27th August 2014

PRESS STATEMENT

Re: Stoppage of prayer meeting at Tex Ray by the Royal Swaziland Police

 

The Swazi Vigil UK group condemns, in the strongest terms, the unprovoked and unjustified stoppage of a prayer meeting organized by the Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) and the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) at Tex Ray yesterday (26th August 2014) and the harassment of the organisers of the prayer. We view this as nothing more than continued violation of the right of assemble and right to religion, both of which are guaranteed by the constitution of Swaziland. The reasons given by the police for stopping the prayer meeting are spurious and betray an unfortunate anti-union mindset by the Royal Swaziland Police and the Swaziland government in general. Swazis have the constitutional right to hold peaceful prayers without interference from police and the disruption of the workers prayer meeting is as reprehensible as it was provocative. We at the Swazi Vigil UK will continue to raise issues of human rights violations in Swaziland here in the United Kingdom and call for international pressure to bear on Swaziland.

 

Veli Sthembile Tsabedze

Nalamuhla besikadze sime ngephandle e embassy yaseswatini.solo silelwa inkhululeko ekhaya.angeke siyekele size sibone lushintsho.ayihambe lemfingi lengu mswati.ngibhala kumangala kutsi sikhuphe sowusibite ngaye ngebunjani? imali lengabe wakha le sikhuphe ngabe lemali iye emaswatini yasita emaswati SHAME ON YOU MSWATI awukehluki nemmbulali leyo 6.4billon emalangeni ngabe utsenge imishini etibhedlela kunetintsandzane atinakwa tibhedlela kufihlwa emehlo kona nguyiphi indiza leyoke ihlale kuleya airport ase ngibute ngibhala ngekukwata nangekumangala kutsi lemfingi iyodlala ngesive semaswati kute kube ngunini PHANSI NGA MSWATI PHANSI!.. BY JABULILE SIMELANE SWAZI VIGIL MEMBER U.K.

Today the 8 of february we were once again outside the embassy protesting about the issues that are taking place in swaziland i was really disturbed when i heard that the royal swaziland police force is now called"bomavutsa bhe" how could you be so proud of such a country just because it suits his majesty.i fear for my childs safety since im now a political activist exiled here in the u.k. And highlighting the torture that they put through to my dad it left me traumitized up to this day since he was wrongly accused of wanting to plot the king i as his child have had to go through this misery because i was being penalised for my fathers action of the past it just shows how mean and disgusting swaziland can be i have never had a job back same applies to my mother who is residing in the u.k. We shall fight until we see change!MSWATI MUST GO HES A PEODOPHILE

Call for SADC Military to Unseat King

Communists in Swaziland have called on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to consider 'all options', including military intervention, to bring down King Mswati III's autocratic monarchy.

The Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) said SADC 'intervened militarily in Lesotho in 1998 to restore democracy and prevent a coup' and should consider doing the same in Swaziland.

In its New Year message, the CPS said, 'They should be doing their utmost to bring down the regime and support a transition to democracy.

This is not the time for mealy-mouthed and meaningless protestations about "stability". SADC intervened militarily in Lesotho in 1998 to restore democracy and prevent a coup. It should consider "all options" when it comes to the Mswati regime, whose brutal ruination of our people and country is worse than the oppression from which Lesotho emerged.'

Swaziland is the only non-democratic nation in the SADC group. King Mswati rules under a Royal Decree made by his father King Sobhuza II in 1973 and never rescinded. In September 2013, the kingdom held national elections, but political parties were banned from taking part.

Only 55 of the 65-member House of Assembly were elected by the people: the other 10 were appointed by King Mswati. None of the 30-strong Swaziland Senate was elected by the people. King Mswati chooses the Prime Minister and members of the government and other senior political posts.

The full results of the September 2013 election have yet to be released to the public.CPS in its statement said, 'The absolute monarchy remains in a state of permanent desperation to secure ready cash to keep itself in place. As the last 12 months have shown, Mswati's regime is clinging to power by very precarious means.

'It attempted to hoodwink the outside world that it is in reality a "monarchic democracy" by holding bogus elections to renew Mswati's support base, while ensuring that no political parties or party platforms were wholly excluded from the process.'

CPS added, 'The regime has no legitimacy at home and precious little abroad. There is no thriving economy in the country to sustain the monarchy and its quasi-feudal ruling class for much longer.

'Despite this, the CPS and other pro-democracy forces were appalled to find SADC and the Commonwealth giving their blessing to Mswati's election scandal.

The SADC countries have anyway continued to sit and do nothing about the disgrace of the Mswati regime. They and others timidly push for meagre "reforms" to make the regime seem less odious.

'They should be doing their utmost to bring down the regime and support a transition to democracy.'

CPS called for the unbanning of all political parties and organisations as a 'crucial first step towards creating a new democratic dispensation and dismantling the monarchic autocracy'.

It also called for pressure to be put on King Mswati's financial resources.

By Thoko Dlamini