Communist Party of Swaziland congratulates workers of Swaziland on militant actions against sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch

Communist Party of Swaziland congratulates workers of Swaziland on militant actions against sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch

The year 2018 has already witnessed a number of militant protest actions by the workers of Swaziland against sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, raising a number of demands but all related to the undemocratic nature of the tinkhundla system. The latest protest actions have been led by the Swaziland National Association of Teachers and the Swaziland Democratic Nurses’ Union.

On Friday 24 August 2018 Mswati’s police fired live bullets at school teachers who had been protesting peacefully in the city of Manzini in Swaziland, calling for a cost of living adjustment. One worker was shot on the arm. 

William Dlamini, a teacher, was shot by the royal police of Swaziland with a live bullet as the police crushed a peaceful march led by the Swaziland National Association of teachers

More workers would have been shot had it not been for the heroic efforts of one of the teachers, Maxwell Musa Myeni, who wrestled one of the gun wielding policemen and halted the police’s murderous efforts. 

Maxwell Musa Myeni, a teacher, heroically restrains a gun wielding policeman who was intent on mowing down peacefully protesting teachers of Swaziland on Friday 24 August 2018

Myeni was then abducted by the notorious Lukhozi arm of the police force on Sunday 26 August 2018. It took the militant actions of workers and other human rights activists who crammed the Manzini Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday 28 August 2018 for Mswati’s regime to release Myeni on bail. They dared the regime to release Myeni or else be prepared to arrest all of them (see video below).

The teachers' peaceful action on Friday followed a night vigil on Thursday and a meeting on Friday morning. It is important to acknowledge the resolute actions of the teachers as Mswati had banned all activities in Swaziland falling on 24 and 25 August in a bid to force the people to partake in his sham elections that will elect a puppet parliament.

Swaziland teachers taking part in a night vigil on Thursday 23 August 2018

Yesterday, Wednesday 29 August 2018, workers led by the Swaziland Democratic Nurses’ Union took to the streets to demand quality health care for the people of Swaziland and a cost of living adjustment. People are dying like flies in Swaziland because public clinics and hospitals have run out of vital drugs and equipment, including HIV testing kits, with the government pleading poverty. This is a direct result of the undemocratic nature of the tinkhundla system.

On 29 August 2018 nurses led by the Swaziland Democratic Nurses' Union filled the streets of Mbabane, demanding cost of living adjustment and quality health care for the people

These latest protest actions follow on the heels of other actions led by TUCOSWA in April and June 2018. On 29 June 2018 police assaulted workers who were protesting peacefully on the streets of Mbabane, and further denied wounded workers the right to access much needed medical care.

As the Mswati regime uses the weak state of the economy as an excuse for all its wrongs, it is important to remember that earlier this year it splashed over E1 billion (then about US$75 million) to celebrate Mswati’s 50^th birthday. Mswati bought a second private jet for himself worth about E500 million (then about US$40.3 million), a wrist watch worth E21 million (then about US$1.6 million), and spent more hundreds of millions stolen from the nation on gifts for his extremely large family and friends.

Mswati’s propaganda newspaper, the Swazi Observer, recently commented that Mswati’s government will spend “not less than E15 million” (US$1.1 million) to construct a lavish retirement home for the prime minister.

The Communist Party of Swaziland is firmly on the side of the workers of Swaziland and supports their militant struggles against the brutal Mswati regime. We also support the resolution for a seven days strike action by nurses to start next week Wednesday, 5 September 2018, as well as the two weeks protest action called by TUCOSWA, scheduled for September just before the secondary elections. We will continue to play our vanguard role in these worker struggles.

It is encouraging that a great majority of Swazis have realised the undemocratic character of the ongoing tinkhundla elections; that the resultant tinkhundla parliament will be nothing but a puppet parliament for sub-Saharan African’s last absolute monarch Mswati to implement his unilateral decisions, to continue looting public resources and impoverish the nation even further.

The Mswati regime must be overthrown by the people. The Communist Party of Swaziland invites the workers of Swaziland and all human rights activists to our country-wide Freedom Discussion Forums to commence soon. These forums will deliberate on the practical ways to overthrow the hated royal regime.

Issued by the Communist Party of Swaziland

Contact:

Kenneth Kunene

General Secretary

+27 72 594 3971

Or

Njabulo Dlamini

International Organiser

Mobile: +2687 603 9844

Email: cpswa.org@gmail.com

Facebook: Communist Party Of Swaziland – CPS

Twitter: @CPSwaziland

Vuka Ngwane - Poem by Nelly Mncina

Vuka Ngwane is a poem by Nelly Mncina, calling for the people of Swaziland to rise against tyranny. 

A crime against humanity is underway in the fiefdom called Swaziland

Communist Party of Swaziland

Statement, 16 August 2018

A crime against humanity is underway in Swaziland, and future generations will pose the question; what did the revolutionaries do when the murderers went on a rampage?! More people are dying in Swaziland because public clinics and hospitals have run out of vital drugs and equipment, including HIV testing kits. This will definitely result in the death of more patients, a direct consequence of the undemocratic nature of the tinkhundla system.

It is a well-documented reality that for years many people have been dying in Swaziland due to lack of drugs and equipment. Despite the deaths, Mswati’s regime remains unconcerned. This latest reality is therefore the deepening of the tinkhundla instilled health crisis.

The health crisis has meant that people go to hospitals to die. Patients are often told by helpless hospital staff to purchase drugs from the expensive private pharmacies. These drugs are unaffordable for the majority of the people. 70 percent of the people of Swaziland survive on less than US$2 a day.

Despite the health crisis, Mswati and his cronies have not reduced their spending on lavish projects. According to a commentary by the Swazi Observer, a newspaper wholly owned by Mswati’s government, the Mswati regime will spend “not less than E15 million” (US$1.1 million) to construct a retirement home for the prime minister. Earlier this year, Mswati bought a second private jet for himself worth about E500 million (about US$40.3 million at that time), a wrist watch worth E21 million (about US$1.6 million at that time), and spent more hundreds of millions of public funds on gifts for his extremely large family and friends.

This despite the fact that barely a few months earlier the World Food Programme and Mswati’s government had agreed that over 350 000 of the 1.3 million people of Swaziland were in urgent need of food aid. By that time tens of people had already died of hunger and curable diseases.

The Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) takes this opportunity to recognise and appreciate the selfless action of nurses who have been protesting in Swaziland against the shortage of nurses and drugs in hospitals. They showed a much developed consciousness of the crisis engulfing the country.

The CPS calls upon democratic forces to close ranks, unite against the tinkhundla regime, and to expose the sham that tinkhundla elections are. Tinkhundla elections will create a puppet parliament which has no power to hold Mswati, who rules Swaziland as an absolute monarch, and his government to account.

The health of the nation can only be assured in a democratically elected government which has a clear mandate by which it can be held to account. The Mswati regime must be overthrown. The CPS is already mobilising for country wide Freedom Discussion Forums to deliberate on the practical ways to overthrow the hated royal regime.

Issued by the Communist Party of Swaziland

Contact:

Kenneth Kunene

General Secretary

+27 72 594 3971

Or

Njabulo Dlamini

International Organiser

Mobile: +2687 603 9844

Email: cpswa.org@gmail.com

Facebook: Communist Party Of Swaziland – CPS

Twitter: @CPSwaziland

Swaziland’s royal family and its “monarchical democracy” to blame for the economic crisis facing the country

In the same year that the tinkhundla government of Swaziland splashed over E1 billion (about US$75 million) to celebrate Mswati’s 50th birthday, the regime has finally conceded that it is broke. Mswati’s government has thus directed that all vacant posts, including the creation of new posts and promotions across all government ministries and departments be frozen with effect from 1 August 2018.

This pronouncement was made through the Establishment Circular No. 3 of 2018 which is with effect from 1 August 2018. In terms of the circular, this state of affairs “has been necessitated by the current financial situation in the country and the cash flow problems faced by government.”

Mswati’s government makes this pronouncement as if it is surprised by the economic crisis. Swaziland has been experiencing a self-inflicted economic crisis for a couple of decades, a result of the undemocratic system that is running Swaziland; tinkhundla system. Political parties remain banned since 12 April 1973, while political dissent is suppressed by arrest and torture by the royal security forces of Swaziland. Consequently, close to 70 percent of the almost 1.1 million population survive on less than US2$ a day, and in 2017 over 350 00 people were in urgent need of food aid.

Despite this announcement, however, the same government is constructing a huge retirement home for Mswati’s most trusted and brutal prime minister, Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, which will cost “nothing less than E15 million” (US$1.1 million) according to the government’s newspaper, the Swazi Observer (see picture below).

The economic problems that have been facing Swaziland are caused by nothing but the “monarchical democracy” that was created after the abrogation of the constitution and banning of political parties and organisations in 1973 by the late Sobhuza II. Consequently, royal spending has increased exponentially along with the unbridled violation of human rights by the regime. The fact is that a great chunk of public funds in Swaziland are used to feed this fat filthy pig which produces no bacon for the taxed-to-the-bone citizens.

The Communist Party of Swaziland will continue mobilising against the ongoing undemocratic tinkhundla elections which will create a puppet parliament for Mswati to implement his decisions. Any success of these elections will mean nothing but deepening poverty for the people of Swaziland. All progressive forces must therefore come together in a unified attack against the elections and the tinkhundla system as a whole and lay the ground for a true democratic country.

Issued by the Communist Party of Swaziland

Contact:

Kenneth Kunene

General Secretary

+27 72 594 3971

Or

Njabulo Dlamini

International Organiser

Mobile: +2687 603 9844

Email: cpswa.org@gmail.com

Facebook: Communist Party Of Swaziland – CPS

Twitter: @CPSwaziland

Mswati shows his absolute powers again by banning all events falling on days of his undemocratic elections

Communist Party of Swaziland

Statement, 9 August 2018

Mswati shows his absolute powers again by banning all events falling on days of his undemocratic elections

The Mswati autocracy’s desperation has sunk to the lowest levels as it banned all activities that were scheduled for 24 August and during the day of 25 August this year as it tries to force Swazis to focus only on the tinkhundla sham elections scheduled to begin on 25 August. This is one of the clearest examples of the exercise of Mswati’s absolute powers as he has banned even events falling on the eve of the sham elections (24 August) in addition to those falling on the day of the primary elections on 25 August.

This may appear to the distant observer merely as an act aimed at giving people an opportunity to go and vote, but the people of Swaziland know that this command by Mswati will be implemented violently. This will be through the chiefs in the communities and by the violence of the security forces. The people have been commanded to not even bury their loved ones during those two days, unless they conduct such burials before 5a.m, a ridiculous proposition.

The Mswati regime is known to violently shut down all people’s activities in order to force them to attend the regime’s events such asIncwala and Umhlanga reed-dance. On 29 July this year, royal police even invaded over 10 churches and forced congregants to go and register for the tinkhundla sham elections in a bid to increase numbers.

The people of Swaziland know that there is nothing to benefit from these elections. They are now aware that the parliament they are forced to elect is nothing but Mswati’s puppet and has no powers to hold either the absolute monarch or the government to account. It is for this reason that Mswati was able to loot about E1 billion (about US$75 million) in public funds to pay for his 50^th birthday party.

The Communist Party of Swaziland will be organising political fora in defiance of the banning. Our cadres will be deployed throughout the country to address these political fora advancing our transitional programme calling for true democracy in Swaziland. We encourage other formations in the pro-democracy movement to do the same and organise political activities in defiance of the ban and the undemocratic elections.

Issued by the Communist Party of Swaziland

-- 

Contact:

Kenneth Kunene

General Secretary

+27 72 594 3971

Or

Njabulo Dlamini

International Organiser

Mobile: +2687 603 9844

Email: cpswa.org@gmail.com
Facebook: Communist Party Of Swaziland – CPS

Twitter: @CPSwaziland

Mswati dictatorship to blame for continuing suicide among workers in Swaziland

Communist Party of Swaziland

Statement, 8 August 2018

Mswati dictatorship to blame for continuing suicide among workers in Swaziland

The toiling masses of Swaziland are not surprised by the suicide of a young teacher on 5 August 2018 after the Swaziland government failed to pay him for three months. Yet again, Mswati has blood on his hands.

Mxolisi Ndlangamandla was a contract teacher. Mswati’s government has been casualising the teaching profession, meaning that even if one is a fully qualified teacher the government no longer hires them permanently. These contracts range from one to twenty-four months, with the government reserving the right to either renew or discontinue the contract if it deems fit. Consequently, teachers forfeit the benefits they should be getting; housing allowance, travel allowance, pension and other benefits.

On the other hand, the regime aims to weaken the teachers union since contract teachers like Ndlangamandla are ineligible to fully participate in union activities in fear of termination of their contracts.

Ndlangamandla’s case is thus one of many such sad cases happening in the public and private sectors. A 2017 report by the National Psychiatric Hospital says Swaziland recorded 125 suicides in 12 months, the main cause being depression. 18 percent of Swazis attempted suicide in 2017. But the numbers could be higher. The World Health Organisation put the number at 189 deaths – 1.69 percent of total deaths – ranking Swaziland at number 18 in the world.

Ndlangamandla’s suicide is thus traceable to the mistreatment that many workers face in Swaziland; heavy taxes, suppression of the right to freedom of speech, among other rights which would enable workers to speak out and unite freely against oppression.

It is clear that the amount of economic pressure placed upon the people is a greater cause to the number of young people committing suicide.

Many police officers, for example, have been forced into suicide due to debt incurred after late payments by Mswati’s government. Just recently, police officers, soldiers and warders had their salaries deducted in order to fund Mswati’s birthday party. In June, police officers were ordered to pay towards the cost of their Police Day and Passing-Out ceremony. Workers are also burdened with heavy taxes to fund Mswati’s insatiable lust for luxury, with the latest introduction of such taxes brought by the Finance Bill of 2018. This will definitely have an impact on the lives of the toiling masses.

It is clear that the Mswati autocracy is incapable of resolving the problems of Swaziland. This situation will only get worse unless the absolute regime is overthrown.

With the regime having spent over E1 billion (about US$75m) to celebrate Mswati’s lavish birthday bash, further impoverishing the already close to 70 percent population which survives on less than US$2 a day, the people’s anger can no longer be suppressed. The people have no choice but to intensify the fight against the Mswati regime. The campaign against the tinkhundla sham elections is an essential and inseparable part of the struggle against the tinkhundla regime, for the creation of a truly free democratic country and a government accountable to the people.

Released by the Communist Party of Swaziland

Contact:

Thokozani Kenneth Kunene

General Secretary

+27 72 594 3971

Or

Njabulo Dlamini

International Organiser

Mobile: +2687 603 9844

Email: cpswa.org@gmail.com