SOUTH AFRICA: Human rights campaigners call for democracy in Swaziland, Africa's last monarchy, after a clampdown on protests

Record ID: 453286

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: Human rights campaigners call for democracy in Swaziland, Africa's last monarchy, after a clampdown on protests
  • Date: 9th September 2010
  • Summary: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (SEPTEMBER 8, 2010) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS SINGING AND DANCING OUTSIDE THE SWAZI CONSULATE PROTESTER CARRYING BANNER READING 'SWAZILAND DEMOCRACY CAMPAIGN, RAISING THE VOICES OF THE SUPPRESSED PEOPLE OF SWAZILAND. CALL FOR GLOBAL ACTION' VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS SINGING AND DANCING MORE OF PROTESTORS WITH PLACARDS, SOME READING 'THE WORLD WANTS DEMOCRACY IN SWAZILAND' PROTESTER ADDRESSING CONSULATE REPRESENTATIVE PROTESTERS WITH PLACARDS LISTENING MORE OF UNION LEADERS ADDRESSING THE CONSULATE REPRESENTATIVE UNION LEADERS ADDRESSING THE MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) STEPHEN FAULKNER, INTERNATIONAL OFFICER OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN MUNICIPAL WORKERS UNION, SAYING: "Swaziland is an abnormal situation, a monarchy, a dictatorial monarchy which has repressive legislation in place for 37 years, the suppresion of terrorism act and other legislation have been used for 37 uninterrupted years, another world record of a dubious nature." UNION OFFICIALS AND MEDIA LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) STEPHEN FAULKNER, INTERNATIONAL OFFICER OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN MUNICIPAL WORKERS UNION, SAYING: "We are not calling for a complete boycott of economic affairs in terms of Swaziland but we are in favour of developing what people are calling smart sanctions." MORE OF UNION OFFICIALS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY, CONGRESS OF SOUTH AFRICAN TRADE UNIONS, BONGANI MASUKU, SAYING: "Zimbabwe's problem started after 1990 but Swaziland since 1973. Political parties have been banned, that's why the question that we've asked is that there has been a conspiracy of silence, deliberate conspiracy of silence, that has made the people of Swaziland to suffer in silence and I must admit that all sectors are in one way or another guilty for having perpetrated that for that long. Maybe including us the civil society maybe including the media, maybe including other sectors of society but primarily also the political leaders of the region and the continent." MORE OF UNION LEADERS ADDRESSING THE MEDIA
  • Embargoed: 24th September 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVADCU9T2Q46A13M3HYCHPWLY1CV
  • Story Text: Human rights campaigners call for democracy in Swaziland, Africa's last monarchy, after a clampdown on protests.
    Pro-democracy campaigners staged a demonstration outside the Swaziland consulate in Johannesburg on Wednesday (September 8) to protest against the arrests of union and human rights activists.
    Police on Monday swooped on a hotel in the Swazi capital Mbabane where activists were meeting on Tuesday plan Tuesday protests demanding more democracy in the tiny nation of 1.1 million, sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique.
    Labour officials and rights groups said 50 people had been arrested and two pro-democracy campaigners were missing.
    According to media reports it is estimated that thousands of people took part in the Tuesday protests where further arrests were made, including Mario Masuku, a banned political party leader.
    About 14 South Africans who took part in the protest were arrested and deported.
    "Swaziland is an abnormal situation, a dictatorial monarchy which has repressive legislation in place for 37 years, the suppression of terrorism act and other legislation have been used for 37 uninterrupted years, another world record of a dubious nature," said South Africa's Municipal Workers Union's international secretary Stephen Faulkner at the protest in Johannesburg .
    Faulkner also called for sanctions against Swaziland and its leaders.
    "We are not calling for a complete boycott of economic affairs but we are in favour of developing what people are calling smart sanctions," he said.
    Bongani Masuku of the Congress of South African Trade Unions accused African leaders of ignoring the suffering of Swaziland's people.
    "I must admit that all sectors are in one way or another guilty for having perpetrated that. Maybe including us, the civil society, maybe including the media, maybe including other sectors of society but primarily also the political leaders of the region and the continent," said Masuku.
    Swaziland is southern Africa's last absolute monarchy and all political parties are banned under King Mswati III, who has the authority to appoint the prime minister and dissolve parliament.
    Mswati is frequently criticised by rights groups as a dictator who runs the country as his own personal fiefdom.
    Swaziland is plagued by regular food shortages and has one of the world's highest HIV/AIDS rates.
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