STUDENTS DEFY SWAZI POLICE

The following message was sent to member of the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS) Facebook site on Monday (24 January 2011). It concerns harassment by the Swazi Police of activists in the student movement.

Brave Swazi Students defy Royal Swaziland Police

Comrades and friends of the Swaziland Revolution are informed that the students of Swaziland now live in fear of their lives as the Royal regime of Swaziland keeps harassing the students of Swaziland, especially those affiliated under the Swaziland National Union of Students [SNUS].

It all began on the day the youth of Swaziland, led by the Swaziland Youth Congress [SWAYOCO], were on their way to attend the World Festival for Youth and Students,held in South Africa. The bus in which they were travelling in had to be stopped a number of times by the Royal Police of Swaziland and subjected to arbitrary search whilst other vehicles were allowed to pass without any hassle. This happened on the 12th of December, 2010. When they reached the Ngwenya [Oshoek] border post the Royal Swaziland Police recorded their names on a separate sheet of paper, an act which is never done normally.



Problems continued when they came back from the festival. After some rigorous search on the students by the Royal Police two students were placed aside by the police. These are Comrade Thembela Ngcamphala and the Deputy Secretary General [DSG] of SNUS, Comrade Samkelo Ginindza. According to Ngcamphala ‘upon our arrival at Ngwenya (Oshoek) border post on the morning of Wednesday 22 December, 2010, the Swazi delegation was subjected to rigorous search by the Royal Swaziland Police for any material they felt was not allowed into Swaziland. I was in possession of the daily publications of the World Festival for Youth and Students. I also had the Festival and the World Declaration documents in my possession. I was taken aside together with Comrade Samkelo and we were led to a Royal police officer known as ‘Dube’ where they confiscated our documents on democracy and took our passport numbers and phone numbers’. They were both informed that police needed time to go over the documents and that they would be called later. On Tuesday 28 December 2010 the two Comrades received a call from Dube, the police officer, ordering them that they appear at the Police Regional Head Quarters in Mbabane on Thursday 30 December 2010.



Owing to the revolutionary spirit that these two comrades have, they, after consultation with leaders of SWAYOCO, decided to defy the Royal Police. This dealt an embarrassing blow to the Royal police since they had ordered these two Comrades to leave holidays and report to them. This prompted the same Dube to call the two Comrades on January 3, 2011, and threaten them with death for defying the police. ‘Dube posed some threats stating that they were going to deal with me, even if I can switch off my phone for good and that they had got all the gadgets to do that. He then ordered me to call them, but I continued to defy them. I am not answerable to the police’, stressed Comrade Thembela. The Royal police continue intimidating the two students up to this far.



It is not the first time that police have harassed progressive students of Swaziland. Pius Vilakati, a former President of the Student Movement in Swaziland, is currently in exile. He escaped Swaziland following similar threats by the Royal Swaziland Police, after he was said to have made ‘terrorist statements’ during the memorial service of Sipho Jele who himself had been murdered by the Royal police.

Comrade Thembela is one of the student leaders that were abducted together with Comrade Pius on the 10th of February, 2010. Comrade Thembela was later dumped about 60 kilometres East of Swaziland after undergoing some torture in the forests there that same day.



To this day the two Comrades receive threats from the Royal police and yet they remain defiant. SNUS calls for the continued support of the two Comrades from all democracy-loving people in Swaziland and around the world.

LUTFO ‘WILL NOT FACE CHARGES’

Lutfo Dlamini, Swaziland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, who was arrested today (13 January 2011) will be released tonight and will not face charges.

According to a usually reliable source, Lutfo Dlamini has been saved by the intervention of the Queen Mother, who is said to have told the King not to proceed with a prosecution.

Lutfo Dlamini, will however be sacked from the Swazi Government. What will happen to him next is unclear.

Lutfo Dlamini is accused of stealing money from the Kuwaiti Royal Family that was meant for Swaziland’s King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

Earlier today, the Swaziland Solidarity Network in a media statement reported that Lutfo Dlamini’s ‘secret lover the queen mother “Ntombi Ftwala” has seen to it that he is well cloaked in the infamous Royal blanket against corruption charges’.

LUTFO ARREST: DETAILS EMERGE

The following is a media statement from the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN), issued today (13 January 2011) regarding the arrest of Lutfo Dlamini, the Swazi Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation.

SOURCE

News emanating from the troubled little kingdom indicates that the minister of Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, Lufto Dlamini, has been arrested.



The arrest comes a few days after it was exposed that Dlamini, along with the ambassador to Kuwait, had been involved in a diplomatic and financial scandal. It is alleged that the two stole money that the Kuwait royal family had sent them to give to the Swazi government.



There are still no details as to the exact nature of the charges against him. However, the nation had been anticipating that he would be fired imminently.



Minister Lutfo is one of the longest serving cabinet ministers in Swaziland and has been associated with corruption for a better part of his tenure. Despite this, however, his secret lover the queen mother “Ntombi Ftwala” has seen to it that he is well cloaked in the infamous Royal blanket against corruption charges.

Unfortunately this blanket cannot save him from this latest scandal because it deeply embarrassed the king, who can be faulted for continuously harboring corrupt government officials.

The Kuwait royal family is also at fault for blindly trusting thugs enough to give them hard cash when they could have easily transferred the money via the Central Bank of Swaziland. The minister's arrest should be viewed as a personal act rather than a fight against corruption because the king himself is the centre of corruption in the country and witting surrounds himself with charlatans.

The minister was picked up at his parental home by a contingent of police officers who took him to the Prime Minister's office to be officially relinquished of his duties. This was done before the former ambassador and cabinet minister, Prince David, was allegedly taken to the same premises, presumably to hand over Lutfo’s post to him.



Influential insiders close to the king are deeply worried about the scandals involving the royal family, especially because the king recently suspended his private secretary and an advisor to him. These sources feel that the king is no longer in control of his mental faculties and has lately become irrational and unpredictable.

Issued by the Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN] South Africa Chapter

SWAZI MINISTER LUTFO ARRESTED

Lufto Dlamini, the Swaziland Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, has been arrested by the Swaziland police, according to a short statement from the Swaziland Solidarity Network today (13 January 2011). More details to follow.

On Monday (10 January 2011) I reported that Dlamini is accused of embezzling as much as US$ 1 million intended for King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

PUDEMO CONGRESS POSTPONED

Harassment by Swaziland Police has forced the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) to postpone its National General Congress, starting Thursday (6 January 2011).

In a short statement, released today (4 January 2011), PUDEMO says its leaders have been unable to plan properly for the event because of ‘the constant disruptions by the royal police’ every time they try to meet.

PUDEMO said although the congress is postponed it will be held and an announcement of a new date will be made shortly.

About 250 delegates from PUDEMO branches across Swaziland were expected to attend the congress from 6 – 9 January.

In a statement issued last month, PUDEMO said the congress was expected to provide the impetus for the turning point in the history of the movement and the struggle for democracy in Swaziland. PUDEMO is presently banned in Swaziland and has been branded a ‘terrorist’ organisation by the Swazi Government.

The congress theme is, ‘Building a national momentum as we advance towards multiparty democracy.’ The congress was expected to address a number of issues, including the role of the Swaziland Monarchy in a democracy; building a strong mass democratic movement for change and the type of movement that is needed under the present political situation in Swaziland.