The African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa is
the latest organisation to condemn Swaziland’s use of security forces to
brutally quash democracy protests.
Swaziland is set for national elections later this year
and democracy activists have been trying to draw attention to King Mswati III’s
autocratic rule in the kingdom as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.
But, attempts to hold a prayer at a cathedral,a public meeting at a restaurant
and a public rally in a township were
all put down by police and security forces. Police claimed they were all
threats to state security.
Leaders of the protests have been charged with sedition.
Chief among the democrats’ concerns is that political
parties are barred from taking part in the election. Generally, in Swaziland,
any political party that opposes the king’s autocratic rule are branded ‘terrorists’,
banned outright and supporters are hounded by state security forces.
The ANC, in a statement, said it was, ‘[D]eeply
concerned about the current political environment in neighbouring Swaziland
where a group of unarmed civilians involved in a peaceful demonstration has
been violently broken up by security forces.’
It likened the current situation in Swaziland to that
under the apartheid regime in South Africa.
It said, ‘Having emerged from a brutal past of apartheid
that has led to scores of our people being assassinated, assaulted, detained
and imprisoned, South Africa is today a world-renowned democratic
constitutional model. Were it not for the National Party-led minority regime
having been forced by the masses of our people to engage in a dialogue with the
African National Congress (ANC) and other liberation movements prior to 1994,
this would not have been possible.
‘We therefore, call on the government of Swaziland to
work towards the normalisation of the political environment by unbanning
opposition political parties, releasing political activists and engaging in a
meaningful dialogue with opposition political and trade union leaders to find a
collective solution to the socio-economic situation faced by that country.
‘As seen in South Africa prior democracy, the use of
security forces to quell any form of political dissent and failure to address
legitimate concerns of citizens, can only lead to the worsening of relations
between government and civilians, something that does not augur well for
economic stability.
‘In the interest of maintaining the much-needed stability
within the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), we strongly believe
that the situation in Swaziland requires an urgent attention.’
The use of state security forces to quash legitimate
protest in Swaziland has put the international spotlight on the kingdom in
recent weeks.
The Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) and the
Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC), in a joint statement said police in
Swaziland were now a ‘private militia’ with the sole purpose of serving the
Royal regime.
In April, the Open
Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) reported to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) meeting in The Gambia that
Swaziland was becoming a ‘military state’. OSISA reported that the Swazi army,
police and correctional services were being deployed to ‘clamp down on any
peaceful protest action by labour or civil society organisations ahead of the
country’s undemocratic elections’.
Separately, the US Embassy in Swaziland voiced its ‘deep concern’ about the way the police engaged in ‘acts of intimidation and fear’
against people seeking their political rights.
See also
NOW, ELECTION MEETINGS ARE ‘SEDITIOUS’
SWAZI POLICE NOW ‘A PRIVATE MILITIA’
SWAZILAND ‘BECOMING MILITARY STATE’
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