Unban+Swaziland+parties,+no+more+public+relations+games,+SSN

=Unban political parties – no more public relations games!=

We have noted several reports, such as those in the Sowetan and the Mail and Guardian newspapers have reported that the king has announced the new constitution as unbanning political parties.

It is important to clarify the following facts:

The new constitution is still based on the tinkhundla model of political governance, which requires that people are not organized to express their opinions, but must submit to the notion of "hereditary representation" as presumed by the royalty through its prefectship system of chiefs.

The new constitution is an upgraded model of the 1973 decree, except that it does not explicitly states that political parties are banned as the 1973 decree did, but it still does not legalise them and all political rallies are being violently dispersed by the state, because they are not legal and cannot be granted permission to hold meetings.

Immediately after its announcement, PUDEMO called a political rally in Manzini and the state showed its brutal might and dispersed it through force, citing illegality of the rally.

Since its promulgation, there have been more arrests within a very short space of time, sending a clear message to the people that the illusion of an open space for political activity does not exist.

If political parties are now unbanned, then as said by PUDEMO, Mswati must immediately call a National Constitutional Forum to discuss the future of the country with the legitimate representatives of the people of Swaziland, PUDEMO being key.

Why honour Sobhuza?
The man who signed a secret non-aggression pact with the apartheid regime in February, 1982 that laid the basis for the mass murder of ANC cadres on Swazi soil (about 78 according to the TRC report), has been awarded the highest and most noble award in South Africa, the Companions of OR Tambo, for his "outstanding contribution to the struggle against apartheid", so we are told.

King Sobhuza 11 who worked with the Afrikaner Broederbond, his advisers, whose key advisers included Van Wyk De Vries, Balthazaar Verster and other well-known apartheid agents, whose works include the 1973 decree, which banned political parties and introduced the longest state of emergency in the whole Southern Africa, has been recognized as part of Africa's patriots.

This should come as a surprise to the families of cadres of PUDEMO and the ANC, particularly MK cadres who died on Swazi soil, due to the secret non-aggression pact of king Sobhuza and his apartheid patrons. The sacrifices made by ordinary Swazi people and members of PUDEMO to save MK cadres from the total onslaught waged by the royal army and their apartheid counterparts have suddenly disappeared in the minds of many.

We call upon everyone who knows the truth to speak out against selective memory, so that the true history of Swaziland and that of the liberation struggle in South Africa must be told. It would be a disservice to future generations that they are told half-truths about what happened.

When De Kock invaded Swaziland resulting in the murder of Zwelakhe Nyanda alongside PUDEMO cadres at Zakhele and Two sticks in Manzini, where Sphiwe Nyanda survived for three days on the roof top of the house, who was with him. It was the Swazi army.

Towards a new offensive for a democratic Swaziland
In its historic document entitled, way forward towards a constituent assembly through a negotiated settlement, the people of Swaziland through their popular representative, PUDEMO made a solemn commitment that, 'In keeping with this noble resolve, we welcome any genuine invitation to all organised formations, registered and unregistered, to a properly constituted and representative constitutional forum that will be mandated to work the way forward for Swaziland. However, to safeguard against a repeat of the political blackmail and socio-economic evils of the tinkhundla legacy, there are important pre-conditions that should be satisfied." - //PUDEMO document on the way forward towards a constituent assembly through a negotiated settlement issued in 1992.//

However, the SSN shall soon be announcing its new programme of action to take forward the momentum generated by the blockade and intensify the pressure against Mswati. An urgent meeting has been scheduled for this Wednesday at 10h00 at COSATU house to finalise a new way forward.


 * For more information contact:**
 * Lucky Lukhele**
 * Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN)**
 * Cell: 072 502 4141**
 * Tell: 011 339 3621**
 * Fax: 011 339 4244**

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