Swazi Media Commentary

TRADE UNIONIST SPEAKS OF GOVT ‘THREAT’

2012-05-24T13:43:00.000+02:00

A trade unionist visiting Swaziland this week said he felt ‘threatened’ when a Swazi government minister said he and his colleagues should not be in the kingdom without permission.

They were visiting Swazi workers on a ‘fact-finding’ mission about trade union operations in the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

But, Minister of Labour and Social Security, Lutfo Dlamini, said they had no right to be in Swaziland because they had not informed government of their mission.

The unionists from the UK and the Netherlands met with public service unions while on a four-day visit to the kingdom, just ended.

Commenting to local media on Dlamini’s statement, Nick Sieler, Head of International Relations at UNISON, a UK trade union, said, ‘We were shocked by the statement made by the minister.’

He told the Timesof Swaziland, ‘The minister’s statement does not tie up with the freedom of association.’ He added he perceived the statement as a threat.

Sieler said their mission was to strengthen their relationship with the country’s unions, particularly the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU) and the National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU).

George de Roos, International Officer of Abuavabo trade union in the Netherlands, told the newspaper that in more than 30 years travelling around the world on trade union issues no government had demanded he registered on arrival.

See also

GOVT WANTS TO VETO UNION VISITS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/govt-wants-to-veto-union-visits.html

SWAZILAND’S BRUTAL REGIME: AMNESTY

2012-05-24T11:42:00.001+02:00

Stiffkitten Blog

24 May 2012

SOURCE

Amnesty International annual report criticises “brutal” Swazi regime

“Arbitrary and secret detentions, political prosecutions and excessive force were used to crush political protests,” Amnesty International writes about Swaziland in their 2012 annual report on the state of human rights throughout the world that was released today [24 May].

Swaziland is an absolute monarchy where all political parties are banned, where the monarch King Mswati III rules by decree and where two thirds of the population survive on under a dollar a day whilst the royal family spend lavishly on luxury items and prestige projects.

The Amnesty report focuses at length on mass demonstrations in April 2011 that were brutally suppressed by police and security forces. “In April, the government banned protest marches planned for 12 to 14 April by trade unions and other organizations. Arbitrary and secret detentions, unlawful house arrests and other state of emergency-style measures were used to crush peaceful anti-government protests over several days.”

The treatment of student leader, Maxwell Dlamini, who was detained and tortured during the mass demonstrations (although the torture of Maxwell at the hands of security police is for some reason not mentioned in the report), is held up as an example of the regime’s suppression of the democratic movement in April 2011, as is that of (banned political party) Ngwane National Liberatory Congress activist Ntombi Nkosi.

“Maxwell Dlamini, President of the Swaziland National Union of Students, was detained between 10 and 12 April and held incommunicado without access to a lawyer or contact with his family. The day after his release he was rearrested, along with Musa Ngubeni, a political activist and former student activist leader. They were denied legal access while in police custody and during their hearing at the magistrate’s court.”

“On 12 April, 66-year-old Ntombi Nkosi, an activist with the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC), was on her way home, having received medical treatment after tear gas was thrown at her, when she was confronted by three armed police officers. They questioned her about wording relating to the NNLC on her T-shirt and head scarf and then allegedly grabbed her, pulled off her T-shirt and headscarf and assaulted her. They throttled her, banged her head against a wall, sexually molested her, bent her arms behind her back, kicked her and then threw her against a police truck. A passing taxi driver helped her to get away.”

The report also clearly points to the fact that the regime has closed of all avenues of dialogue with the democratic movement. “The government ignored renewed efforts by civil society organizations to open a dialogue on steps towards multi-party democracy. At the UN Universal Periodic Review hearing on Swaziland in October, the government rejected recommendations to allow political parties to participate in elections.”

Swaziland: uprising in the slip-stream of North Africa

KING’S TRIP TO LONDON ‘COST US$794,500’

2012-05-24T09:58:00.000+02:00

The King of Swaziland’s trip to London for Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee cost the Swazi people at least US$794,500.

King Mswati III reportedly took 30 people with him and stayed at the world-renowned Savoy Hotel.

The extravagant spending comes just as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) criticised Swaziland for diverting money that should have been used on education and health to other spending.

As a result of this spending the IMF withdrew from Swaziland its team that was advising the government on economic recovery. Now, the kingdom will find it impossible to get the loans it needs from the World Bank and the African Development Bank to help rescue the economy.

The cost of King Mswati’s trip is a state secret, but it has been possible to piece together some of the spending.

To fly to London the King had to hire a private plane, despite having received a jet as a gift for his birthday last month. That plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-87, which cost an estimated US$17 million secondhand, is too small to fly from Swaziland to the UK without stopping at least once on the way for refuelling.

So, King Mswati flew in a Bombardier. When he went to the UK last year to attend the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton he went in a similar jet. That time the cost of plane hire was reported to be between US$700,000 (E4.7 million) and US$900,000. We can assume it cost more or less the same this time too.

The King, who is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, took an entourage of 30 people with him to the Diamond Jubilee. He stayed at the US$630-per-night Savoy Hotel. Assuming all his party stayed in the same hotel, he ran up a bill of US$18,900 per night. Multiply that by a five-day stay and the total hotel room bill was US$94,500.

We can say with some confidence that the combined bill for the flight and the hotel came to at least US$794,500. There would also have been considerable incidental expenses associated with the trip, but it is difficult to cost these.

In November 2011, Joannes Mongardini, head of the IMF team in Swaziland, was asked by the BBC whether he thought the King and the Royal family ought to make financial sacrifices to help Swaziland out of its economic mess. He responded diplomatically, ‘We would expect all Swazis to make a sacrifice.’

In the interview Mongardini pointed out that the old and sick were suffering most from the financial crisis in Swaziland.

GAY HATE JOURNALIST UNREPENTANT

2012-05-23T13:49:00.000+02:00

Qalakaliboli Dlamini, the Swaziland journalist dropped by his newspaper after he attacked homosexuals in his column, has told his editors he is glad he did it and would do it again.

And, he says he is ready to launch a public campaign against homosexuals.

Qalakaliboli, until last week a regular columnist in the Times Sunday, told them, ‘I want to put it on record that I did write the article and I did state it without fear that I hate homosexuality with every fiber of hair on my body. Given the opportunity I would gladly do it again and I am not at all apologetic for my choice of words.’

He made his comments in an email sent to Times Sunday editor Innocent Maphalala and Times of Swaziland group managing editor Mbongeni Mbingo.

Qalakaliboli was ‘indefinitely’ suspended from the Times Sunday following what Maphalala called an ‘unprecedented’ number of complaints from readers. The Times of Swaziland readers’ ombudsman has been asked to investigate a complaint that Qalakaliboli broke the National Association of Journalists code of ethical conduct on hate speech.

In his email, which Qalakaliboli copied to a number of people and organisations, including Swazi Media Commentary, he wrote he would ‘stand up against the spread of homosexuality in my country, and which I will do even after I have stopped writing for the Times of Swaziland.’

He added, ‘I will continue to stand up against homosexuals and if need be, I will run a public anti-homosexual campaign.’

See also

‘TIMES’ GAY HATE – CALL TO UMBUDSMAN

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/times-gay-hate-call-to-ombudsman.html

NEW ATTACK ON ‘TIMES’ HATE SPEECH

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-attack-on-times-hate-speech.html

‘TIMES’ MISLEADS ON KING’S LONDON VISIT

2012-05-23T13:17:00.000+02:00

The Times of Swaziland has censored itself again while reporting the Swazi Royal Family.

The Times, the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom, reports today (23 May 2012) that Inkhosikati LaMbikiza, the first wife of King Mswati III (he has 13), had ‘rave reviews for her dress sense’ when the couple visited London last week to attend dinner with Queen Elizabeth II to mark her Diamond Jubilee.

It quoted the Daily Mail newspaper in the UK saying, LaMbikiza had a ‘rather eye-catching pair of Pearly Queen-style shoes with feathery pom-poms on the toes and heels.

‘The shoes were trimmed with jewels, sequins and feathers. She also wore a black and white spotted dress with feathery trimmings and it matched perfectly with her shoes and a grey clutch bag.’

But what the Times did not say was that the Daily Mail has also been reporting, ‘Guests from controversial regimes include Swaziland’s King Mswati III, who has been accused of living an obscenely lavish lifestyle while many of his people starve.’

News media across the world have been reporting that King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, was dogged by protests during his short visit to London.

Demonstrators picketed him on two separate occasions at the Savoy Hotel, where he was staying in rooms reported to cost £400 (US$630) per night.

Protestors also were waiting for him outside Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s residence when he visited her and there was also a vigil outside the Swazi High Commission.

See also

SWAZI CENSORSHIP ON KING’S UK TRIP

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/swazi-censorship-on-kings-uk-trip.html

LONDON PROTEST TO GREET SWAZI KING

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/london-protest-to-greet-swazi-king.html

POLICE FIRE RUBBER BULLETS AT STUDENTS

2012-05-22T11:12:00.000+02:00

Swaziland police fired rubber bullets and teargas to disperse students protesting about the lack of equipment at their university.

Armed police forced the students from the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology campus, Mbabane, where they had been boycotting classes for the past week.

Limkokwing administrators said the university had now been closed ‘indefinitely’.

Students were protesting about the lack of technical equipment, including computers, laptops and cameras. The university is a private university, based in Malaysia, which opened a campus in Swaziland in May 2011. The Swazi Government pays E16 million (US$2 million) a year for scholarships to the university.

Local media reported armed police officers used rubber bullets to disperse the students who were refusing to leave the university premises after they were ordered to do so by management. Students ran from the university when police fired teargas and took cover in a nearby shopping complex, but were forced from there by armed police.

There have been numerous complaints and boycotts by students over issues including poor accommodation, non-payment of allowances and non-availability of teachers, since the university first opened.

See also

STUDENTS UNDER FIRE FROM POLICE

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/11/students-under-fire-from-police.html

KING FELL FOR BOGUS UNIVERSITY

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/06/king-fell-for-bogus-university.html

LIMKOKWING UNIVERSITY IS ILLEGAL
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/05/limkokwing-university-is-illegal.html

GOVT WANTS TO VETO UNION VISITS

2012-05-21T16:35:00.000+02:00

A Government minister has warned workers in the kingdom that they cannot invite trade unionists from overseas to Swaziland without permission.

Lufto Dlamini, Minister of Labour and Social Security, said Swazi unions could not have any meetings with organisations which had not informed government of their mission.

He was reacting to a meeting that took place yesterday (21 May 2012) between Swazi unionists and a delegation of workers from the UK and the Netherlands.

‘Any organisation or union that comes into the country for any meeting must first inform government through the relevant ministry. There is protocol that has to be observed before they come into the country,’ Dlamini told media in Swaziland.

He added, ‘I am not aware of this meeting as nothing was formally communicated with the ministry. Any members of an organisation or union who come into the country have to ask for permission from government and state their agenda.’

Mduduzi Gina, of the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), said the meeting was held to discuss various issues, including the recent deregistration of TUCOSWA by the government.

GAY HATE SPEECH WRITER SUSPENDED

2012-05-21T13:49:00.000+02:00

The Swaziland writer at the centre of a gay hate speech storm has been suspended by his newspaper.

The Times of Swaziland acted against Qalakaliboli Dlamini when an ‘unprecedented’ number of readers complained at his article last week attacking homosexuals.

His weekly column did not appear yesterday (20 May 2012) and may never appear again.

Times Sunday editor Innocent Maphalala told his readers, ‘As Editor, I also take full responsibility for publication of the said article and unreservedly apologise to all our readers who found it in bad taste.’

He said, ‘We have received an unprecedented number of concerns regarding Qalakaliboli’s last article.’

A formal complaint to the Times of Swaziland readers’ ombudsman has been made against Dlamini for breaking the Swaziland National Association of Journalists code of ethical conduct.

Separately, Times Managing Editor Mbongeni Mbingo said, ‘We shall be having further discussions on a permanent way forward.’

See also

‘TIMES’ GAY HATE – CALL TO UMBUDSMAN

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/times-gay-hate-call-to-ombudsman.html

NEW ATTACK ON ‘TIMES’ HATE SPEECH

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-attack-on-times-hate-speech.html

SWAZI CENSORSHIP ON KING’S UK TRIP

2012-05-19T18:46:00.002+02:00

The Weekend Observer in Swaziland censored itself in its reporting of King Mswati III’s attendance at Windsor Castle to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee.

The newspaper reported, ‘Among the guests is King Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain, whose attendance has been criticised by human rights campaigners.’

But, the newspaper did not report that these same ‘human rights campaigners’ were also complaining that King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, had been invited.

Media houses across the world have been reporting that King Mswati is being criticised in London for ‘leading a lavish lifestyle while his people starve’.

The campaigners also highlight that the King has a personal fortune of US$100 million.

The King, who is reported to have taken an entourage of 30 people with him to London, was met with protests at his hotel and at the Swazi Consulate, where he held a dinner.

The Press Association news agency in the UK, quoted Thobile Gwebu of the Swaziland Vigil who said people in the kingdom had been reduced to eating cow dung to make sure they filled their stomachs as required for Aids medicines provided by non-government organisations (NGOs).

The Weekend Observer is in effect owned by King Mswati.

SWAZI KING FACES NEW PROTEST

2012-05-18T13:08:00.000+02:00

Swaziland prodemocracy campaigners are to picket the Swazi High Commission in London on Saturday (19 May 2012) when King Mswati III is due to hold a dinner.

The King is in London to attend a banquet as the guest of Queen Elizabeth II as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebration.

The King, who is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, is staying at the £400 a night Savoy hotel. He is reported to have taken an entourage of 30 people with him to London.

His visit has been met with protests and media organisations across the world have drawn attention to the fact that while the King and his 13 wives live a lavish lifestyle, seven in ten of his 1.1 million subjects live in abject poverty, earning less than US$2 a day.

According to Forbes, the King has a personal fortune estimated at US$100 million. He also has control of a trust fund in Swaziland that is estimated at US$10 billion.

Pickets organized by the Swaziland Vigil met the King when he arrived at the Savoy on Wednesday. The Vigil is also organizing a protest on Saturday 19 May at the Swazi High Commission, 20 Buckingham Gate, London, from 6.30pm.

See also

KING MSWATI, LONDON PROTEST - PICTURES

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/king-mswati-london-protest-pictures.html

KING MSWATI, LONDON PROTEST - PICTURES

2012-05-18T08:45:00.000+02:00

Here are photographs from the demonstration at the Savoy Hotel, London (16 May 2012), against the invitation of King Mswati III, to a banquet to honour Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.

Pictures by Mark Beacon of Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA).

There are no copyright restrictions on the photographs.

‘TIMES’ HATE SPEECH – NOW IT’S THE JEWS

2012-05-18T08:12:00.001+02:00

Qalakaliboli Dlamini, the Swaziland Times Sunday writer at the centre of a gay hate speech storm, has also attacked Jews in his articles.

Dlamini, who writes each week for the paper, has written in his column for the Times Sunday that the Jews organised to take over the banking system of America, ‘and they would determine the direction America took by making American presidents their puppets’.

He wrote that in the 1920s, ‘The [US] Federal bank was to be handed over as collateral or security for a loan the Jews were going to pump into the American economy.’

In the article, published by the Times Sunday on 11 September 2011, he wrote, ‘American children would be held accountable for all monies the mother nation owed to the Jewish bankers, who had given themselves the name New World Order (NWO)’.

The NWO is a discredited conspiracy theory propagated over the years by anti-Semites. In his article, Dlamini claimed that a particular Jewish family ‘the Bilderberg group’ leads the NWO and he quoted David Rockefeller saying, ‘It is an international government that put in place international media gurus to promote its propaganda.’

This was not the first time Dlamini attacked Jews. On 3 July 2011, he wrote that Jews ‘owned 50 percent of the US’.

He said, ‘The Jews lent money to the US government and the repayment security was the people of the US.’

He went on. ‘The Social Security Act of 1936 sought to ensure that every citizen of the US was bound to pay taxes to the Federal Reserve Bank that had been taken over by the Jewish bankers.’

He said, ‘the policies of the US government and the US president are controlled by the Bilderburgs.’

In the same article, he wrote, ‘I just write the truth and tell it as it is.’

Dlamini has been in the centre of a storm after he proclaimed himself to be ‘homophobic’ in the Times Sunday last week (13 May 2012). He wrote, ‘I hate homosexuality with every fibre of hair or flesh in my body.’ He said homosexuals performed ‘satanic deeds’ and were an ‘abomination’.

This led to criticism from readers , an official complaint to the Times of Swaziland newspaper group ombudsman, that Dlamini had broken the National Association of Journalists code of ethical conduct and a call from the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations that action should be taken against Dlamini.

See also

‘TIMES’ GAY HATE – CALL TO UMBUDSMAN

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/times-gay-hate-call-to-ombudsman.html

NEW ATTACK ON ‘TIMES’ HATE SPEECH

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-attack-on-times-hate-speech.html

FURY AT SWAZI QUEEN’S R½m HOTEL BILL

2012-05-17T15:06:00.000+02:00

News that one of Swaziland King Mswati III’s 13 wives is staying at a luxury South African hotel running up a bill of R500,000 (US$60,000) in a month has caused anger in the poverty stricken kingdom.

Queen LaMotsa, the second of the King’s wives, is reported to be staying in the presidential suite of the Westcliff Hotel. She is said to have been there for a month so far. The luxury hotel charges US$2,000 (R17,250) a night.

LaMotsa is in Johannesburg to be near her son Prince Majaha who is in a Netcare hospital in the city after he was critically injured in a motorbike accident last month.

The Star, Johannesburg, reported that news of the Queen’s accommodation expenses and her son’s private healthcare had caused outrage among ordinary Swazis. It reported one, who declined to be named, saying she had recently taken a relative to a public hospital after a car accident, but was offered only painkillers.

‘When the King’s son is involved in an accident, he is rushed to South Africa to get the best treatment at a private hospital. This is unacceptable,’ she said.

Swaziland Diaspora Platform spokeswoman Ntombenhle Khathwane said, ‘We hope the government will realise there are many other Swazis like Prince Majaha who face life-threatening medical emergencies, but do not have the luxury of a prompt medical response like the young prince.

‘These are the Swazis who die every day in ill-equipped Swazi hospitals owing to the government’s neglect of our health system.’

Swaziland Solidarity Network spokesman Lucky Lukhele said the health system had collapsed in Swaziland. He added there was no doubt that it was Swazi taxpayers who were paying for the Queen’s stay at the hotel as well as Majaha’s medical expenses.

The news of the Queen’s high spending is revealed just as King Mswati, who is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, arrived in London to attend a dinner to celebrate the UK Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee. The King is staying at the Savoy Hotel, where rooms reportedly cost £400 (US$630) a night. He is said to have taken an entourage of 30 people with him.

In Swaziland, seven in ten people live in abject poverty, earning less than US$2 a day.

For his birthday last month the King received a private jet plane, worth an estimated US$17 million. The King has refused to disclose the source of the gift, leading to speculation that it was paid for out of public funds.

PICKETS PROTEST AT KING’S VISIT

2012-05-16T15:15:00.001+02:00

Photos are beginning to come through from the picket in London to protest that King Mswati III of Swaziland has been invited to take part in the Jubilee celebrations of the UK’s Queen Elizabeth.

The King, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, is staying at the Savoy Hotel, where rooms cost about £400 per night. He is reported to have taken an entourage of 30 people with him from Swaziland.

The Swazi Vigil organised a protested outside the hotel today (16 May 2012).

The co-ordinator of the Swazi Vigil Thobile Gwebu said people in Swaziland had been reduced to eating cow dung so that they could fill their bellies as required for the AIDs medicines provided by NGOs. She said the King had recently taken delivery of a DC-9 twin-engine aircraft claiming it was a gift from ‘anonymous sponsors’

The Swaziland Vigil is also planning to picket the Swaziland High Commission on Saturday 19 May when King Mswati is due to hold a dinner.

Picture credit: BBC

NEW BILL ‘WILL CLOSE DOWN THE PRESS’

2012-05-16T14:41:00.001+02:00

The Swaziland Government has been accused of trying to close down the press with the publication of a new Bill to bar public servants from disclosing any information about their work that relates to ‘public policy’.

They will also be prevented from talking about the economic strategy of the kingdom.

The new Public Service Bill also states civil servants must not ‘publish in any manner anything which may be reasonably regarded as of a political or administrative nature’.

The Bill was published earlier this month and is due to be debated in parliament before being signed into law by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

It is being seen in Swaziland, where censorship of the media is tight, as a further way of keeping information from the Swazi people.

Quinton Dlamini, President of the public service union NAPSAWU, said the Bill was, ‘nonsense because it’s difficult to draw the line on information that is confidential or not’.

He told local media, ‘There is nothing private about government. All that they do has to be public. They use our money, so as citizens, we have to know how our money is spent.’

He added, ‘It means we won’t know what’s happening in government. In short, they’re closing down the press. It means everything has to come out through the Government Press Secretary.’

He said the media would find it difficult to break stories because government would demand that journalists divulge sources of information.

Part of the Bill reads, ‘Whether on duty or on leave of absence, a public officer shall not (except with due authority) allow oneself to be interviewed on questions of, or connecting with any matter affecting or relating to public policy, security or strategic economic interests or resources of Swaziland.’

'TIMES' GAY HATE: CALL TO OMBUDSMAN

2012-05-16T14:05:00.000+02:00

A formal complaint has been lodged against Swaziland’s Times Sunday and its writer Qalakaliboli Dlamini after the newspaper published an article encouraging hatred of gays.

The Times readers’ ombudsman has been asked to investigate a complaint that Dlamini broke the Swaziland National Association of Journalists’ code of ethics.

Prof Richard Rooney, former head of the department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Swaziland, has written to the ombudsman to ask for a formal investigation.

The ombudsman adjudicates on complaints readers have against articles published in the Times group of newspapers.

Rooney wrote, ‘The article contained a lengthy attack on homosexuals and included the phrase, “I hate homosexuality with every fibre of hair or flesh in my body.” Dlamini also wrote homosexuals performed “satanic deeds” and were an “abomination”.

‘Dlamini’s article contrives Article 13 of the Swaziland National Association of Journalists code of ethics which states, “Hate speech: ‘Journalists shall avoid by all means the publication of speech that might promote hatred, spite and conflict amongst the Swazi or any other nation.”

‘Hate speech is a type of speech or writing which can do any of the following: deliberately offend, degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action against someone based on their race, ethnicity, profession, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. It can be aimed at an individual; or racial, ethnic, religious or other group. Such speech generally seeks to condemn or dehumanize the individual or group; or express anger, hatred, violence or contempt toward them.’

Already many readers have lodged complaints against the article on the Times’ website and the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations has asked Times Managing Editor Mbingo Mbongeni to take ‘positive action’ against Dlamini.

See also

READERS ATTACK ‘TIMES’ FOR GAY HATE

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/readers-attack-times-for-gay-hate.html

NEW ATTACK ON ‘TIMES’ HATE SPEECH

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-attack-on-times-hate-speech.html

SSN ‘NOT VOICE’ OF DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT

2012-05-16T12:29:00.001+02:00

The way the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) presents itself as the ‘legitimate voice’ of the prodemocracy movement has been rejected by political and labour groups in the kingdom, according to an analysis just published.

And, the split between the SSN and its parent, the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), could eventually lead to a decline in the potential impact of work for democracy in the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

The analysis came from the African Conflict Prevention Programme (ACPP) in Pretoria, South Africa, which is part of the Institute for Security Studies.

It came in a briefing after last week’s decision by PUDEMO to indefinitely suspend SSN and to throw it out of its office for ‘systemically launching vicious attacks on PUDEMO’.

ACPP says, ‘Those familiar with the SSN Google Forum would be acquainted with their aggressive descriptions of the monarchy elite and their permanent labelling of the ruling regime as nepotistic, discriminatory and oppressive.’

ACPP says, ‘the self-presentation of the SSN as the legitimate voice of the movement has been rejected by PUDEMO, other political entities and labour formations in the country.

It says the move by PUDEMO should not be seen as a ‘split’ in the democracy movement because the SSN is not at the centre of decision-making in the movement. Its role has, ACCP says, been to monopolise ‘the external public communications space on the country’s domestic politics’.

ACPP says, ‘The irony with the SSN’s suspension is that PUDEMO and the SSN, who both operate illegally since political party activities are criminalized, have generally had more similarities than differences in their political change approaches, which are characterized by the use of strong language, radicalism and revolutionary rhetoric.’

ACPP says, ‘[T]he PUDEMO/SNN rift signifies serious underlying weaknesses within the Swaziland Democratic Movement (SDM), which over the years has failed to address the tough questions on the true character of the movement; the extent to which there are assumed material incentives in SDM participation; and the degree of “free riding” within the group.’

ACPP says, ‘The mass democratic movement has a history of fragmentation based on both ideology and intra relations within the group. These fragmentations also challenge the self-presented notion of a collective identity within the SDM, inferring that collective identity is more a perception than a reality.’

ACPP says as a consequence the various democracy groups are unable to agree on campaign strategies and tactics for reform. It predicts that this will lead eventually to a decline in the potential impact of the movement.

To read the full briefing report click here.

See also

SWAZI DEMOCRACY MOVEMENT SPLITS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/swazi-democracy-movement-splits.html

ALL-BLACK ‘PERMANENT’ SUPREME COURT

2012-05-16T12:06:00.000+02:00

Swazi Bill of Rights Blog

14 May 2012

SOURCE

AN ALL-BLACK ‘PERMANENT’ SUPREME COURT

Chief Justice Ramodibedi has noted that the "permanent" bench of the highest court in Swaziland is all-black for the first time in its history (see article HERE). This is truly an historic moment.

In using the word "permanent", it is supposed he was comparing this bench with the "rotational" justices provided mostly by the Commonwealth who fly into the country on short contracts to deal with case backlogs. But it happened to remind everyone that there is little security of tenure for judges in Swaziland. "Security of tenure" is the term used to describe the protections a judge has from being fired out of political motivations. So, for example, judges with security of tenure would be more likely to act without fear or favour in a case involving a pension fund with large landholdings and deep ties to the ruling elite.

Sections 155, 156 and 158 of the 2005 Constitution seemingly guarantee that once a judge is appointed as a "substantive" office holder, s/he will hold that position until the age of 75 years, or until s/he retires, or until s/he is removed from office for "serious misbehaviour" or "inability to perform the functions of office arising from infirmity of body or mind." The reality is somewhat different. As far as I can tell, all the judges of the superior courts are on fixed contracts for a specified term. Worse, the majority are officially only "acting" judges, whose terms are for less than six months.

This is a far cry from the sort of "permanence" laid out in the 2005 Constitution. Without security of tenure, the judiciary in Swaziland is unlikely to be as independent as it should be.

LONDON PROTEST TO GREET SWAZI KING

2012-05-16T08:25:00.000+02:00

Statement from Swaziland Vigil

Swazis in London protest at visit by playboy king Mswati III

Exiled Swazis living in the UK are to protest outside the Savoy Hotel in London on Wednesday 16th May when their king Mswati III is due to arrive to attend a diamond jubilee banquet for the world’s monarchs hosted by the Queen at Windsor Castle on Friday 18th May.

The protest is organised by the Swaziland Vigil which stages regular demonstrations outside the Swaziland High Commission in London in protest at the king’s autocratic rule. He is Africa ’s last absolute monarch and has, at the last count, 13 wives – although there are reports that some of them have fled. Forty-four year old Mswati III, educated at Sherborne public school in Dorset , is said by Forbes magazine to have a fortune of more than $100 million while his people live in poverty.

The co-ordinator of the Swazi Vigil Thobile Gwebu said people in Swaziland had been reduced to eating cow dung so that they could fill their bellies as required for the AIDs medicines provided by NGOs. She said the king had recently taken delivery of a DC-9 twin-engine aircraft claiming it was a gift from ‘anonymous sponsors’.

Ms Gwebu said she understood the king was travelling with the entourage of 30, staying at the Savoy where room prices start at £400 a night.

She said Swazis in the UK didn’t want to spoil the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations and had written to her explaining that, as Queen of the Commonwealth, perhaps she could have a word with Mswati so that they could return home to a country where human rights were respected. For text of the letter see: http://www.zimvigil.co.uk/vigil-news/campaign-news/397-swaziland-vigil-letter-to-the-queen.

The Swaziland Vigil is also planning to picket the Swaziland High Commission on Saturday 19th May when king Mswati is due to hold a dinner.

Savoy Protest

Date: Wednesday 16th May from 12 noon – 3 pm

Venue: Savoy Hotel, Strand, London WC2R 0EU

Swazi High Commission Protest

Date: Saturday 19th May from 6.30 pm

Venue: Swazi High Commission, 20 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6LB

Contact: Fungayi Mabhunu 07746 552 597

SWAZI PM, ENEMY OF FREEDOM, TURNS 70

2012-05-15T12:49:00.000+02:00

Swaziland's Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini, the man King Mswati III illegally-appointed in 2008, is 70 years old today.

Dlamini was appointed by the King, who is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, after the November 2008 national election in which all political parties were barred.

The King disregarded the constitution he had signed in 2005 that clearly states that the Prime Minister must be a member of the House of Assembly. Dlamini has sat in six parliaments, but has never been elected by anybody.

When introducing Dlamini as the new PM, King Mwsati told him publicly to attack prodemocracy campaigners and all who supported them.

Dlamini set about his task with zeal. He banned four organisations, branding them terrorists.

His Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini told Swazis affiliated with the political formations to resign with immediate effect or feel the full force of the law. Under the Suppression of Terrorism Act (STA), enacted the same year Dlamini came to power, members and supporters of these groups could face up to 25 years in jail.

Under the draconian provisions of the STA, anyone who disagrees with the ruling elite faces being branded a terrorist supporter.

The Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini stressed that the government was after supporters of the banned organisations. Supporting an organisation, he said, ‘includes associating with such banned formations or aiding materialistic through provision of commodities such as food and weapons.’

This happened at a time when the call for democracy in Swaziland was being heard loudly both inside the kingdom and in the international community.

Since 2008, the Dlamini-led Government has clamped down on dissent. In 2011, Amnesty International reported the ill-treatment, house searches and surveillance of communications and meetings of civil society and political activists. Armed police conducted raids and prolonged searches in the homes of dozens of high profile human rights defenders, trade unionists and political activists while investigating a spate of petrol bombings. Some of the searches, particularly of political activists, were done without search warrants.

Amnesty reported that authorities continued to use the STA to detain and charge political activists. The STA was also used as a basis for search warrants and other measures to intimidate human rights defenders, trade unionists and media workers.

In 2010, Dlamini publicly threatened to use torture against dissidents and foreigners who campaigned for democracy in his kingdom. He said the use of ‘bastinado’, the flogging of the bare soles of the feet, was his preferred method.

Dlamini told the Times of Swaziland newspaper he wanted ‘to punish dissidents and foreigners who come to the country and disturb the peace’.

But Dlamini’s abuse of human rights did not start with his appointment in 2008. He was a former PM and held office for seven and a half years until 2003. While in office he gained a deserved reputation as someone who ignored the rule of law.

In 2003, he refused to recognise two court judgements that challenged the King’s right to rule by decree. This led to the resignation of all six judges in the Appeal Court. The court had ruled that the King had no constitutional mandate to override parliament by issuing his own decrees.

In a report running for more than 50,000 words, Amnesty International looked back to the years 2002 and 2003 and identified activities of Dlamini that ‘included the repeated ignoring of court rulings, interference in court proceedings, intimidating judicial officers, manipulating terms and conditions of employment to undermine the independence of the judiciary, the effective replacement of the Judicial Services Commission with an unaccountable and secretive body (officially known as the Special Committee on Justice but popularly called the Thursday Committee), and the harassment of individuals whose rights had been upheld by the courts.’

Today (15 May 2012), the Times of Swaziland, the only independent daily newspaper in Swaziland, publishes a fulsome tribute to Dlamini running over several pages. In one headline it says, ‘He is not the tough man that people think he is’. Another headline says, ‘We need more people like the PM’.

Times’ publisher Paul Loffler, is on public record saying Swaziland does not need democracy.

NEW ATTACK ON ‘TIMES’ HATE SPEECH

2012-05-14T16:07:00.001+02:00

One of the most significant human rights organisations in Swaziland has called on the Times Sunday to take action against its columnist who wrote hate speech against homosexuals in the newspaper.

The Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations (the Coalition) condemned the writer Qalakaliboli Dlamini who used words such as ‘satanic’ and ‘evil’ in an article about homosexuals in the kingdom.

Already readers of the newspaper, part of the only independent newspaper group in the kingdom, have condemned the article as ‘pathetic’ and ‘bigoted’.

Now, Musa Hlophe, coordinator of the Coalition, has written to Mbingo Mbongeni, managing editor of the Times newspapers, to express ‘profound disappointment’ at the publication of the article.

Hlophe, who is also a columnist for the same newspaper, wrote, ‘His use of words such as “satanic” and “evil” to describe the LGBTI [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersexed] community and to say that homosexuality must be stopped are quite simply hate speech and have no place in a newspaper of national record. Your professional and ethical commitment to openness does not have to extend to giving a national, and international, platform to irrational bigotry, and incitements to hatred.’

Hlophe wrote, ‘We believe that the Times Group must take specific and positive action to rectify this situation, and to tell its readers what those actions are.’

See also

READERS ATTACK ‘TIMES’ FOR GAY HATE

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/readers-attack-times-for-gay-hate.html

READERS ATTACK ‘TIMES’ FOR GAY HATE

2012-05-14T15:33:00.002+02:00

The Times Sunday, an independent newspaper in Swaziland, angered its readers after allowing one of its regular columnists to write hate speech against homosexuals.

Readers called on the editor of the paper to account for why he allowed the article to be published.

Qalakaliboli Dlamini, who writes for the paper each week, proudly proclaimed himself to be ‘homophobic’, as he declared, ‘I hate homosexuality with every fibre of hair or flesh in my body.’ He said homosexuals performed ‘satanic deeds’ and were an ‘abomination’.

Dlamini wrote 1,500 words in his column attacking homosexuals as a reaction to the recently-published Behavioral Surveillance Survey of Swaziland which reported the views of 324 gay men in the kingdom.

Dlamini’s article breaks the rules of Times of Swaziland group of newspapers, of which the Times Sunday is a member. Rules for contributors to the Times’ website state, ‘Comments that contain racist, sexist or homophobic remarks—or that may be interpreted as such—won’t be’ published.’

Readers who contacted the Times via its website condemned Dlamini’s article.

One reader wrote, ‘The editor must answer to his readers as to why he allowed this article to be published. In fact he should question why Mr Dlamini’s badly researched, ill thought out and poorly written articles continue to be published at all. He is an embarrassment to a proper newspaper.’

Another reader called the article ‘utter bigotry’ and ‘shameful’.

Yet another reader called Dlamini ‘shallow minded’ and ‘pathetic’.

Another called it an ‘appalling article’.

Dlamini’s article breaks the Swaziland National Association of Journalists (SNAJ) code of ethical conduct on hate speech, which states, ‘Journalists shall avoid by all means the publication of speech that might promote hatred, spite and conflict amongst the Swazi or any other nation.’

Hate speech is a type of speech or writing which can do any of the following: deliberately offend, degrade, intimidate, or incite violence or prejudicial action against someone based on their race, ethnicity, profession, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. It can be aimed at an individual; or racial, ethnic, religious or other group. Such speech generally seeks to condemn or dehumanize the individual or group; or express anger, hatred, violence or contempt toward them.

ACHPR EXPRESSES ALARM AT SWAZILAND

2012-05-12T12:25:00.001+02:00

Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, Johannesburg

11 May 2012

SOURCE

African Commission Versus Swazi Government

The African Commission of Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) has issued a stinging rebuke to the Swazi government - and called on it to respect human rights and take all necessary measures to ensure the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in 2013.

Even though the Swazi authorities seem immune to most criticism of their anti-democratic antics and their contempt for human rights, they will surely be embarrassed to read that the Commission is deeply concerned and even alarmed by some of their actions.

In its official statement following its 51st session in Banjul, the ACHPR said that it was 'Deeply Concerned about allegations of the violation of the right to freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association, which, if true, may affect the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in 2013'.

The Commission added that it was also 'concerned about the allegation of the violations of the rights of workers as seen in the de-registration of the recently formed Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) by the Office of the Commissioner of Labour acting on the advice of the Attorney General of the Swaziland Government'.

And finally, the ACHPR expressed its alarm at the 'failure of the Kingdom of Swaziland to implement the decision of the African Commission in Communication 251/2002- Lawyers for Human Rights v Swaziland, and the recommendations in the report adopted by the African Commission following a promotional mission to the country in August 2006'.

The fact that nothing has been done in the past six years calls into question the impact and effectiveness of the ACHPR but also clearly underlines how little respect King Mswati and his clique have for the human rights of Swazis.

Having laid out its case, the ACHPR called on the Swazi government to implement the outstanding decisions and recommendations - and also to respect, protect and fulfil the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of association, and freedom of assembly as provided for in the African Charter, the UDHR, the ICCPR and other international and regional instruments.

The Commission concluded by urging the authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure the conduct of free, fair and credible elections in 2013.

It is clear that the King and his men will not abide by any of these calls since genuine democracy is the last thing they are going to allow the people of Swaziland to enjoy - along, of course, with their basic human rights.

SSN ‘FOR A PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC’

2012-05-12T12:19:00.000+02:00

Yesterday (11 May 2012), I wrote, ‘SSN (Swaziland Solidarity Network) supporters want the monarchy abolished and replaced by a Communist-led state.’ It is true that many supporters do want this, as they are themselves members of a communist party.

However, Dominic Tweedie, moderator of the SSN Forum Google Group, is keen to point out that SSN itself does not advocate for a communist-led state. He tells the forum in a post that SSN wants the monarchy replaced by a people’s republic.

See also

THE FUTURE FOR A DEMOCRATIC SWAZILAND?

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2012/05/future-for-democratic-swaziland.html

MYSTERY MAN IN KING’S JET SAGA FOUND

2012-05-11T11:54:00.001+02:00

Mail and Guardian, South Africa

May 11 2012

SOURCE

Mystery of the not-so-missing agent

Man 'disappeared' after recovering R28-million for the Swazi government — but was easy to find

Swaziland's finance minister, Majozi Sithole, claimed earlier this year that agents contracted to recover a R28-million deposit by the Swazi government on an executive jet for King Mswati had "disappeared".

It took the Mail & Guardian just two weeks to track them down in Pretoria.

The Swazi Parliament stopped the purchase of the jet in 2002 after an outcry over its price.

The government then allegedly contracted University of South Africa law professor Frans Whelpton to recover the R28-million already deposited with the supplier, Canadian multinational Bombardier Aerospace.

In 2008 the Swazi media quoted Sithole as saying that Whelpton had recovered the money.

The following year Sithole said Whelpton had persuaded Bombardier not to sue the government for breach of contract and instead invest R100-million in "social upliftment projects" in Swaziland.

Whelpton was then quoted in the Times of Swaziland and the Swazi Observer as saying the money would be held in trust by his Pretoria-based lawyers, Roestoff and Kruse Attorneys.

But in a radio interview in February this year the minister conceded that the money had not materialised, claiming that those responsible for recovering it had "disappeared and did not answer their telephones".

Last week the M&G tracked down Whelpton to his Pretoria residence in Ezra Road, Murrayfield.

It also established his cellphone number.

The M&G visited Whelpton's heavily protected house and posted written questions in his mailbox when no one answered the intercom.

To read the full Mail and Guardian report, click here.

See also

$5bn SWAZI POWER PLANT WAS A CON

SWAZI POWER ‘FRAUD’ RETURNS

SWAZILAND KING LOSES POWER

$5bn SWAZI ‘FRAUD’ MYSTERY DEEPENS

RAGE AT $5bn SWAZI ‘FRAUD’ REPORT

$5bn SWAZI FRAUD IN THE MAKING?