Swazi civil society warns diplomats of government clamp down

During meetings with diplomats from the embassies of several Western countries, held in Pretoria last week, representatives from Swaziland’s civil society warned that Swaziland’s government was actively trying to obstruct their work and shut them down.

Representatives from Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF), Foundation for Socio-Economic Justice, Swaziland National Union of Students, Swaziland Ex-Mineworkers Association and Rural Women’s Assembly told diplomats from Denmark, England, Sweden, Japan, Russia, Norway, South Africa, the USA, SADC and the EU that they are deeply worried that the Swazi authorities are trying to make a case against FSEJ for supporting terrorism.

Prayer for ”people’s government” in Swaziland

On February 16, The Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) and the Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC) are to hold a national prayer “for a people’s government.” The prayer is to be held at Bosco Skills Centre in Manzini at 9 am.

The prayer coincides with the recent launch SUDF’s and SDC’s campaign for a people’s government and the call of for a boycott of the undemocratic elections in Swaziland later in the year.

Using the medium of a national prayer is also a call to action along religious lines.

SUDF to mobilise against undemocratic Swazi elections

In a New Year’s statement issued by Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) Coordinator, Wandile Dludlu, the SUDF says it will mobilise the population against Swaziland’s non-party elections that the organisation calls a “fallacy of royal supremacy.”

“We want [the Swazi political system of] Tinkhundla to record the lowest turn-out in history as we witnessed in the recently held local elections … to prove … that the current Swazi system of governance is illegitimate, unpopular and a mockery to democracy,” the statement said.

Democratic movement must unite and involve rank and file to depose Swaziland’s absolute monarch

“A group of uncoordinated lions will fail to catch a limping buffalo,” says a member of the democratic movement in Roskilde University scholar Bo Karlsen’s newly published analysis of the democratic movement in Swaziland, Struggling to Achieve Mass Mobilisation and Unity.

Bo Karlsen collected empirical data during a five week field study in Swaziland, sponsored by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Here he interviewed leaders from all of the main organisations in the democratic movement in Swaziland – a country that absolute monarch Mswati III has more or less bankrupted and whose population has been devastated due to “poor policy choices” and “heavy exploitation.”

From these interviews, Karlsen concludes that unity and mass mobilisation in the democratic movement in Swaziland are the main goals,

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.

Stop ikke støtte til Swaziland, siger demokratibevægelse til regeringen

“Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) [paraplyorganisation og talerør for de demokratiske kræfter i Swaziland] er chokerede over, at DANIDA har valgt at stoppe den økonomiske støtte til demokratibevægelsen i Swaziland”, siger SUDFs koordinator, Wandile Dludlu til Afrika Kontakt.

DANIDA informerede i juli Afrika Kontakt (som har flere DANIDA-finansierede projekter i Swaziland, blandt andet et med SUDF) om, at dette ville resultere i at alle projekter i Swaziland ville stoppe med udgangen af 2014.

Global week of action for democracy in Swaziland

Swaziland’s democratic movement will hold its Global Week of Action, which has become the biggest campaign for democracy in Swaziland, between September 3 and 7 – in the wake of the several weeks of protests by Swaziland’s public sector employees.

According to a press release from one of the many Swazi organisations that have pledged to participate in the event, the Foundation for Socio-Economic Justice, they are “demanding a Swaziland that is socio-economically and politically empowering to all Swazis.”

Danmark stopper støtte til demokratibevægelse i fattigt enevældigt monarki

”Swaziland har passeret BNI-tærsklen for at kunne få Dansk udviklingshjælp”, skriver bevillingsudvalget i CISU, Civilsamfund i Udvikling‘s Projektpulje, til Afrika Kontakt. Al støtte til projekter i det fattige enevældige kongedømme Swaziland ophører derfor i slutningen af 2014, efter Danidas regler.

”Beslutningen er ikke politisk, men er blot et udtryk for de regler og krav, der er til modtagerlande af dansk udviklingsstøtte”, udtaler Morten Nielsen fra Afrika Kontakt.  ”Afrika Kontakt mener dog ikke, at den danske regering kan retfærdiggøre, at organisationer såsom Afrika Kontakt ikke længere gennem Projektpuljen vil kunne støtte demokratibevægelsen i et land som Swaziland”.

Støtter ANC demokrati i Swaziland?

Sydafrikas regeringsparti, African National Congress (ANC) udtalte på deres politikkonference i sidste uge, at Sydafrika (der er Swazilands klart vigtigste handelspartner) støtter demokratisering i Swaziland.

Blandt andet udtalte præsident Zumas udenrigsrådgiver, Lindiwe Zulu, at ”vi støtter demokratiseringen af Swaziland”, og at budskabet fra konferencen var, at ANC skulle ”presse på” for at få partier lovliggjort i landet.

Med en ting er retorik, noget andet hvordan man rent faktisk handler. For samtidigt er ANC-regeringen i gang med at give Swazilands enevældige monark, kong Mswati III, et kæmpe lån på 230 millioner Euro, uden at stille egentlige krav om demokratisering til gengæld.