ANC MUST HELP TO LIBERATE SWAZI PEOPLE.

The ANC through its subcommittee of International relation issued a statement recently on its deliberations and resolutions. Amongst the many issues was one line on democratisation of Swaziland and a call for the release of political prisoners including the return of exiles. I have noticed the response from Swazi government, that they will convene a prayer for the ANC flowing from this statement.  This is intended to pour scorn and ridicule the ANC pronouncement.

The fact of the matter is that Swaziland state of affair; its current mode of government and its legitimacy is fast waning. Through their state propaganda they want us to believe that majority of Swazis are comfortable with the Tinkundla system of 40 years where a Monarch is an alpha and omega, and a demigod. The king foregoes the Constitution and rules through a decree.

Last week during the Cape Town World Economic Forum for Africa session, the King reasserted that this outdated system of rule is enjoyed by majority Swazis and that he derived strength from the Isibaya [imbizo type where chiefs and citizenry express their views]. But a cursory glance will tell that these are sham structures micro-managed by King surrogates and blind Chiefs who intimidate citizens on unpopular views. Even the 2005 Constitution that the King pioneered to project himself and the Kingdom as consistent with modern governance was also crafted on sham grounds. Critical voices were excluded to shape the details of it except his sycophants. PUDEMO as a real voice of the people and trade unions were excluded. For PUDEMO, it remains outlawed under the decree and further, they have been banned on the basis of a 2008 "Suppression of terrorism act" typical of apartheid laws against Liberation movement.

The national question of Swaziland is becoming all the more urgent than before. The country's social standard has declined to levels so unjustifiable. Apart from the economic recession that engulf the World including South Africa since 2008 and the subsequent decline of revenue from Southern African Custom union [SACU] of which Swaziland depend on for about 60% in economy, Swaziland's fall of her economy, to a large measure, is a function of its mismanagement and an unmitigated self-consumption by the dictatorial institution of Monarchy at the expense of the masses of the people.

The King is living large. Royal luxuries such as King lavish parties at huge state cost, expensive cars and private jet are some of the goodies the King has as his entitlement in the sea of grinding poverty, a nation almost at famine and exacerbated by HIV/Aids pandemic scavenging the poor like a behemoth prey. Big corporations such as MTN Swaziland, the king is alleged to be a key shareholder and in other state utilities with private shareholding. This is a situation of a pig breeding piglets and in the shortage of food feeds on its own piglets. The IMF has raised the alarm before but that government did not budge on reducing reckless and wasteful spending that is not accompanied by social redress.

Any genuine moral leader symbiotically attached to his people can suffer the guilt of having to live large when his subject are dying of poverty and voices of people condemned to exile or in jail for raising a finger against the power that be. The arrogance with which he truncate critical voices is seen in the manner in which he is ballistic in arresting journalists, trade unions, students and political leaders and others killed in police hands like Sipho Jele.

The ANC as a liberation movement cannot be quite forever in the face of all these ugly and repulsive sordid acts. It cannot be pretend to be neighboured by a just government just because we fear interference. ANC is a movement not for South African liberation but for Africa and for all oppressed humanity anywhere in the World. Whereas we subscribe to the notion of people in their own countries that they must be their own liberators but this is a dialectical expression that is always buttressed by multi-prong strategies including external pressures or facilitations like in Zimbabwe now, and Sudan. The non- interference or total disengagement by the ANC in any form on Swazi question will, in the longer term, be a political egg in our face to which our perceived or real moral sanctity as South Africa and ANC government would be harshly judged.

There is no option to democracy is Swaziland. There is no option to multi-party democracy and a principle of universal franchise. The current system is an affront to Swazis, SADC countries and Africa as a whole. It is about time that the Swazi question is put firmly on the agenda of SADC and AU. We cannot massage it anymore. The ANC and its government must lead this process so that real dialogue on reforms begins to take shape. The process for dismantling Tinkundla system may not be led by the system itself but by the people and multilateral institutions of Africa informed by the will of the Swazi people. This process already is long overdue.  The first condition must be unbanning of political parties, especially PUDEMO, and a new Constitutional process facilitated by a legitimate and credible body for all critical voices to shape it.

I fear in the long run for civil war that may be costly to contain, and as South Africa we will have to answer the question of why it had to reach this point. Without doubt powers that be in Swaziland are not comfortably presiding over this sham government nor do they think they have a forever capacity to quell any uprising. As a  Chinese philosopher Confucius once said:

" The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in  a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus if person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved  

Lets fix the Swazi question firmly in the cause of our international work. People of Swaziland yearn for democracy and for decent life like all neighbouring states.

Khaye Nkwanyana is the Provincial Executive member of the SACP in KwaZulu Natal and ANC member of Communication Subcommittee in KZN.  

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