South African left opposes absolutist Swazi king


This video is called Special Assignment – Swaziland and the Dlamini dynasty, 16 March 2014.

A video which used to be on the Internet used to say about itself:

Swaziland is Africa’s last absolute monarchy, and a nation at a dangerous crossroads. The people demand democracy and an end to starvation, while the king insists on banning political parties. The people want relief from a 43 per cent AIDS/HIV infection rate, the world’s highest, while the king prices a fleet of luxury limousines.

Against this backdrop of blatant inequality, we meet the royal family: Princess Sikhanyiso, a teenage rapper and eldest child; Queen LaMbikiza, a headstrong outsider and first of 12 wives; and King Mswati III, a distant figure out of touch with his home and country. Unprecedented access to the royals and villagers witnesses startling parallel rebellions. Terrorism and civil unrest are on the rise in the impoverished townships, where rebels will not be assuaged by the king’s hollow constitutional offering, while inside the palace, an unlikely source of change makes her own plans and discoveries.

Without the King cross-sections this regime to provide a series of stunning and frequently shocking revelations and insights about a nation that may soon be rocked by the turbulence of sociopolitical change. http://consciousb-boy.blogspot.com

From British daily The Morning Star:

South African leftists reject ‘Swazi dictator’

Thursday 07 May 2009

SOUTH African communists and trade unionists have welcomed the election of President Jacob Zuma but condemned the invitation of Swazi dictator King Mswati III to his inauguration on Saturday.

African National Congress (ANC) president Mr Zuma was elected as the third president of post-apartheid South Africa by 277 of parliament’s 400 members in Cape Town on Wednesday.

In contrast to South Africa – where 70 per cent of the electorate turned out to vote – neighbouring Swaziland is southern Africa’s last feudal monarchy.

King Mswati is famed for his extravagance, spending tens of millions on private jets, fleets of luxury cars and lavish national celebrations for his 40th birthday last year.

Meanwhile the vast majority of his people live in abject poverty. HIV prevalence among Swazi adults is almost 40 per cent, while life expectancy is just 32 years.

The South African-based Swazi Solidarity Network has called on the South African government to exclude King Mswati from Mr Zuma’s inauguration.

ANC tripartite alliance partners the South African Communist Party (SACP) and trade union federation COSATU joined that call yesterday.

The SACP expressed its “displeasure at the presence of King Mswati at a ceremony that is a celebration of democracy that he has denied his people.

“It is time now for the Southern African Development Community and our government to put serious pressure on King Mswati for the democratisation of Swaziland,” the SACP declared.

COSATU said: “The presence of this despot at the inauguration will be an insult to all the people of Africa. It will give him credibility and democratic credentials which he does not deserve.”

The federation called upon all of its members to refuse to provide any goods or services to the king “if he should set foot in South Africa.”

Censorship in Swaziland: here.

4 thoughts on “South African left opposes absolutist Swazi king

  1. Swaziland: Jailed liberation fighter Mario Masuku: `A brief
    autobiography’

    Mario Masuku is the president of the People’s United Democratic Movement
    (PUDEMO) — Insika Yenkhululeko YeMaswati — of Swaziland. Since 1983
    this organisation has been banned in Swaziland because political parties
    are illegal. PUDEMO has called for multi-party democracy since its
    formation and believes the people shall govern. In November 2008, Mario
    Masuku was again arrested and put in prison by the repressive regime of
    King Mswati III, where he remains. The Swaziland government has no case
    and continues to delay his trial. Most recently, Masuku has been
    subjected to humilating and degrading treatment in prison. Meanwhile, on
    May 9, Mswati was feted in Pretoria at the inauguration of South African
    President Jacob Zuma of the African National Congress.

    * Read more http://links.org.au/node/1055

    Like

  2. Pingback: Swaziland people starve, Rolls-Royces for royals | Dear Kitty. Some blog

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