SWAZI DEMOCRAT MASUKU’S LIFE

The life story of Swaziland democrat Mario Masuku has been written and posted on the Internet.

Masuku, the president of the banned People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) is presently held in jail in Swaziland awaiting trial on terrorism and sedition charges. He has been in a cell since November 2008 and no date has yet been set for a court case.

The life story covers from his lowly beginnings as the son of a mineworker and later a cattle guard to the present.

Masuku concludes, ‘I believe the journey must one day come to finality. I remain committed even today to walk this steep and difficult last mile to our freedom. No amount of torture, beating, murder, victimization or incarceration will hinder me from fulfilling the ultimate goal of the fundamental democratization and transformation of Swaziland. I stand by this ideal and will do so all my life. Many times I have said that nobody, yes not even I is bigger than the people’s organization!’

The life story is being hosted on various sites on the Internet. To see it click here.

Also on the internet is a Free Mario Masuku site with news and information about his present predicament. Click here.

SWAZI DISSIDENT TAKES TO INTERNET

Swazi dissident Mfomfo Nkhmabule, who had his regular column dropped by the Times of Swaziland on the instructions by of King Mswati III has set up his own site on the Internet.

Nkhmabule, a former Swaziland Government cabinet minister and present chair of the Inhlava Forum political party, had gained international attention with his comments against the Swazi ruling elite and his criticisms of King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

On his new site, he says, ‘Anybody standing against the system in Swaziland is branded a terrorist - yes a terrorist just for being a politician, a citizen and somebody who wishes to do the right thing by his fellow citizens as well as His Majesty.’

To access the site click here.

Meanwhile, Nkhmabule has been further victimised for his views. The Times Sunday reported that he was ‘chucked out of the royal fields and further threatened with mob violence’ last week.

The newspaper says ‘he was chased away because he is no longer a member of the Balondolozi regiment, following his expulsion for “writing negatively” about the country’s government and monarchy.

Nkhambule was previously hauled in by Swaziland’s state police and threatened with torture if he continued to criticise the king. He was later dropped from his traditional regiment, threatened with banishment from his homeland, and his family was threatened because he refused to be silenced.

SWAZI UNIONS CALL FOR GLOBAL HELP

The Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) wants international labour organizations and civil society groups to force King Mswati III to embrace a democratic change in the kingdom..

Jan Sithole, Secretary General of SFTU, said Swazi people wanted a multi party system of government in Swaziland.

At present King Mswati is the last remaining absolute monarch in sub-Saharan Africa, political parties are banned in Swaziland, the parliament has no real powers and the king makes all the important decisions.

Sithole said the labour organizations were committed to negotiating change through social dialogue and called on the international community to apply targeted sanctions against Swazi government officials and the kingdom’s royal family and others in the ruling elite in Swaziland.

The sanctions should include a freeze of accounts, denial of flying into many capitals of the world and use of peer pressure among others.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra yesterday (15 May 2009), Sithole said workers would proceed with protests and continuous mass mobilisation to pressure government for democratic change and to adhere to all ratified conventions.

Sithole said, ‘We want the monarchy to be constitutional that will reign and not rule. Indeed culture and tradition must not be used as tools of abuse, manipulation and self aggrandisement.’

At independence in 1968, the constitution allowed the king, culture and tradition to co-exist with political parties. The king then was a constitutional monarch while the ruling party runs the government.

Five years later, the then king, Sobhuza II, declared a state of emergency and banned political parties and workers’ right to assemble without prior permission. He also vested all powers of governance in the king.

Sithole said in the 35 years since the king’s proclamation, the king had being appointing the prime minister, the cabinet and envoys and now controlled about 66 percent of appointments in the Senate and 20 percent in the Assembly.

He said while the Swazi government had signed every international human rights-friendly treaty, it had not implemented any of them. Instead, the government had passed laws that would allow it to circumvent the treaties.

Source

ZUMA AIDS SWAZI KING CLAMPDOWN

The autocratic King Mswati III of Swaziland, bolstered by his invitation and the official reception he received at the inauguration of South Africa’s president Jacob Zuma last weekend, has ordered a clampdown on Swazi trade unionists and other prodemocracy activists.



That, according to leading South African newspaper Business Report, is the view of leading Swazi activists, as police raids continued this week.

It says, although there appears to have been no mention in South Africa's media, exiled activists and unionists in the kingdom report numerous raids in which the police have seized any material - including T-shirts - calling for an end to the feudal monarchy.



‘They are reacting to the fact that the democracy advocates called for Mswati not to be invited to President Jacob Zuma's inauguration,’ Jan Sithole, the general secretary of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions told the newspaper.

To see the full report click here.

SWAZI DEMOCRAT STRIPPED IN JAIL

News that jailed Swazi democrat Mario Masuku was forcibly stripped naked by more than 20 prison warders has provoked outrage among progressives in Swaziland.

The Swazi High Court was told this week that Masuku, who has been in jail since November 2008 awaiting trial on terrorism charges, was asleep in his cell when warders stormed in, woke him up, stripped and left him naked in a search that lasted for about 30 minutes.

In an affidavit to the court, Masuku said the warders used violence and vulgar language while conducting their search on him.

Masuku, who is president of the banned People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), has also told the High Court that he isn’t being given enough time to consult with his lawyers and to attend to his visitors.

Masuku also said he was being denied exercise and access to newspapers and books.

The mistreatment of Masuku has angered Swazi progressives. The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) said it would intensify its Free Masuku campaign. The regular Friday picket in Johannesburg today (15 May 2009) will highlight the 182 days of Masuku’s incarceration. This will be the 15th weekly protest this year to support Masuku.

On Monday (18 May 2009) a memorandum of demands to the President of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) will be delivered at the opening of the 11th ordinary session of the PAP. Five days will be given to the PAP to act on the memorandum.

A demonstration is scheduled for next Friday to coincide with the closing of the 11th ordinary session. SSN hopes that the PAP President will address the demonstrators and give feedback on the concerns raised in the memorandum.

SSN wants to target the King Mswati III’s personal economic interests in South Africa.

A spokesperson for the Free Masuku Campaign said, ‘Very tough and comprehensive plans are in place. We will soon call a press conference to announce these bold steps. This is the year for Mswati to sweat. We have a duty to assist the oppressed people of Swaziland. The liberation of South Africa will not be turned into the oppression of the Swazi. They too contributed to our freedom.’

PUDEMO ON SWAZILAND POLICE RAIDS

As I have been reporting over the past two days, state police in Swaziland are raiding the homes of Swazi democrats fighting for democracy in the kingdom. Arrests have been made but the main aim of the raids appears to be to intimidate those who call for democracy in the kingdom ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

The People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) an organisation banned in Swaziland and one branded as ‘terrorist’ by Barnabas Dlamini, the kingdom’s illegally-appointed prime minister, believes a prime target of the police is to seize t-shirts printed in support of Mario Masuku, the jailed PUDEMO president.

PUDEMO says the state ‘felt highly embarrassed and intimidated when scores of workers defiantly and proudly [demonstrated] clad in PUDEMO t-shirts varying messages demanding democratic change’.

Below is a statement issued by PUDEMO yesterday (13 May 2009) outlining its position on the police raids.

STATEMENT ON THE ONGOING POLICE RAIDS ON PUDEMO MEMBERS IN SWAZILAND

As is the norm with the Swazi regime that uses repressive tactics to subdue the populace, it is presently visiting another wave of harassment on our members. First on Friday, the state’s security agents raided Wandile Dludlu, the President of PUDEMO Youth League [SWAYOCO] in Mbabane and confiscated everything on the organization ranging from t-shirts to documents.

On Saturday morning, Mandla Ndlangamandla in Malkerns was also raided taking with them t-shirts and documents.

On Tuesday Sphasha Dlamini, the Secretary General of PUDEMO was summoned to the Police Headquarters in Mbabane to answer on why she made a statement on the day.s Times of Swaziland. From reliable sources, we are told the raids are still to continue on our members as the security agents have been numerous search warrants to effect the raids at will. As a result our members are living one day at a time not knowing when the brutality will be visited on them.

We note that the state is under tremendous pressure to democratize as well as release the PUDEMO President Mario Masuku. The state felt highly embarrassed and intimidated when scores of workers defiantly and proudly came clad in PUDEMO t-shirts varying messages demanding democratic change.

However, the biggest embarrassment was the loud message demanding the release of the PUDEMO President. This was a surprise to the state which had hoped by detaining him the people had forgotten about their leader!

Hence now the security agents are moving all over the country in a mission to remove all t-shirts with message demanding the release of the people’s leader! In the process they are trampling on people’s rights. This is mission impossible! The resources used to raid all the homesteads in Swaziland should best be used to investigate the numerous cases of corruption and theft of public funds, a better priority.

PUDEMO and the people of Swaziland strongly condemn this barbaric and dictatorial act by the Swazi regime. A regime that is in charge of the SADC Troika on politics and democratic governance. Indeed Swaziland is special in the region with its archaic and semi-feudal tendencies of governance which the international community must not allow to continue.

However, this regime consists of very slow learners and seriously challenged people who cannot learn from experiences of other dictatorships that they will not win, but the people shall always TRIUMPH even if they can use the deadliest of force!

MORE RAIDS ON SWAZI DEMOCRATS

Swaziland Police are engaged on a series of raids against the homes of Swazi democrats. In one of them a leader of the banned PUDEMO was arrested.

A Swazi Police spokesperson said raids were ongoing, following incidents on Saturday (9 May 2009) in which two members of the banned People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) had their houses raided by police.

Police are on a mission to confiscate property relating to the activities of PUDEMO and the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO).

According to the Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s only independent daily newspaper, the separate houses of the Samson and Sabelo Ndlangamandla in Malkerns were raided by the police in the early hours of Saturday.

It was gathered that the police were looking for any items talking about PUDEMO or SWAYOCO.

The police took items relating to PUDEMO, including t-shirts with a slogan in support of Mario Masuku, the jailed PUDEMP president.

In a separate raid PUDEMO Secretary General Siphasha Dlamini was yesterday taken in for questioning at the police headquarters.

According to the Swazi Observer, the newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III, Police Assistant Public Relations Officer Inspector Stephen Dlamini said Siphasha was questioned on PUDEMO related matters.

‘I cannot state specifically what was asked, we are just questioning everyone to ensure that they are not linked to any criminal offences.’

The spokesperson said the police were not only targeting SWAYOCO and PUDEMO but ‘would question everyone whom they suspect could be involved in some criminal activity.’

He added, ‘Over the weekend, we had to question SWAYOCO’s Wandile Dlamini, so it is not like we are targeting one person.’

He said there were still other ongoing investigations and more people would be brought in for questioning.

I reported yesterday that the offices of a non-government organisation, the Foundation for Socio-Economic Justice (FSEJ), was raided by police who took away DVD of a meeting organised by PUDEMO, a programme for the May Day celebration at Salesian Sports Grounds and three of the Mario Masuku t-shirts.