SWAZILAND'S FANTASY AIRPORT

The month of May 2010 has come and gone so where is this Sikhuphe Airport King Mswati III promised us?

You will remember that the king said the first planes would land by the end of March 2010 and when that date seemed unlikely his hangers-on said it would be May - in time for the start of the FIFA World Cup next week in neighbouring South Africa.

The planes have not arrived because the airport has not been finished.

King Mswati himself personally was the spearhead for the airport. Nobody wanted a new international airport until he said what a good idea one would be. Then the sycophants who surround the king went ahead and started building one.

The last published estimate was that Sikhuphe would cost about one billion US dollars. That’s 1,000 dollars for every man, woman and child in the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch. What a waste of money for a kingdom where nearly seventy percent of the king’s one million subjects live on less than one dollar a day.

I’ve written many times that Sikhuphe was a vanity project for the king and there was no credible reason to build it.

This hasn’t stopped the Swazi Observer, the newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati, today (4 June 2010) blaming the decision to build the airport on the Swaziland Government. (Note to Observer: King Mswati tells the government what to do. If he doesn’t wasn’t it, it doesn’t happen. Therefore the blame is the king’s).

Mthunzi Maziya, writing in the Observer, at least has the courage to state the obvious, ‘it is clearly not good for the country to have big projects like Sikhuphe Airport’.

Better make sure the king doesn’t read this Maziya.

ALARMING DETERIORATION OF RIGHTS

Freedom House has condemned the ‘alarming deterioration’ in human rights in Swaziland.

It calls the arrest of Mario Masuku, president of the banned People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), for publicly saying the name of his political party, ‘frivolous’.

Freedom House, the democracy watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights, says in a statement that the arrest is a violation of Masuku’s civil liberties ‘and a further indication of an alarming deterioration in the political environment in Swaziland’.

The statement goes on, ‘Swaziland, Africa’s last absolute monarchy, has banned political parties since 1973. Mr. Masuku’s arrest occurred immediately following the funeral of PUDEMO member, Sipho Jele, who was found hanging from rafters in a prison toilet three days after being imprisoned for wearing a T-shirt with a PUDEMO logo. Although the Swazi authorities informed Mr. Jele’s family that he had committed suicide, injuries visible on the corpse raised doubts about the cause of death. Mr. Jele had participated in a Freedom House civil society workshop in 2009.

‘“It is clear the political situation in Swaziland continues to be dangerous for anyone opposing the regime. In light of what happened to Sipho Jele, we are obviously very concerned about the safety of Mario Masuku,” said Paula Schriefer, director of advocacy at Freedom House.

‘Harassment of Swazi civil society has increased of late, including an attempt by Swazi police to prevent two civil society leaders, Musa Hlophe and Jan Sithole, from entering South Africa en route to Germany at the invitation of Bread for the World.

‘Swaziland is ranked Not Free in Freedom in the World 2010, Freedom House's survey of political rights and civil liberties, and Not Free in Freedom of the Press 2010.’

For more information on Freedom House and Swaziland, visit:

Freedom in the World 2009: Swaziland

Freedom of the Press 2009: Swaziland

CHIEF PERSECUTES PUDEMO MAN

The following is a media release from the Swaziland Democracy Campaign that reports that Bhekinkhosi Dlamini, a senior activist in the banned People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) has been summoned by the Inner Council of the Elwandle Royal Residence to answer why he officiated at the funeral of democracy activist Sipho Jele.

SDC calls this ‘state-perpetrated persecution of opponents’ of the Swazi regime ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

SOURCE

The Swaziland chapter of the Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC) is in possession of a letter of summons served on the Commissar of the Manzini branch of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) and his entire extended family to appear before the Inner Council of the Elwandle Royal Residence on Saturday 5^th June 2010. The following details are particularly worth noting:

1. PUDEMO is a proscribed political organization in terms of the Suppression of Terrorism Act (2008), which outlaws political group affiliation despite the Constitution (2005) guaranteeing freedoms such as the right to peaceful assembly, association, and expression
2. Bhekinkhosi, a nurse by profession, was born at KalaMgabhi northwest of Manzini and has lived with his mother and maternal relatives at Elwandle from a young age, and this is the only place he has always called home
3. Chief Nhlonipho Nkamane Mkatshwa of Elwandle has previously summoned Bhekinkhosi’s mother and cautioned her against Bhekinkhosi’s active membership of PUDEMO
4. The summons, signed by the headman of the Elwandle Royal Residence, Ben Mshamndane Nsibandze, who also doubles as the Regional Administrator for the Hhohho Region, was served on Bhekinkhosi’s family on Sunday 30 May 2010.
5. Bhekinkhosi is in no doubt that the summons has to do with a Times of Swaziland Sunday front-page picture of him as MC at the late Sipho Jele’s funeral the previous two weekends
6. Bhekinkhosi is half-bother to Minister for Public Works and Transport, Ntuthuko Dlamini, who verbally reprimanded Bhekinkhosi for “spoiling things for the family…” when he saw Bhekinkhosi’s picture in the newspaper and before the summons was served

The SDC is following the developments with keen interest as we believe Bhekinkhosi and his maternal household are the victims of state-perpetrated persecution of opponents of the Tinkhundla dictatorship headed by King Mswati III. We condemn such acts in the strongest terms possible and will be writing a formal letter of complaint to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) as we have done previously. We once again appeal to the international community to note and take appropriate action against the Swazi regime with a view to ending rampant human rights violations and restoring civil liberties like all civilized 21^st century societies.

SWAZILAND POLICE IN T-SHIRT RAID

Swaziland police beat up two members of the public and confiscated 400 T-shirts they were carrying

This happened at the Ngwenya border post between Swaziland and South Africa.

According to the Swaziland Solidarity Network, two as yet unnamed relatives of Amos Mbedzi, the man standing trial on charges relating to the alleged bombing of the Lozitha bridge in 2008, were attacked as they tried to enter the kingdom ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch. They had 400 T-shirts with the face of Mbedzi on the front.

The SSN says the T-shirts did not have any emblem or words linking them to any of the organisations listed as proscribed by the Swazi government.

In Swaziland lately police have arrested people wearing T-shirts supporting the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), a banned organization in Swaziland. Democracy activist Sipho Jele, who died while in jail, had been arrested for wearing a PUDEMO shirt.

The SSN reports that Mbedzi’s relatives have been advised to bring assault and theft charges against the Swazi police.

Meanwhile, the trial of Mbedzi, which was due to start on Monday (31 May 2010), has been postponed until 14 June 2010 so that his legal team can prepare.

As a result of the trial’s delay, the SSN nine-day picket at the Swazi consulate has been shifted to start on 14 June.

STUDENTS SET TO FIGHT FOR RIGHTS

Students in Swaziland are on a collision course with the government after it was confirmed that scholarships and allowances are to be cut.

In a press statement the government press office said necessary consultations were made by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security with tertiary institutions, financial institutions, the business community, members of parliament and students.

The view of the ‘majority of the stakeholders’ was taken into consideration, according to the Swazi Observer, the newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

However, the views of students who are set against the changes which mean fewer people will be able to go to university because the number of government scholarships will be cut, were ignored.

Students in Swaziland have a reputation for taking direct action in the form of class boycotts, petitions and marches when they have grievances with government or with the administration at the University of Swaziland (UNISWA).

Maxwell Dlamini, the National Organising Secretary for the Swaziland National Union Students (SNUS), said in a statement that the new rules would mean that ordinary Swazi people will have to pay tuition fees for university and other tertiary colleges.

‘There will be no personal and meal allowances for the current students in tertiary institutions,’ he said.

He added, ‘The question now is, will we allow government to take what is rightfully ours? Should we allow government to reduce education to a commodity that can be bought and sold at the behest of the wealthy?’

He went on, ‘Should we betray our brothers and sisters who fought to the bitter end to see justice prevail in 1990. Well for some of us we will not. We are ready to take the journey that most of Swazis are scared and afraid to take.

‘The path of surrender and subservience is not open to us. The path of obedience and compromise is also not open to us. There is only one way only; that is the path of sacrifice. It is the path of war and reluctant struggle.’

Dlamini said a meeting would soon be convened to discuss the way forward by the students.