HAS MAMBA BEEN LEFT OUT TO DRY?

Lutfo Dlamini, Swaziland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has distanced himself from his senior civil servant who spoke out against Col Muammar Gadaffi of Libya, one of King Mswati’s close allies.

And, Clifford Mamba, Principal Secretary at the Ministry, who is at the centre of the storm, is keeping his head down and refusing to speak to the media.

Meanwhile, the Swazi Government is in no hurry to come to Mamba’s aid. Government mouthpiece Macanjana Motsa and her assistant Sabelo Dlamini told inquiring reporters to talk to Mamba.

Lutfo Dlamini ‘repeatedly’ refused to comment on Mamba’s position when contacted by the Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s only independent daily newspaper.’

According to the newspaper, Dlamini said ‘they were going to investigate the authenticity of the leaked document’, but told the newspaper it should speak only with Mamba.

But, Mamba repeatedly refused to answer his phone or respond to a text message, the Times reported.

The row hit Swaziland last Friday (31 December 2010) after I reported that Wikileaks had published a secret cable sent by Maurice Parker, the then US Ambassador to Swaziland. Parker reported that Mamba had criticised Gaddafi’s time as Chair of the African Union (AU). Mamba reportedly said Gaddafi had ‘put the AU secretariat into chaos, by-passing all protocol and the institutional framework’ during his time in charge. Gaddafi was Chair of the AU for one year until January 2010.

King Mswati has been an ally of Libya for some years and has been trying to get business and development aid for Swaziland. At least one of King Mswati’s sons, Prince Sicalo, is undergoing military training in Libya. Barnabas Dlamini, Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister, visited the prince while he was in Libya in October 2010.

In 2009, Col Gadaffi sent the king six camels as a token of his friendship.

WIKILEAKS: SWAZI GADDAFI GAFFE

Swaziland’s top foreign affairs civil servant has criticised the leadership style of Col Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, the man King Mswati III wants to help save his kingdom’s ailing economy.

Clifford Mamba, Principal Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, suggested Gaddafi’s style was chaotic and autocratic.

Mamba’s comments are contained in a diplomatic cable, marked ‘secret’, written in April 2009 by Maurice Parker, the then US Ambassador to Swaziland, and published on the Wikileaks website.

Mamba is said to have criticised Gaddafi’s time as Chair of the African Union (AU). Mamba reportedly said Gaddafi had ‘put the AU secretariat into chaos, by-passing all protocol and the institutional framework’ during his time in charge. Gaddafi was Chair of the AU for one year until January 2010.

Mamba also criticised Gaddafi’s call for the creation of a ‘United States of Africa’. He said, ‘Moving one country in one direction is hard enough, much less moving 48 countries.’

Mamba was also less than flattering when he received a diplomatic note saying that Gadaffi had given himself a new title, ‘King of Culture’. He is said to have reacted with ‘amusement’ at the news.

Mamba’s comments about Gaddafi won’t please King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, who has been sucking up to Libya for years, trying to get business and economic aid for Swaziland.

Relations between Gaddafi and the king were previously said to be warm. In 2009 Gaddafi sent the king six camels as a token of friendship.

Both King Mswati and Barnabas Dlamini, Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister, have visited Libya in attempts to drum up business and aid from Gadaffi. Dlamini was in Libya as recently as last month (November 2010).

But, the Libyan leader’s money does not come without strings attached. A West African diplomat who refused to have his name or that of his country published told the Independent newspaper in the UK, ‘We made a deal with Libya whereby we would support and vote for all resolutions proposed by Mr Gaddafi at [AU] summits in exchange for his help.’

How much Gadaffi’s support has cost Swaziland is not known. When his year as AU Chair was up, Gaddafi tried without success to have his term extended, but could not get the support of enough African nations. It would be interesting to know what position Swaziland took to help Gadaffi get his way.

To read the Wikileaks cable in full, click here.

SWAZILAND FREEDOM FIGHT GOES ON

Freedom campaigners for Swaziland have had their work cut out in recent days as the Swazi state tries to tighten its grip.

The jailing of Thulani Maseko, Swaziland’s most prominent human rights lawyer, sparked fears that other arrests are imminent. Swazi dissident Mfomfo Nkhambule believes an arrest warrant is out for him and he says he is ready to go to jail.

The banned political party the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) says eight of its leaders are also expecting to be arrested any time now.

Mario Masuku, president of PUDEMO, remains in jail since last November awaiting trial on a sedition charge.

Meanwhile, the government has confirmed that legislation is being drafted by the end of this month to make it a crime for anyone on the government’s payroll (which includes minor civil servants and school teachers) to speak out on politics. Under the Suppression of Terrorism Act anyone who speaks out against the state is liable to go to prison for up to 25 years.

Last week Barnabas Dlamini, Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister, told editors and senior journalists in Swaziland that moves are afoot to introduce legislation to control the media. This would in effect give the government powers to punish media houses and journalists who publish material the state doesn’t like.

Even as the Swazi state shows it has no interest in democracy the fight for freedom continues.

Only this week I reported that the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) criticised the Swaziland Supreme Court for misinterpreting the Swazi Constitution and ruling that it was lawful to continue to ban political parties in the kingdom.

Last week Amnesty International issued a report on human rights in Swaziland and highlighted the ‘crackdown against critics of the government’. It went on, ‘Police continued to use excessive force against peaceful demonstrators and workers on strike. Torture, other ill-treatment and the unjustified use of lethal force by law enforcement officials were reported.’

Maurice Parker, the outgoing US Ambassador to Swaziland, in his farewell speech this week said, ‘Let us declare our commitment to the people of Swaziland and to the advancement of the concepts citizens of the United States hold so dear. Those of equality of opportunity; education; freedom of expression; freedom of the media, and association; human rights for all; the rule of law, and democratic participation in government policies.’

PUDEMO, in a statement this week said, ‘By arresting President Mario and recently Advocate Thulani Maseko, [Prime Minister] Barnabas [Dlamini] had hoped that the people will desert the movement. They had hoped that the people will forget their leaders. The opposite has happened.’

It went on, ‘Every day more and more people across all sectors of our society: the youth, students, churches, rural communities, professionals, workers, etc; have come to realise and accept PUDEMO as their true representative and liberation movement.’

Internally and internationally people are speaking out against King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, and his ruling elite.

It is increasingly difficult to find anyone internationally who supports the king.

But there remains one voice of support. It comes from Robert Mugabe, who remains president of Zimbabwe after stealing the election last year. He has been entertaining King Mswati this week on a state visit.

In a speech at a banquet to honour King Mswati, Mugabe praised the Tinkhundla system of government that bans political parties in Swaziland.

‘It is a democratic and community-based system that allows only bona fide members of a community to stand for elections. We are therefore proud to note that the Kingdom of Swaziland is one of the few countries in Africa which has preserved its rich culture while at the same time adopting aspects of modernisation. We wish the rest of Africa could emulate some of your time tested traditions for the sake of posterity.’

So there you have it: all the king has left, the support of a fellow despot.

US SUPPORTS JAILED SWAZI LAWYER

US Ambassador Maurice Parker says Swaziland has no right to be part of the international community and will only earn that right once it allows democracy in the kingdom.

Parker was reacting to the jailing of Thulani Maseko, Swaziland’s most prominent human rights lawyer, has been charged with sedition for comments he allegedly made at a May Day rally last month.

Maseko has been defending Mario Masuku, president of the banned People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), who has been in jail without trial since November last year.

Parker said he had spoken to government about the jailing of both Maseko and Masuku and told them he was not pleased with their arrests.

He urged the government to rethink its implementation of the 2008 Suppression of Terrorism Act.

Parker told a gathering to mark his departure as US ambassador to Swaziland, ‘We acknowledge that the Act may follow international models, but many of those models – our own included –had to be amended to ensure that the rights of citizens were not violated in the name of internal security.’

He said for Swaziland to be respected worldwide, it needed to respect the opinion expressed by citizens no matter who they were in society.

‘When citizens are allowed to express themselves without fear of reprisals, when those who may not be part of traditional structures can legally assemble to debate and have confidence that their views will be considered as valid alternatives by all those in authority, when all citizens can completely and peacefully participate in decision-making that affects their lives and the country’s development, and when the Swazi constitution becomes the absolute law of the land, Swaziland will take its place among states within the international community, and will be welcomed to take a seat within the millennium challenge corporation.’

Parker is leaving Swaziland after years to take up an appointment in Chicago, US.

I am sure the Swazi government will be glad to see the back of him since he has been an outspoken critic of the anti-democratic state of Swaziland which is ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

He was attacked by members of the ruling elite in January 2009 when he pledged US support for those fighting for democracy in Swaziland.

Parker had said many pressure groups in Swaziland had trouble organising meetings, ensuring freedom of speech, or pursuing the right to assembly freely. He promised he would work with government and all pressure groups to ensure that the bottlenecks to free expression, freedom of association and full political determination are realised in the country.