which cannot
freely operate due to a perpetually hostile environment that continues
to prevail despite the kingdom?s new Constitution which guarantees
freedom of expression.

"The minister?s threats followed a live radio programme of news and
current affairs in which a human rights lawyer criticised  sweeping
constitutional powers of the king. Aired on the state broadcaster, the
Swaziland Broadcasting and Information Services (SBIS), the human
rights lawyer, Thulani Maseko, had been asked to comment on a visit by
an African Union (AU) human rights team which was on a fact-finding
mission to Swaziland during the week of 21 August.

"In response, Maseko said that, as human rights activists, they had
concerns about the kings sweeping constitutional powers and the fact
that he the king was wrongfully placed above the Constitution. He said
they were going to bring this and other human rights violations to the
attention of the AU delegation.

"Not pleased with the broadcast, the government was quick to respond.
Msibi spoke on air the following day to sternly warn the media against
criticising the king. He said the media should exercise respect and
avoid issues that seek to question the king or his powers.

"The minister said his message was not directed only to radio but to
all media, both private and government-owned. He said that in
government they had noticed that there was growing trend in the media
to criticise the king when he should be above criticism and public
scrutiny".

MISA continues, "A senior journalist at the radio station told MISA
Swaziland: "Censorship is an everyday occurrence here. As a government
medium, there is very little we can do. We just have to survive under
the circumstances".

While we are in the mood to "out" SBIS for the propaganda tool that it
is, let us remember what happened in April 2003 when Abednego
Ntshangase became public service and information minister.

According to the Committee to the Committee to Protect Journalists
(CPJ) in New York, "speaking at his first official appearance before
the House of Assembly, Ntshangase told parliamentarians: The national
television and radio stations are not going to cover anything that has
a negative bearing on government".

Ntshangase warned that those who do not support government policies
will be barred from broadcasting their views. The ban on negative
content was to apply to SBIS, which operates the only news-carrying
radio channels in the kingdom, and to Swazi TV, the kingdoms only
television station. Both outlets are state run.

It was about this time that Swazi-TV news director, Sabelo Masuku,
refused to hand over footage of a protest march conducted by teachers,
which the cabinet wished to scrutinise, and was fired.

"Government can fire the news departments whenever there is a
disagreement, but eventually they will run out of people", said Masuku.

He noted that the most talented Swazi broadcast journalists leave the
country for more lucrative media work in South Africa and elsewhere.
___________________________

7. Tackling low condom use dramatically. IRIN/Plus News 20 June, 2008.

Why are condoms so unpopular? This question has baffled and
discouraged health experts for a decade, but in Swaziland the mystery
of why men and women refuse to use condoms is slowly being unravelled
by a project that is getting Swazi men to open up about their condom
use, or lack thereof. Much has been said and written about the myths
and misconceptions inhibiting condom use, but little has been done to
reflect these realities in existing HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention
campaigns.

Now, an initiative led by AIDS activist and health motivator Hannie
Dlamini, and the National Emergency Council on HIV/AIDS (NERCHA), a
government body that distributes grants to AIDS organisations, is
hoping to change this by getting to the bottom of men's attitudes
towards sexual health.

Swaziland's first Demographic Health Survey, in 2007, found that 26
percent of sexually active Swazis were infected with HIV. Although
almost 99 percent of survey participants said they knew about the
disease, nearly half admitted having multiple sex partners and having
sex without condoms. "Men in Swaziland do not use condoms. They are
distributed all over, but they are not us!" Dlamini told IRIN/PlusNews.

For the past three years, the NERCHA project has covered two of
Swaziland's four regions: the populous central Manzini, the country's
commercial hub, and Hhohho region in the north, where the capital,
Mbabane, is located. Next on the itinerary are Shiselweni in the south
and Lubombo in the east. The programme has adopted a traditional
communications approach, rather than the standard method of using
questionnaires to amass data. To get the men talking, Dlamini and
dramatist Modison Magagula looked to traditional Swazi customs that
are still largely observed by Swazi men in rural areas, and understood
by all Swazi men.

"We recreated the sihonco. This is the enclosure, like a small kraal
[cattle pen], where the men go to roast meat, smoke traditional weeds,
and discuss things. Women do not enter the sihonco, just as by custom
men do not enter the women's special huts. We call the AIDS awareness
programme 'kudliwe inhloko' and that is the SiSwati term that means
when men sit around and talk amongst themselves," Dlamini explained.

Men in Swaziland do not use condoms. They are distributed all over,
but they are not used. Magagula's drama troupe performs a playlet
covering a specific issue, like men involved with under-age girls,
which is the starting point for the discussion that follows. About
8,000 men have participated thus far, but the organisers intend to
make this an ongoing project that would eventually reach all Swazi
men, to inform them about the facts on AIDS and counter peer pressure
and the prevailing myths about the disease.

Hannie Dlamini commented that such word-of-mouth misinformation often
served to fill the vacuum of factual knowledge, because there were
almost no health educators out there regularly meeting with
communities, especially in remote rural areas.

What do men really think?

"What has resulted thus far from this project is not statistics but
understanding: why men behave the way they do, what their beliefs
are," said Wiseman Dlamini, a NERCHA project officer in the Manzini
region. Hannie Dlamini said the anecdotes showed a striking pattern of
similarity. "The men give many reasons for not using condoms, but
these are excuses. The problem is that condoms were never properly
introduced to men." As a result, Swazi men are eager to embrace
anti-condom myths as a reason to reject what they consider a foreign
and unnatural intrusion into their sex lives.

"One myth we hear a lot is that condoms were made to destroy African
manhood; then they say they heard that the gels in condoms shorten the
size and duration of erections," Dlamini reported. Allergic reactions
to condoms were another common excuse. "Some men are developing rashes
and other problems. It is really happening to them. But other men see
this, and they decide condoms are dangerous. If one man gets a rash,
that means the whole community will not use them," said Dlamini.
"We tell m en that, if they have trouble with the rubber latex
condoms, they must use a female condom, which is made of plastic. But
even Swazi women are afraid of using their condoms. The men are
ashamed of the suggestion. If women don't use them, men don't want
anything to do with them," he noted.

Bored and married

Extramarital affairs were also a topic of discussion in the men's
enclosure. According to many men who participated, sleeping with one
woman all the time caused them to lose interest in sex. "They don't
get erections because every day they sleep together, so the men find
excitement with other girls," Dlamini said.

Renewing excitement in a marriage is a challenge for couples
worldwide, and although marriage counselling is not what Dlamini's
project is about, AIDS prevention measures will have to take these
findings into account. "In the past, polygamy was the Swazi man's way
to avoid sexual boredom. For financial reasons that is not the option
it once was; so there is a need to keep the spark going between a
married man and his wife to keep him from straying," said AIDS
counsellor, Patricia Dube.

Will this project make a difference? Dlamini is frank and realistic in
his assessment: "It's true that people listen, but after two days they
think otherwise. They forget; they are influenced by their friends.
Men listen to you when you talk to them; tomorrow they will go on as
they did before," said Dlamini. He said it would take regular
education campaigns in communities if progress was to be made. NERCHA,
the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and AIDS non-governmental
organisations will analyse the findings for possible ways of bringing
about behavioural change.

Dlamini feels that, if the views and concerns of ordinary people had
been taken into consideration from the inception of the AIDS crisis,
more effective solutions might have been found, perhaps even achieving
the elusive goal of convincing people to change their behaviour.

___________________________

8. Heavy hail storm. Summary of report. International Federation of
Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), 24 June 2008.

The International Federation?s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF)
is a source of un-earmarked money created by the Federation in 1985 to
ensure that immediate financial support is available for Red Cross Red
Crescent response to emergencies. The DREF is a vital part of the
International Federation?s disaster response system and increases the
ability of national societies to respond to disasters.

Summary: CHF 51,535 (USD 41,228 or EUR 31,811) was allocated from the
Federation?s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) in early February
2007 to support Baphalali Swaziland Red Cross Society (BSRCS) in
delivering assistance to some 500 households (or 2,500 beneficiaries)
and replenishing relief stocks, following a series of heavy hail and
rain storms.

Early and heavy seasonal rains, accompanied by hailstorms affected
three of the main regions in Swaziland during the first months of
2007. BSRCS undertook relief distributions of non-food items to the
most affected households, as identified following detailed
house-to-house damage and needs assessments. A total of 883 households
(3,344 beneficiaries) were provided with a combination of tents,
tarpaulins, blankets and clothing according to their specific needs.
The BSRCS youth volunteers also assisted in the reconstruction of four
severely damaged houses.

The National Society was able to respond quickly and more broadly than
anticipated, thanks to existing relief stock, supplemented by resource
mobilization within the country. DREF funds were used to assist with
transport and operational needs, procure additional relief items and
replenish stock.

The situation

During the first two months of 2007, Swaziland experienced a series of
heavy rainstorms, accompanied by strong winds and hail storms,
affecting the regions of Nhlangano and Lubombo. The region of Northern
Hhohho was subsequently affected in April 2007.

The storms caused extensive damage to housing and infrastructure,
leading to frequent telephone and electricity black-outs. In addition,
many hectares of crops were destroyed, raising concerns over possible
food insecurity in the months ahead. It was estimated that some 500
households had been affected.

How we work

All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of
Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) in Disaster Relief and is
committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in
Disaster Response (Sphere) in delivering assistance to the most
vulnerable.

The International Federation?s activities are aligned with its Global
Agenda, which sets out four broad goals to meet the Federation's
mission to "improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the
power of humanity".

Global Agenda Goals:

- Reduce the numbers of deaths, injuries and impact from disasters.

- Reduce the number of deaths, illnesses and impact from diseases and
public health emergencies.

- Increase local community, civil society and Red Cross Red Crescent
capacity to address the most urgent situations of vulnerability.

- Reduce intolerance, discrimination and social exclusion and promote
respect for diversity and human dignity.

Contact information

For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:

In Swaziland: Nathi Gumede, Secretary General, Email;
nathigumede@...; Phone: Tel: +268.404.2532; Fax: 268.404.6108
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Swaziland@Newsletter is published by Africa Contact (Denmark) and
distributed to more than 1600 national and international
organisations, research institutes, universities, trade unions and
labour movements, political parties, church organisations, print and
electronic media, governments, diplomatic missions, members of
parliament, parliamentary committees and private individuals in
Southern Africa, Europe and the United States of America.

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.