ANCYL MEDIA STATEMENT ON THE GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION FOR DEMOCRACY IN SWAZILAND

The African National Congress Youth League supports the Global Day of Action for Democracy in Swaziland. As the ANCYL we acknowledge the supportive role played by the people of Swaziland during the period in South Africa when the State was controlled by a few who imposed the harshest inhumane injustices on our people.

Today we witness the harsh conditions under which the people of Swaziland are subjects to an absolute monarchy. The Swazi Monarchy continues to undermine human rights and at the forefront of suppressing political dissent in that country. This includes the recent detention of Trade Union activists both from Swaziland and South Africa.

The ANCYL condemns such arrests as an effort to undermine political activities in Swaziland. The ANCYL calls for a better life for each and every Swazi citizen. There should be effective improvement in the lives of the people of Swaziland by providing prevention and care and support to its people who are living with HIV & AIDS, who are in massive numbers and to alleviate poverty and strengthen access and provision of education.

The political, social and economic emancipation of the people of Swaziland must remain the most critical focus of the South African Government, neighbouring states, the region, the continent and the world. Good governance must be an obligation to the Swazi people. It escapes our imagination how the South African Government continues to have relations with the illegitimate Monarchy and dictatorial regime when the people of Swaziland continue live in poverty, in an environment growing with HIV infection. The ANCYL will raise the illegitimacy of the Monarchy and its negative impact on the people of Swaziland in the NGC of the ANC. The people of the continent look to South Africa, in particular the ANC for guidance and support and we can never fail them.

The people of Swaziland must enjoy political freedom, we will not sit by and watch whilst our neighbours suffer. The Youth League will raise the issue of bringing political freedom to the people of Swaziland. As the people of Swaziland participate in the Global Day of Action for Democracy, we denounce the undemocratic practices of Tinkundla and reaffirm our support for political emancipation of the people of Swaziland.

Issued by the ANCYL

Contact

ANCYL Spokespersons

Floyd Shivambu

+27 82 8199 474

Magdalene Moonsamy

+27 73 2688 269

PUDEMO CONDEMNS STATE ARROGANCE AND TERROR ON INNOCENT PROTESTORS

The protest action that was in Mbabane

The protest action that was in Mbabane did not accomplish its intended objective of presenting petitions to the government. Once again the oppressive and repressive nature of the state was witnessed by the protestors.

In the first instance, the Minister of Labour did not come out to recieve the petition, a trend that has been going in the country for many years when petions had to be presented to government. The government wanted to send a junior office to recieve the petition. This shows the disgusting attitude the government of the country has towards its people.

The second factor causing the protestors not to present the petition was the arrogant, provocative and repressive behaviour of the state police. The police wanted to forcefully remove Wandile Dludlu from the protestors because he was deemed not to be part of those who should protest against the state. And police were acting on an instruction by the state which has given itself the right to dictate who should protest against it! In the process, the police assaulted and manhandled several protestors in the skirmish that ensured resulting to two workers getting forcefully and brutally thrown and held inside a police caspir that was on standby.

Earlier in the day the President of PUDEMO Mario Masuku was visited by state police acting on government instruction to take and keep him at the Police Headquarters in Mbabane on the pretext that he was not supposed to attend the protest aaction. Later on he was escorted home where he was placed under house arrest for the duration of the protest action.

This is the hallmark of the Tinkhundla regime. It sustains it power over the people through force, intimidation, harassment, fear and repression while it tells the world the direct opposite of existing concrete conditions.

This dictatorial and arrogant behaviour and tendencies of the state in Swaziland deserves the strongest and unreserved condemnation by the civilized and democratic world. PUDEMO condemns this undemocratic and disrespectful behaviour by the state. We have always expressed clearly over the years the arrogance of the state and all we got for telling the truth was to be labelled unSwazi, disrespectful and most of all terrorists.

However, this arrogance and terror ochestrated by the state will not deter us and the struggling masses of our country until the constitutional multiparty democracy is achieved.

Contact

Head of Publicity

Zakhele Mabuza +268 7607453

Manzini

COSATU condemns the arrest of 14 SAMWU members and PUDEMO President Mario Masuku in Swaziland

COSATU salutes all its affiliates, the international trade union
movement and civil society organisations from all over the world for
their outstanding show of practical solidarity with the oppressed and
suffering people of Swaziland.

This unprecedented show of solidarity has contributed to the historic
numbers in the march taking place today in Manzini that has literally
brought Swaziland to a standstill. We also send fraternal greetings to
all workers and activists who have organised activities in line with the
global day of action in their own countries.

However, we take this opportunity to condemn in the strongest terms, the
extreme arrogance and desperation of the Swazi monarchy which has and
continue to arrest our members, the latest being the 14 members of
SAMWU, our affiliate. We also condemn the arrest of PUDEMO President
Mario Masuku around 11h00 at Bhunu Mall in Manzini.

Every arrest brings closer the liberation of the people of Swaziland and
we urge the people to stand firm in their demand for democracy, it is a
painful, but worthy struggle. We are also told that an anti-South
African phobia is being instilled by the Swazi regime as we are told the
government has banned every car from South Africa unless it's a guest of
the monarchy. This will not solve the crisis and problems facing the
country, but throw it into further degeneration.

We call on the world leaders to break their silence and act now. The
future of our region is at stake and we are all called upon to be
counted in calling for sanity to prevail in Swaziland, meanwhile, the
struggle continues.

We call on all our members to join the protest at the Swazi consulate
tomorrow (Wednesday) at 12h30 at the Braamfontein Centre.

PROTEST ACTION A HUGE SUCCESS

PROTEST ACTION A HUGE SUCCESS

The Global Day of Action for Democracy in Swaziland protest action as organized by the Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC) and the workers was a huge success. Inspite of the very hostile environment created by the heavy presence of the state police, a huge number of protesters bravely participated in the action.

At the core of the demands, is the call for multiparty democracy whose absence has resulted in the blatant miscarriage of social justice.

However, true to its arrogance, the state through the police occasionally disrupted the protesters. In one instance, the police forcefully removed the President of PUDEMO Mario Masuku on arrival resulting in a physical skirmish between the protesters and the police. Subsequently, another worker was detained.

There were other casualties though:

- 8 workers from SAMWU in South Africa were forcefully removed from the premises of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions and later deported.

- 3 representatives from Afrika Kontak led by Morten Nielsen were also forcefully sent to the airport for deportation.

- 2 workers at the Forum for Socio Economic Justice Dumezweni Dlamini and Thami Tsabedze were also detained for unknown reasons.

- 1 foreign observer named Sox was also detained.

Tomorrow the protest action continues tomorrow in Mbabane where petitions will be handed over to the government.

Contact

Head of Publicity

+268 6073453

Manzini

Police raid SFTU offices ( CAMPAIGN HQ) in Swaziland

From Stiffkitten’s blog

At 8.45 today, Swazi police raided the offices of the Swazi Federation of Trade Unions. This happened only five minutes before the planned march of the Global Day of Action was to commence. The reason for targetting the SFTU offices was that the march activity was being organised and coordinated from here, and that the police with in doing so are trying to shut down the legal march entirely.

Sources amongst the organisers of the march have said that the march will continue as planned, however, regardless of the immense presence of police officers and vehicles on every corner of the city. Sources from within the Swaziland Democracy Campaign in South Africa have told Africa Contact that the Swazi military have also been deployed in an attempt to intimidate the marchers.

The police have also arrested the Deputy President of PUDEMO, Sukhumbuzo Phakathi, and it has not been possible for the laywers of PUDEMO to contact him yet.

SDC condemns the arrest of PUDEMO Deputy President, Sikhumbuzo Phakathi

07/09/2010 Press Statement

SDC condemns the arrest of PUDEMO Deputy President, Sikhumbuzo Phakathi

The crisis in Swaziland is deepening, so has the resolve of the fighting masses. No amount of arrests and brutal suppression of political and trade union activities will break the profound resistance building up in the country. This was the observation of the SDC South Africa team that was deported after interrogation by Swazi police and intelligence yesterday.

It is in that context that the arrest of PUDEMO Deputy President, Sikhumbuzo Phakathi must be understood. He was arrested around 20h30 yesterday night at the Phongola border post as the Swazi police and army were deporting the South African delegation comprised of COSATU and Swaziland Democracy Campaign activists.

It is known that the treatment of detained activists in Swaziland is a harsh experience none would dare wish to go through. This is worsened by the fact that recently; Sikhumbuzo’s rural home at Hluti was invaded and raided by the Swazi army and police in search of weapons, which in all probability was to build a case for his long planned arrest.

We demand the release of Comrade Sikhumbuzo as we also demand the right of all workers and the people of Swaziland to march and demand a government of their own choice. We further call for the intensification of activities all over the world aimed at mobilising global support for the struggle for democracy in that country.

In this regard, SDC reaffirms that it will be holding a protest action tomorrow at the Johannesburg offices of the Swazi Consulate. The details are:

Venue: Swazi consulate, Braampak behind Civic theatre, Braamfontein

Time: 12h30

Date: 08 September, 2010

For more information please contact:

Ntokozo Mbhele at
+27 72 370 0974
Ntokozo@publicservices.co.za
or
Philani Ndebele at
+27 76 942 3565
philani@asc.org.za

YCLSA CONDEMNS BRUTAL AND UNLAWFUL DETAINING OF WORKER LEADERS IN SWAZILAND

YCLSA CONDEMNS BRUTAL AND UNLAWFUL DETAINING OF WORKER LEADERS IN SWAZILAND

7 SEPTEMBER 2010

The Young Communist League of South Africa (uFasimba) condemns the unruly behaviour of Swaziland Royal Police who unlawfully detained worker leaders, who were convening a meeting in preparation for today’s protest action. This comes as no shock as the Swaziland Monarchy has proven to be intolerant of democracy and popular views of the people of Swaziland. This unfortunately proves that every word uttered by the King has merely been hypocritical propaganda to paint a facade to the rest of the world.

We re-affirm our support to the people of Swaziland in their struggle for democracy. We urge the South African government to play a more decisive role in addressing political problems of Swaziland. We cannot turn a blind eye to the continuous brutality faced by activists in Swaziland.

We call upon the immediate release of all detainees and for the protest action to continue as it was within legal confines without any interruption from the dictatorship. We support the Swaziland Democracy Campaign in their initiative in spreading awareness about the continued oppression of the people of Swaziland by a Monarchy.

Issued by the YCLSA Head office

Contact

Gugu Ndima

National Spokesperson

+27 76 783 1516