Union solidarity

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Monday 17 November 2008 Arrest of Mario Masuku - Issued by the Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN]

The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) has learnt with dismay about the sudden increase in political repression in Swaziland. On Friday the 14th November, 2008, Mswati's undemocratic regime criminalised political opposition by "banning" legitimate progressive formations and branding them "as enemies of peace, stability, security and national progress, whose sole aim was to plant seeds of division, fear and strife in the Swazi nation". The organisations are The People's United Democratic Movement [PUDEMO], Swaziland Youth Congress [SWAYOCO], Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN], UMBANE. The irony of this banning is that political parties were banned in 1973 in Swaziland. What the latest decree does is essentially to CRIMINALISE progressive political parties in Swaziland.

The Swazi government has since demanded that Swazis should resign from these organisations with immediate effect. The banning even goes further, by criminalising "any person found to be abetting, aiding, sympathising with, sheltering and giving any logistical support to these organisations." This means that any PUDEMO sympathiser is now a criminal.

Yesterday the 16th November, 2008 the People's United Democratic Movement's President Mario Masuku was arrested and subsequently charged for contravening the contravening the Suppression of Terrorism Act. According to media reports, the royal police are alleging that Comrade Mario Masuku was found in unlawful possession of "terrorist" literature. These trumped up charges are clearly ridiculous given the fact that the "evidence" was found in Comrade Mario's home a day after PUDEMO was branded a terrorist entity. The PUDEMO president is currently held in Siteki police station in the Lubombo region.

It is clear that the action of the government in arresting the PUDEMO President has nothing to do with fighting terrorism, but is a determined strategy to crush PUDEMO. The trumped up charges are nothing other than a ploy to try and crush PUDEMO. They have nothing to do with terrorism. By arresting the President (and initially the Secretary General Sphasha Dlamini as well) out of all the members, clearly shows that they think this will be most effective in debilitating the organisation.

The SSN is not intimidated by these actions and calls for the immediate release of the Peoples President, Comrade Mario Masuku. No amount of repression will deter the struggle for democracy in Swaziland. Neither will we allow Mswati prescribe how struggle against his regime should be conducted.

SSN therefore, calls for the international community to isolate Mswati's despotic regime. We further call for the immediate suspension of Swaziland from SADC (Southern Africa Development Community).

We call on SADC to intervene to the Swaziland political stalemate before it worsens. Let SADC change its reactive strategy to such situations as was the case with Zimbabwe, prevention of a crisis is always better. Furthermore, the SSN calls for the following to be acted on by SADC with immediate effect

We also call for immediate lifting of all draconian laws including the recently enacted Terrorism Suppression Act of 2008. Increase the pressure on the Mswati regime to with immediate effect release President Mario Masuku and all others who might already have been arrested by the time of releasing this statement.

• Lift all draconian laws in place to allow for the country to start working on a transitional period
• Unban all political parties and allow for the unconditional return of all exiles.
• Initiate under the SADC supervision, an all inclusive participative dialogue that will lead Swaziland to a multi party democratic dispensation.

SSN supports unwaveringly, PUDEMO's position over the years of a political negotiated settlement with the Mswati regime. This position the SSN still supports even to this day. The SSN however also supports PUDEMO and uMbane's right to defend the People of Swaziland, its Leaders and its Cadres against Mswati's death squads.

World Day for Decent Work
Speech by Quinton Dlamini, SNACS, Swaziland

Poverty and disease in Swaziland

What are the causes of poverty in Swaziland, is it the drought, natural or is it induced?  How is governance and are there any strategies in place including commitment and or seriousness on the part of the state?

Swaziland gained independence in 1968 from the British without a barrel of a gun on anyone and a constitution guaranteeing a bill of rights was put in place with political parties functioning normally. The Royal family however felt threatened and the King who at that time was a constitutional monarchy promulgated a decree banning political parties and trade unions.

In 2006, those powers were transferred to the constitution and endorsed by parliament as entrenched provisions and were not debatable.

Poverty and land ownership

As part of the process the king assumed ownership of land and minerals which he claimed to hold in trust for the entire Swazi Nation and this is the case up to date and he makes use of the assets he holds and cannot be questioned thus accumulating royal capital.

Forbes magazine New York 2007 quote 'King/Swaziland $200 million Age: 39, Africa's last absolute monarch assumed throne at age 18. Wealth derived from investments, real estate. Lavish spender building palaces for each of his 13 wives'

Human Rights Watch has issued several warnings and reports about the king's expenditure and violation of human rights and lack of democratic rule to no fruition.

Corruption is the order of the day under the monarchy and in 2006, the finance minister revealed that the country looses about 8 million pounds per month on corruption and the IMF stated in its report in 2006 that corruption in Swaziland appears to be institutionalized.

Media Freedom

There are 39 laws against media freedom and media is owned and controlled by the state and no dissenting views are allowed and people re informed that Kings are ordained by God. God has commanded that we respect them and be honest. Let us commit ourselves to that for the Lord God to bless our country. Media can't report about the king and are sometimes summoned to palace and told where to get off and threatened with closure by King (Survey report by Prof Rooney 2008)

Inter Press Services Statement 15th April 2008

• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has singled out six countries with an 'exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production and supplies': Lesotho, Somalia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Iraq and Moldova.
• Hunger and lack of medicine kill up to one Swazi child in seven before they reach the age of five. Of these, 70 percent die before their first birthday.

National Demographic and Health Survey Ministry of Health & Social Welfare 2008

• '85 deaths per 1,000 live births.
• 1 in 4 children in Swaziland fail to receive the full number of recommended vaccinations in their first year.
• 3/10 children under the age of five were victims of stunted growth, while an additional 10 percent reached adulthood severely stunted. Stunting reflects failure to receive adequate nutrition over a long period and is also affected by recurrent and chronic illnesses.'
• There would be 200,000 orphans by the year 2010. i.e. 20% of total population. Whether orphaned or not, children living in households in which parents or other adults were very sick, often face serious hardships, such as chronic illnesses.
• About 40 percent of Swaziland's one million people are facing acute food and water shortages.
• Over 50 percent of adults are eating less.
• Over 60 percent are limiting or reducing meal portions.
• Over 30 percent of the population is skipping meals entirely
• Over 30 percent of Swazis are consuming more than the usual amount of wild foods."

Aids and Women Rights

• 40% percent of men in Swaziland say it is all right to beat their women.
• Most men and women believe that women cannot negotiate with their husbands to have safer sex.
• Women do not have power to make household decisions and they are most likely to have control over daily household purchases.
• Husbands often have the final say over visits to family or relatives and larger household purchases.
• Men are slightly more likely to earn cash while women are more prone to be underpaid.
• Women who earn generally earn less than their husbands.

What needs to be done?

The country has a poverty reduction strategy but with the society having no political rights to shape and craft their future destiny, any document and or legislation would not bring any changes if such documents have not come up as a result of debates based on ideological differences and that all the citizens will be equal before the law. Any thing that touches on the interests of the monarchy is likely to fail and not withstanding the existence of the poverty reduction strategy and instead of things getting better, it is the opposite and this is due to the one man show leadership which does not account to anyone.

The Zimbabwe issue has been a bitter lesson for most of the oppressed populations on the attitudes of African leaders on their colleagues, i.e. from SADC to AU and to the United Nations. The decision by Russia and China is indeed a challenge. The recent developments in Georgia cannot be overlooked.

This therefore leaves the UK and US as reliable countries to back oppressed masses of the world and their workforces including progressive trade unions like COSATU, PSI, ITUC, TUC and its affiliates, and social movements such as ACTSA and others

Needs; Political education, trade union rights education, HIV/Aids education as supply of food would be ideal but would be tantamount to addressing the symptoms of a disease and not dealing with the disease itself which is restoration of democratic rule,  Targeted sanctions have been called by the progressive movements including labour.

TRADE UNION VIOLATIONS REPORT (2007)

The annual survey of violations of trade union rights is compiled by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-CSI). The ITUC's primary mission is the promotion and defence of workers' rights and interests, through international cooperation between trade unions, global campaigning and advocacy within the major global institutions.

http://survey07.ituc-csi.org/ (Link to access the on-line report with videos, photographs and summaries of trade union violations around the world)