Njabulo Dlamini, one of the best known young democracy
activists in Swaziland / eSwatini, has died aged 32.
Dlamini, who was known as Njefire,
was the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) International Organiser since
2017. He was still a student at the University of Swaziland when he joined the
party in 2011, the year it was founded. He was elected to the CPS Central
Committee in 2013 and served as the party’s National Organiser.
Swaziland is ruled by King Mswati III as an absolute
monarch and political parties are not allowed to take part in elections. The CPS
along with other pro-democracy organisations are also banned from the kingdom
under the Suppression
of Terrorism Act.
Dlamini took a leading role in pro-democracy campaigns
by students and in defence of the people against state-imposed evictions of
residents in the Madonsa
township. He also spearheaded a number of international solidarity campaigns
and helped establish the Swaziland Kurdistan Solidarity Network. His last
major international work was during the 2019 Israeli Apartheid Week where he
helped organise activity in collaboration with the leadership of the Swaziland
National Union of Students in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
At the time
of his death he was awaiting trial together with Mcolisi Ngcamphalala, Deputy
National Chairperson of the CPS, of the traffic offence of jaywalking. They had
been arrested while they were on their way to a workers’ planning meeting in
Manzini.
Dlamini worked as a teacher and was Secretary of the
Big Bend Branch of the Swaziland National Association Of Teachers. He died in Mbabane
Government Hospital on 23 May 2019. He had been diagnosed with fungal pneumonia
a few weeks earlier.
In a statement, the CPS said, ‘One thing that did not
go down well with some of the former leaders in the union is that Comrade
Njabulo tended to pursue issues which were viewed by many as too difficult and
impossible to win; issues that had never been attempted before. It was his
revolutionary tenacity, persuasion and steadfastness that helped grow the force
necessary to convince the leadership that those issues be pursued.
‘With his practical contribution towards the
resolution of those issues, he became highly trusted and a great source of
inspiration to many members of the union and beyond. The union gradually
transformed and became more radical on its campaigns partly due to his untiring
work. This is how he was able, working together with other young workers, to
hold activities that were thought impossible before, including a fully-packed
night vigil in August 2018 and a young workers’ forum where workers’
self-defence units were formed.’
Photo:
Sourced from Facebook
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