Swaziland: PUDEMO releases New Year Message

“Our beautiful country has been plunged in the unenviable abyss it is in due to a single cause – and that is lack of democratic governance within tinkhundla. This is underpinned by the supremacy and domination of the Swazi nation by one family in the form of the monarchy. The pervasive hegemonic political rule is what fundamentally informs the centre of the political challenges in Swaziland. We have no voice in our governance.

The monarchy has absolute and executive power with the judiciary, executive and legislative arms under its control; political parties are banned, freedom of association, expression and assemble are criminalized and the country is ruled under a state of emergency. This then has resulted in the deep fiscal mismanagement and uncertainty, social crisis, judicial, legislative and executive breakdown. The present and future is bleak and hopeless.

Nations and peoples of the world take too long to identify and correct these problems, but have dwelt on hope which never comes by. Dangerous demagogues do not start out as demented demons – no! Humanity has had plenty of them in the past, and presently, and when they set out on their rise to the top, nobody sees the danger that is coming. Most times, when society does eventually wakes up, it is far too late and the damage is done.

Often they find their way into people’s hearts as revolutionary orators, benevolent masters and or inspirational ‘God created’ leaders.

The above scenario has led our country to similar environments, and a country of less than 1.2million citizens lives under a skewed economy, rated as middle income, resulting from an imbalanced distribution of the production benefits. Close to 63% of the population live under less than the UN poverty line; over 300,000 survive on food handouts; our unemployment rate is above 43% and the national prevalence HIV/AIDS rests at 26.1%, the highest in the world.

Life expectancy has dropped (within the past 5 years) to 31.88 as at 2006; 49% 0f people between the ages of 25 to 29 are HIV positive; over 30% of all children are orphaned due to the HIV, TB cycle; TB infection is estimated at around 900 for every 1000 people – the highest in the world and over 80% of the population lives in rural areas where they have no security of land, hence experience endless and arbitrary evictions by the traditional authorities.

That the fiscal challenges are as a result of the decline in SACU receipts is but the worst of untruths, the tinkhundla aristocracy ‘dipping its head in the sand’ as it were, seeking an alibi from the corrupt practices by the entire legion. The government has voluntarily divulged that it loses over E80million a month on corruption, even within the monarchy.

The uncontrolled expenditure by the monarchical structures of the King and Indlovukati are unsustainable where the revenue in the budget is superseded by the expenses. The IMF and the World Bank suggested that the wage bill be reduced substantially by about US$250million. The government then wanted to reduce the number of public servants and or their wages. That is unacceptable – they must, instead, reduce the number of the security forces who do no services to the citizens, but are mainly used as an elite security organ to keep guard on the monarchy and its oppressive institutions. This undemocratic arrangement continues to give the security forces unlimited powers to brutalize and kill citizens at will with no consequences for the offending officers.

Swaziland, is a member of SADC and signatory to its treaties and protocols, especially its Mission which is: “To promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socio-economic development through efficient productive systems, deeper cooperation and integration, good governance, and durable peace and security, so that the region emerges as a competitive and effective player in international relations and the world economy”.

The cause of these crises is, as we have said before, the unworkable tinkhundla political dispensation. Democracy, peace and stability cannot be divorced from the greater economic integration agenda. For economic integration to thrive, it is not only an issue of macroeconomic convergence that is important but also the issue of political convergence. A country which is democratic and stable is likely to attain higher economic growth than one that is characterized by political turmoil and undemocratic practices.

Even at this moment we reiterate that whatever country wishing or willing to bail out the tinkhundla regime must first think if it is worth doing so. Our position is that there are funds under King Mswati’s clandestine accounts inside and out of Swaziland which can sustain the economy. If any country has to, then it must lend the regime under the conditions as stated by the South African Government in the initial Memorandum of Understanding.

The entire cabinet under the Premier, S.B. Dlamini has admitted to corruptive practices as witnessed in the land dealings and interference with the other arms of government, and PUDEMO believes they are not capable of restabilizing the economy – this must be done by an interim structure from civil society and political parties.

The main conditions should include amongst others; the willingness to engage in a genuine all inclusive democratization process; putting in place of a credible Fiscal Management Program; the retraction of the Circular No.1 of 2010; the cutting down on unnecessary royal expenditure; the unbanning of political parties, in particular PUDEMO, SWAYOCO its youth league and any of its structures; and the unconditional return of all exiles and the release of all political prisoners.

Our liberation is drawing nearer by the day. The imprisonment without trial of comrades Maxwell Dlamini, Musa Ngubane, Bheki and Zonke Dlamini only serves to buoy us on, and the struggle continues. The constant pinning down of comrade Amos Mbedzi also shows how biased the local judiciary is. Bheki and Zonke will appear on 2nd February 2012 and are kept under very inhuman prison conditions.

Comrades Maxwell and Musa have been denied bail for the past year and when granted it was exorbitant (at E50, 000 each). They will appear on the 12th January 2012 for trial.

The past year was full of civil society activism which was hard felt by the regime, the marches and demands for social transformation must continue as mass action is the main tool of our liberation. On the week of 12th April 2011 comrades were rounded up, tortured and locked up by the royal forces while the President of PUDEMO, comrade Mario Masuku was kept under house arrest for two days.

During the protest actions of the 5th – 9th September 2011 more than 10,000 people marched for their freedom, and comrades Wandile Dludlu and Mario Masuku were refused freedom of association, assembly and expression by the regime.

We applaud the contribution by the Mass Democratic Movement, the Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) together with its campaign wing the Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC) and the SCCOCO for keeping their lines alive and working together for a common purpose. While political parties, by nature, differ in ideologies, their objectives remain common, and we encourage relationships among them.

Following the release of a progressive statement by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Southern Africa, Swaziland Circuit, Mbabane Parish in July, members of the civil society converged in the church on the 31st November 2011 for a prayer. The church was besieged by members of the security forces which prevented anybody from entering the church. PUDEMO applauds the courage of Bishop A.M. Mnisi and the entire church for holding firm to the principle by Rev. Martin Luther King that says “the absence of justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”., and likewise “the lack of human rights anywhere is a shame to all humankind.

We also wish to acknowledge the unprecedented activism shown by the Swaziland Law Society for their stand against the irregularities in the judiciary and the Judicial Service commission in Swaziland. The JSC failed to guarantee the rule of Law and Independence of the Judiciary which is the bastion for the protection and enforcement of all human rights, fundamental freedoms and civil liberties, and transparent governance, in particular in the case against Judge Thomas Masuku.

The judicial crisis were further ignited by the several directives issued by the Chief Justice among which was that no summon may be issued against the King’s office which meant that no proceedings would be taken even against those who transacted with that office.

We are indebted to the solidarity extended to the people of Swaziland, and to PUDEMO in particular, by the South African Tripartite alliance, the South Afrika Kontakt, the Botswana National Front, the World Federation of Trade Unions and many of our fraternal friends.

We wish to congratulate the African National Congress on its Centenary Celebration on the 8th January 2012. May the organization go stronger each day. Amandla!

Our main tasks now are to unite the Swazi struggle and speak in one voice even though our strategies may be different, and we must:

Work towards the unification of the working class movement and the strengthening of the Trade Unions and TUCOSWA.
Ensuring that the mass democratic movement under the SUDF gains more ground and embraces all the organs for our liberation through vigorous campaigns from democracy in our country.
Political parties take their role in the liberation, and lead the process working with civil society. In this regard we must ensure we have the vision, unity, organizational and revolutionary discipline within PUDEMO.
The call for the unbanning of political parties, in particular PUDEMO is no rhetoric, but a reality, and this process must be put in place to the people and the regime unapologetically. Specific dates are set for activities.
That there will come a time for Dialogue is unquestionable, and PUDEMO must continue with its program of Political Education and Empowerment of its members on the issues of Transition and Leadership.

The coming years are of prime importance to the organization. The regime will attempt to renew itself in 2013, and we have to start now preparing for that. In the same year we shall be commemorating the organization’s 30th Birthday and we must also start preparations for that event now. Hence in February we shall hold a Policy Conference as one of the many steps to take towards a liberated Swaziland.

For all Swazis, this is the Kiros Moment, the right time to act. It may mean some casualties and challenges to us, but this is the time, and we have no choice. We are faced with the fact, comrades that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain a flood – it ebbs.

We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea, and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, “too late”. We have to make the right choices. If we do so, we will be able to speed up the day; able to transform the dangling discords of our country into one that we will be proud of, where we will be called citizens and not subjects. And history will judge us fairly.

May you all have a fruitful New Year.

THE PEOPLE SHALL GOVERN”