Mswati wa Swaziland kunani?

[Askari Kanzu]

Facebook group calls for Swaziland King Mswati III Exit


Swaziland's King Mswati III

Mbabane – A Facebook group is calling for the overthrow of Swaziland’s king, Africa’s last remaining absolute monarch, through protests inspired by the revolutions in Tunisia and Lybia.

Known as “The April 12 Uprising!!!” it promises, “all hell will break loose in Swaziland” on April 12 2011 when “a hundred thousand men march into the country’s city centres to declare a democratic Swaziland free of all royal dominance.”
April 12 is the date in 1973 when political parties were banned, a ban still in place under king Mswati III.

Modelled on Facebook groupings in Tunisia and Egypt, the “April 12th” group says the winds of change will sweep through Swaziland next as “there is a large population of politically and economically disenfranchised people living under a dictator”.

“We are a pro-democracy group. We are not at all affiliated to any political party or formation” the group’s founder, Jahings Dada told AFP.

With under 500 members, the Facebook group is still far from its 100 000-strong target. The majority of people in this impoverished nation do not have access to the Dada says the group also has street organisers in major centres recruiting people on the quiet. He only fears the authorities’ reaction.

“The only misgiving I have about starting this group is that I know Mswati will send his soldiers to beat and kill protesters. It’s a given,” Dada told AFP.
Roughly one billion rand $142m of the current budget has been set aside for the police and army – roughly equivalent to the health budget in this country which has the worst Aidsepidemic in the world.

“Yes, we are spending a lot on the army but we are not anticipating what is happening in North Africa to come here,” Finance Minister Majozi Sithole told journalists, “however, the army is there to avoid such situations.”

The Swazi police have a history of crushing protests. Last year Swazi police arrested nearly 50 activists to prevent pro-democracy demonstrations.
- AFP

 

[Askari Kanzu]

Muting opposition the royal way

King Mswati III (front) dances in front of maidens at Ludzidzini, the royal palace in Swaziland, during the annual Reed Dance. Photo/FILE|AFRICA REVIEW |
By JANET OTIENO

Behind beautiful sceneries and rich culture in a tiny landlocked country in South Africa lies the real face of oppression. This is the reality in Swaziland, which has only come in the limelight because of the famous Reed Dance and its leader whose appetite for marriage only rivals the biblical King Solomon.

Issues dogging Swaziland include economic stagnation, poverty, open corruption, censured democratic space, and high unemployment rate among others.

These put King Mswati's III leadership style at par with the former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak who was recently given the boot by his subjects during the mass protests that have been sweeping across the Arab states. The situation is so desperate in this country that some Swazis are reportedly saying they would rather be in Zimbabwe and not Swaziland as far as exercising their democratic rights is concerned.

Here, disapproval of the king decree puts an individual at risk of losing land, job, house or even life if the king deems so.

As strange as their preference for their northern neighbour may sound, they are arguing that while Zimbabwe is currently facing political turmoil, it is better off as the world knows about her affairs, unlike this little kingdom which is a cauldron of human rights abuses.

The Kingdom of Swaziland became independent from Britain in 1968, but the government has successfully silenced opposition parties by banning all political organisations, frustrating human rights groups, trade unions, and civil society by declaring them as "enemies of peace, stability, security and national progress."

Died in jail

This iron-fisted rule did not start with King Mswati III. In 1973 King Sobhuza II dissolved parties, banned political parties and declared the country an absolute monarchy. The royal family reportedly owns everything from the land, mines and even the mobile phone company, which the ruler can switch on and off as he pleases.

King Mswati remains the ultimate determinant of law and under his ‘visionary' guidance; sedition and subversion laws scare off any form of resistance to his policies. Although the country's revised constitution was ratified in July 26, 2005, the level of power invested in the king is still enormous. The executive, legislative and judicial powers are all levers in his hand.

And he is not stopping there; he also introduced the controversial terrorism legislation - Suppression of Terrorism Act - that gives powers to the Prime Minister to declare anyone or anything to be a terrorist entity. The law gives the government discretion to declare any organisation, statement or documentation a terrorist threat.
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[Mallaba]

mamabo ya Afrika bwana waachie waafrika wenyewe, ni mazito na hayaelezeki kabisa

 

[Mpevu]

Mh nawasi kama watafanikiwa,

 

[Smatta]

Ah wamwache nao.. wakimtoa Mswati si mambo ya Reed dance itakwisha?

 

[Michelle]

:A S 13: he should go...i did not know he owns even the mobile company.....land and even virgin girls that competes every year for him!!

 

[Mallaba]

:A S 13: he should go...i did not know he owns even the mobile company.....land and even virgin girls that competes every year for him!!

Jamaa anakula raha huyo we acha tu, maana anamiliki mtoto anayemtaka wala hana wa kumwuliza..lol kumbe kuwa King inakuwaga hivyo eti

 

[Nanu]

:A S 13: he should go...i did not know he owns even the mobile company.....land and even virgin girls that competes every year for him!!

Michelle, siyo kwamba yeye anamiliki kibepari hapana, ni sheria ya nchi yao kuwa kila kitu kipo chini ya Mfalme. Kama vile hapa kwetu ardhi yote iko chini ya Rais. Rais anaweza akaamua kubatilisha matumizi ya ardhi yoyote ile! Katiba ndiyo kila kitu. Sheria yenu wenyewe.

Kwa Waswaziland, mila zao ili uwe mfalme lazima uwe mtoto mmoja tu kwa mama yako, haitakiwi uwe na kaka wala dada, ikimaanisha kwamba kaka na dada zako ni wa Swazi wote. Hivyo basi kama umefuatilia "Reed dance" sio kwamba kila mwaka Mfalme Mswati anaoa, la hasha bali yule mke wa mwisho anapopata either mimba au mtoto wa pili basi Mfalme lazima aoe tena katika minajili kuwa yule atakayemwoa atakuwa na mtoto mmoja na endapo mauti yatamkuta yule mtoto ambaye ni peke yake kwa mama yake ndiye atakaye kuwa mfalme.

Haitakiwi pia kumzuia mama kuzaa watoto kwa njia ya hospitali ili kubaki na mtoto mmoja awe mfalme, inatakiwa iwe automatic!!!!