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Crisis of royal elections in Swaziland
Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN)
October 14, 2003

Introduction
This coming weekend the tinkhundla royal regime in Swaziland has announced the so-called national elections, meant to, once again steal the mandate of the people in daylight robbery. In this day and age, we still have a country run by a few royal aristocrats, who refuse to allow the masses of the people a say in the running of their own country. Only members of the royal family are entitled to participate in the matters affecting the country.

This year marks 30 years since the banning of political parties and the monopolisation of political power by the royal family, to the total exclusion of the majority of the people.

Political parties remain banned, the media remain stage-managed and royal courted, political participation remain the preserve of royal elites and their friends and it is still a crime for anyone to express a differing view, as we have seen recently the two-year detention of PUDEMO President, Mario Masuku on crimes of speaking out against royal oppression. This is the background against which the on-going electoral controversy is taking place in the country.

Background to the electoral crisis in Swaziland
Since the banning of political parties in 1973, elections have become a rubber stamp for princes and their friends to change hands in power and become above public scrutiny. The method of elections in Swaziland developed along the doctrine of bantustanism, as advocated by the Afrikaner broederbond of the apartheid regime, whose main intention was to wipe out any element of progress in the Southern African region.

This was organised along the lines of what was called the electoral college, where people were fooled into believing that they are electing people into parliament, whereas they were merely constituting the electoral college, whose duty is to chose who amongst the members of the royal family should be in parliament at that time.

The current electoral arrangement is an upgraded model of that structure, to the extent that the upper house of parliament, which is Senate is comprised on none directly elected member of parliament, but only royal appointees and their friends, yet this is the house with the power to make decisions and veto the lower house, which is also constituted under the same cloud of controversy, though with a different tone.

It must also be noted that Swaziland is the only country in the SADC region, where political parties remain banned, because even in Zimbabwe, where the main focus is, has political parties in parliament. This raises questions about why Mswati should continue to enjoy statesman privileges all over the world, when it is known that he is a living despot, who steal all the Swazi money and invest it in Crown Agents in England, buys Yachts in Australia, buys Islands in East Asia and has acquired several controversial transactions all over the world at the expense of ordinary Swazis, yet the international community turns a blind eye to him. The commonwealth is the greatest ally and sponsor of this despot, because it is in the interest of Britain to preserve him as a guarantor of their commercial interests in that part of the world.

It is now only a public secret in Swaziland that the king has recently established as secret hit squad led by the Commissioner of Police, based at Dwaleni and working hard to identify and seek to eliminate cadres of the democratic movement, particularly members of PUDEMO, SWAYOCO and the trade union movement. We call upon INTERPOL to intervene and sanction the Swazi police for their criminal activities in this and many other such matters. The torture, arrests and detention of many PUDEMO and SWAYOCO activists, such as Roland Rudd, Alex Langwenya, Kenneth Kunene, Chris Dlamini, Lovemore Mabaso and many other cadres of the democratic movement confirms the intensified state of terror in Swaziland.

The constitutional crisis are deepening
No democratic elections can be conducted in a hostile political environment, constituted by rotten basis of political abuse and royal monopoly of power. This is what explains the basic foundation of the political and electoral system that characterises the very essence of tinkhundla royal rule in Swaziland.

The country is undergoing serious constitutional crisis, because the royal regime is refusing to transfer power to the democratic majority, but want to cling onto power at all costs. This is the basis of the intensified conflict in the country. The royal constitutional process started in 1996, is a total flop and is not succeeding in misleading the world about the real state of affairs in the country. This is why we call upon all democrats to unite and condemn Mswati's abusive rule in order to create the space for real advance to a democratically elected constituent assembly, and the dismantling of the exclusive royal constitutional process, which has no legitimacy.

Demands of the people
The people of Swaziland, in all forums they happen to be, have reiterated their demands as follows;

• Removal of the 1973 decree, in order to create an environment conducive for free political participation
• Unbanning of political parties to guarantee multiparty democracy as the basis of the country's political system
• Free and fair elections guaranteeing the full and effective participation of all stakeholders, from the initial stages of civic education till elections
• A democratically elected constituent assembly to write a democratic constitution for the country, and the rejection of the royal family constitution, which has no legitimacy
• Free and independent judiciary and media
• Free trade union organisation
• Respect for women's rights and all freedoms

Conclusion
We have consistently warned that the country is seated on a time-bomb and it is a matter of time before it explodes. We call upon all democracy-loving people to stand up and support the struggle for human dignity in Swaziland, as an expression of the worldwide struggle to broaden the frontiers of a better world and social justice for all.

For more information contact:
Bongani Masuku
Secretary General
Swaziland Solidarity Network
Tel: 011 339 3621/33
Fax: 011 339 4244
e-mail: swaziland@union.org.za OR martinmasuku@union.org.za

3rd Floor- SSN Office
COSATU House
Braamfontein

For more information on the developments on the ground in Swaziland, call:

• Mario Masuku - PUDEMO President (cell: 09268 6083338)
• IB Dlamini - PUDEMO Secretary General (cell: 09268 6075479)
• Kenneth Kunene - SWAYOCO Secretary General (cell: 09268 6131692)
  

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