Swaziland
Is No Different From Apartheid South Africa
The Swaziland Diaspora
Platform believes that the government of King Mswati III is now synonymous with
the Apartheid government. It is
getting brutal and infringing on the rights of the people of Swaziland more
everyday because it is confident that the people of Swaziland remain fearful of
violence and the international community is not interested in the small country
of 1.1 million people.
In it’s latest show of
arrogance and forceful disdain of any form of dissent, the government ordered
the police, army and correctional services officers to use force to stop a
legally sanctioned strike and protest action by teachers, this eventually
culminated in the shooting of two young children as the King’s armed forces
attempted to disrupt an otherwise peaceful protest march.
This happens as South
Africa commemorates the heroics of youth that culminated in mass action in June
16 1976, where the imagery of Hector Pietersen, a young boy shot by the
Apartheid police during the student’s protest, still evokes painful memories of
that painful past. Such violence
by King Mswati’s armed forces on the St. Andrew’s pupil is indicative of a
ruthless and selfish regime that is using all means to prevent transition towards
a government that will be accountable and responsive to the needs of the people
of Swaziland, the majority of which live below the poverty line.
It is
time for the youth of Swaziland to salvage their future and stand up against
the government of King Mswati III.
If they continue to be bystanders then the Swaziland they will inherit
will be worse than it is today.
Mswati III will have plundered the few natural resources and economic
competitiveness the country has.
The economy will grow at a negative rate, meaning jobs will continue to
be lost. Parents currently
employed by government will be forced to retire without pensions, as government
already owes the civil servants pension fund over R600 million.
The Swaziland government
and the Monarch have gained confidence that the people of Swaziland will not
turn to the streets and revolt as it happened in North Africa. Unfortunately the
Arab Spring led by youths in North African countries like Egypt and Tunisia did
not trickle down to sub-Saharan countries as would have seemed likely as many
sub-Saharan youth sit with similar if not worse dissatisfaction than their
north African counterparts. The origins and mass mobilisation towards the
overthrow of governments in Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt were covered extensively
in media, yet in Swaziland there was little street protestations against the
government, even though there's nationwide sentiment that change needs to
occur.
The Swaziland government,
like the Apartheid government, controls the quality of education and
information accessible to Swazis.
It serves the government of Swaziland and the monarch to keep the
majority of Swazis poor, that way they are too busy trying to survive instead
of meeting, talking and collaborating on forcing a transition towards
democratisation. It serves the government of Swaziland to limit access to
media, Internet and information, because it makes government the sole provider
of knowledge ensuring that the majority of Swazis have no idea how much power
they can amass and what they can do with that collective power to usher in a
democratic government that is keen to serve the interests of the people and not
the few who are in good stead with the monarch.
There are a few reasons
why there was no "Arab Spring" in Swaziland and most of the reasons
are particular to Swazis. These range from the very limited Internet
penetration, to highly censored media and the indoctrination of cultural and
identity attributes that make it difficult for Swazis to rebel against the King.
Due to continued
maladministration and lack of political will to effect necessary changes, the
International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank have withdrawn
from Swaziland and are not offering any support to help government put
financial governance systems in place and reduce its expenditure, which would
make it easier for government to access funding towards key areas like health
and education. Instead government has increased VAT to get more revenue
directly from people, who are already tightly squeezed and increased funding
allocation to the large Monarch and its supporting institutions. The
economy is stagnant and is projected to remain so for the next few years.
It is a bleak outlook for the youth of Swaziland indeed.
Socio-economic conditions
are getting worse in Swaziland. The quality of education and health care
is weakening every year, making it more costly and difficult for Swazis to
pursue higher education and employment inside and outside of the country.
Government increasingly relies on donor funding for health and education
programmes, and there's decreased support for university students. The
nature of the State prohibits any form of exchange of information and knowledge
that is not generated by State machinery, and has recently announced it has
started looking into passing legislation that will censor the internet in
Swaziland. The Swaziland Diaspora
Platform urges the youth of Swaziland to fight for their future, before there
is little left to fight for.
Email: swazidiaspora@gmail.com
Twitter: @swazidiaspora
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