SNUS elects new leadership during vibrant congress

“The congress was characterised by vigorous and vibrant debate which saw the students of Swaziland declaring the year 2013 as a year of action, turning each and every institution into a site of struggle for democracy and quality education for all,” outgoing President of the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS), Maxwell Dlamini, tells Africa Contact.

Maxwell Dlamini congratulated his replacement as President, Mnikelo Dlamini, and applauded the fact that several women were elected into the leadership if SNUS for the first time in the history of the organisation.

Mancoba Mabuza, a former UNISWA student, in turn praised Maxwell’s leadership.“Congratulations for leading SNUS into greater heights,

Maxwell: boycott undemocratic Swazi elections

“We will not partake in these undemocratic elections in Swaziland unless political parties are unbanned. We seek to intensify our boycott,” Swaziland Nationals Union of Students (SNUS) President Maxwell Dlamini told Africa Contact today.

Maxwell Dlamini, who has himself been tortured and harassed by Swazi security forces and has currently been on trial for over a year in a case that has brought no credible evidence against him, also said that SNUS were mobilizing against this year’s elections in Swaziland, both at home and abroad.

“We as the youth of Swaziland commit ourselves fully to mobilise all young people and the generally oppressed people of Swaziland not to partake in these elections.

Maxwell harassed by police again

“The external region of SWAYOCO is disgusted and disturbed by reports that [Swazi] student leader Maxwell Dlamini was arrested [on Friday] for allegedly not abiding by his bail conditions,” SWAYOCO’s Wandile Mazibuko wrote in a statement published on PUDEMO’s Facebook account yesterday.

“This is despite that Maxwell has been religiously observing and abiding by all the bail conditions as set out by the High Court. If anything, it has been the state that has been giving this reason or the other for failure to capture on the record books his reporting to the police station,” Mazibuko continued.

No legal representation for Swazi student leaders in court case

“Once again the student activists, Maxwell Dlamini and Musa Ngubeni appeared before Magistrate Gumedze without any legal representation,” Foundation for Socio-Economic Justice (FSEJ) wrote in a press statement on Friday.

Maxwell Dlamini and Musa Ngubeni were both abducted and tortured by Swazi security forces during the so-called April 12 Uprising in April 2011, and were later charged with possession of explosives.

Maxwell and Musa case continues

The case against student leaders Maxwell Dlamini and Musa Ngubeni continued today at Sigodvweni Police Station in Matsapha, Swaziland.

“Today the case progressed with two state witnesses giving evidence. After submissions from witnesses and a cross examination by the defense, the case has been postponed to the 28th of September,” the Foundation for Socio-Economic Justice Informations Officer, Mbali Dlamini, said in a press statement today.

Swazis want independence from absolute monarchy

Today, 44 years ago, Swaziland gained independence from Great Britain. Like many other postcolonial African nations, after the initial excitement Swaziland’s postcolonial years have been disappointing, however.

Two thirds of the population survives on less than a dollar a day, many on food aid. Swaziland has the highest Aids prevalence rate per capita in the world. And whatever money the nation has is squandered by absolute monarch King Mswati III, who controls the nations land and finances, and who brutally suppresses any dissent towards his rule.

Swazi democratic movement hopeful despite police clamp down

A prodemocracy rally in Matsapha was “violently dispersed by the state security forces,” police clamped down on activists in Siteki and Manzini and at least one activist has been detained, according to banned political party PUDEMO, in what has become almost routine at any pro-democracy rally or event in the tiny absolute monarchy.

Even so, there are high hopes amongst Swaziland’s democratic movement that the Global Week of Action that kicked of today could be an important step towards democracy in Swaziland, not least because it comes in the wake of a month-long strike by public employees that is said to have emboldened many Swazis.

Swazi student leader denied scholarship for being politically active?

It would seem that Swazi student leader Maxwell Dlamini is being punished doubly for having actively engaged himself in Swaziland’s democratic movement. Maxwell, a commerce student, was detained and tortured by Swazi police and sat his last exams from prison where he was remanded until February accused of possession of explosives. Now he is in effect being denied the possibility to continue his studies.

“I have been readmitted at the university. The only problem I currently face now is the issue of scholarship. I did apply for government scholarship a month ago and still I haven’t received any correspondence. I have also did make a follow up but still there have been no correspondence,” Maxwell Dlamini told Africa Contact yesterday [August 11].

Swazi students to hold conference amidst national crisis

The Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS) – one of the most dynamic organisations in the Swazi democratic movement – is to hold their general conference between October 12 and 14 amidst mounting economic and social crisis in Swaziland.

SNUS has invited foreign delegations, including student organisations, unions and others from around the world to take part in the conference that will include presentations, discussions, and workshops on the role of education in development.

Swazi teachers continue strike despite regime intimidation

“The struggle for the public servants is still on. We had a SNAT [Swaziland National Union of Teachers] mass meeting on Friday and the teachers resolved to press on for yet another week,” Swaziland National Union of Teachers Secretary General, Muzi Mhlanga, told Africa Contact yesterday.

The public employees have been on strike for five weeks now, demanding a pay rise of 4.5 per cent, well below the rate of inflation in Swaziland and a mere fraction of the 30 per cent pay rise that Swaziland’s parliamentarians have given themselves.