SWAZI YOUTH VOW TO HOLD RALLY

A rally organised by Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) for today (8 August 2009) will go ahead, although officially banned, according to organisers.

The rally is to support the community of Mahlabatsini in Matsapha, where 1,000 homesteads face eviction by Prince Masitsela, a brother of King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch. The rally will also mark SWAYOCO’s 18^th anniversary.

SWAYOCO Secretary General Thabile Zwane said the rally in Mahlabatsini will go ahead, but she expected police to try to stop it and arrests and beatings were likely.

She called upon the youth of Mahlabatsini and surrounding areas to come to their rally as SWAYOCO wants to address their problems as well plan how they could resists the looming evictions.

Earlier in a statement, SWAYOCO outlined the main issues to be addressed by the rally:

- stopping evictions of well over one thousand homesteads with a population of 15 thousand people to be directly affected.

- Intensifying the demand for decent jobs in the only industrial site of Swaziland against the casualisation of 90% of the workforce.

- launching the total onslaught on the fight for free and quality primary education for the 350,000 youth that currently has no access to any form of education in a population of only 958,000.

- the youth will also be demanding quality health care facilities in this area that is heavily affected by the HIV\AIDS scourge.

- an open and total rejection of the draconian piece of legislation (Suppression of Terrorism Act) whose nature and character is only meant to silence the youth and progressive people in their fight for freedom.

Zwane said they wanted to be in solidarity with the people of the area for the looming eviction but also to highlight the continued incarceration of Mario Masuku, President of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) and Amos Mbedzi, both of whom are in jail awaiting trial on sedition and terrorism charges.

Zwane said, ‘What we are saying is that people must have the right to land, clean water, sanitation and electricity. Instead of wanting to evict the people Prince Masitsela must be advising the powers that be on how to improve the area as well as giving citizens the right to land.’

This is not the first time that Swazi authorities have banned SWAYOCO rallies. In February 2009 Swazi police brutally smashed up a SWAYOCO rally in support of Masuku at Msunduza Township in the Swazi capital, Mbabane. Four SWAYOCO leaders were arrested but later released without charge.

SWAZI YOUTH RALLY LEADERS RAIDED

Leaders of the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) have been arrested ahead of a planned protest rally due today (Saturday 28 February 2009).

Wandile Dludlu, the SWAYOCO President and other members of the banned organization, were taken by police in dawn raids yesterday at Msunduza Township in the kingdom’s capital, Mbabane.

Thabile Zwane, SWAYOCO Secretary General, is said to be on the run from police.

Dludlu was later charged with an offence under the Suppression of Terrorism Act.

According to SWAYOC, about 50 police raided houses in search of pamphlets advertising the rally to protest at the jailing of Mario Masuku, the President of another banned organization, the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).

Phindangene Mndzebele, Deputy President of SWAYOCO, in a statement said, the home of Dumsile Masuku, the sister of former president of SWAYOCO, Bongane Masuku, was one of the homes raided.

‘Dumsile was harassed by the close to fifty police officers and her home was turned upside down by the overzealous police who don’t have anything to do but only harass and intimidate members of SWAYOCO,’ he said.

Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini had threatened SWAYOCO that it would feel the full force of the law if the rally scheduled for 2pm at Msunduza went ahead. Last November Dlamini declared SWAYOCO and three other political entities, including PUDEMO, to be terrorist organizations. This means that members and supporters could face up to 20 years in jail.

The Swazi state has been intimidating pro-democracy advocates since Dlamini was appointed Prime Minister in October 2008. A number of police raids have taken place on people suspected of being supporters of banned movements.

The US State Department, in its annual country report on Swaziland released this week,noted in the past year, ‘Government agents continued to commit or condone serious abuses, and the human rights situation in the country deteriorated.’

These abuses included, ‘police use of torture, beatings, and excessive force on detainees; police impunity; arbitrary arrests and lengthy pretrial detention; arbitrary interference with privacy and home; restrictions on freedoms of speech and press and harassment of journalists; restrictions on freedoms of assembly, association, and movement; prohibitions on political activity and harassment of political activists’.

In his statement, Mndzebele said, ‘Why is the government scared of a rally because all SWAYOCO rallies have been peaceful it is not the duties of the police to ban marches and use the same torture methods used by the apartheid regime the duties of the police is to maintain peace and order and the rally has not even begun but our leaders have been arrested.’

SWAYOCO confirmed that today’s rally will go ahead as planned.

Swazi Police spokesman Superintendent Vusi Masuku warned those who attended the rally that they would be committing an offence because SWAYOCO is a banned organization.

Masuku told the Weekend Observer, ‘We still insist that they should call the rally off as we the police will definitely crush it.’

SWAZI COPS DETAIN FREEDOM ACTIVIST

The clampdown against political dissidents in Swaziland is continuing.

Heavily armed police raided the home of Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) Secretary General Thabile Zwane and took her in for eight hours of interrogation at Sigodvweni Police Station.

SWAYCO is one of four organisations branded as ‘terrorists’ by Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini.

The raid took place at about 4am yesterday (Wednesday 4 February 2008).

According to SWAYOCO’s President, Wandile Dludlu, a number of documents which were found in Zwane’s possession were confiscated.

He told the Times of Swaziland that they included their constitution, manifesto and other basic documents.

‘They told her that she had been taken in for questioning because she was found with documents supporting terrorism,’ said Dludlu.

Dludlu said he believed that what the police did was intimidation and violation of their rights as Swazi citizens.

He told the newspaper that the police said Zwane was supporting terrorism in that she was attending meetings that were planning sabotage.

He said that they made all this accusations without evidence and failed to identify the meetings of sabotage she attended.

Dludlu added that when Zwane was released she was told that she could be called in on Monday and be formally charged for supporting terrorism.

The Times reported police spokesperson Superintendent Vusi Masuku saying that Zwane was called in as part of the police’s duty to interview anyone they felt may be a threat to safety and security and there was nothing sinister with the questioning.

Zwane’s arrest is part of a clampdown of pro-democracy campaigners in Swaziland. Mario Masuku, president of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) was arrested in November 2008 and remains in jail awaiting trial. Police changed the charges against him at least twice when they were unable to find evidence to support their original claim that he possessed documents on weapons making.

Last month Zodwa Mkhonta, a leading activist in PUDEMO was arrested under the Suppression of Terrorism Act. Her son was subsequently accused of distributing PUDEMO leaflets.

There is also a long-running attempt to silence Mfomfo Nkhambule, a former Swaziland Government cabinet member and present chair of the Inhlava Forum political organisation, who has written articles in the Times of Swaziland deemed critical of King Mswati III.

He has been threatened with up to 20 years in jail if he continues to criticise the monarch.