SACP in solidarity with people of Swaziland in their fight for democracy and social emancipation
SACP South African Communist Party
South African Communist Party
20 October 2021
SACP in solidarity with people of Swaziland in their fight for democracy and social emancipation
The South African Communist Party (SACP) stands in complete solidarity with the oppressed people of Swaziland fighting for democracy and social emancipation. This struggle has been led for many years by the liberation movement, the People’s United Democratic Movement, and the Communist Party of Swaziland. Building a national democratic revolutionary front involving principled unity of democratic forces is as essential as forging a widest possible patriotic front involving broad unity of the people of Swaziland struggling for democracy and social emancipation. For years the SACP has been supporting and continues to support the process of unity wholeheartedly in solidarity with the Swazi people.
To achieve democracy, the peace-loving Swazi people are calling for the unbanning of all political parties, release of all political prisoners, return of political exiles, and political rights, including the rights to freedom of assembly, association, and expression.
The recent waves of protests, which began in May, involve increased activism by the youth and students. Notwithstanding the extreme violence by the regime’s security forces, leading to the death of over 70 people, the people of Swaziland have continued to resolutely fight for freedom.
The past few weeks have seen another wave of protests, now from primary and high school students, with public transport workers joining in. As it happened in the June-July protests, the ruling regime’s security forces responded with heavy-handedness to unarmed protesters last week. The forces shot protesters with live bullets, with one public transport worker reported dead. School children, some as young as seven years old, were shot at point-blank range, leaving many gravely injured, and other youth protesters thrown into raging fire by military officers.
Swaziland is the last absolute monarchy in Africa. All legislative, executive, and judicial powers are vested in the monarch. Political parties were and remain banned since 12 April 1973. The absolute monarch, Mswati III, is above the law. He does not account to the people and, as such, not prosecutable for the ongoing massacre.
Progressive forces, including the Swaziland Solidarity Network, have called for the international prosecution of Mswati III for crimes against humanity. The SACP respects the sovereign right of the Swazi people to achieve justice, peace and transition to democracy and social emancipation.
The Swazi monarch has time and again reacted dismissively and with force to calls for democratisation of the country, as well as with insults hurled at democracy activists, labelling them as nothing but drunkards and weed smokers who deserve no dialogue on any issue pertaining the country’s future.
The ruling absolute monarch has shown no interest whatsoever in any peaceful dialogue for the democratisation of Swaziland. As such, only decisive, relentless, united people’s struggles, including international solidarity, can compel his oppressive regime to engage in an inclusive dialogue or usher the country into democracy and social emancipation.
The SACP pledges its solidarity with the Communist Party of Swaziland in calling for the formation of democratic community councils as part of building the organs of people’s power in Swaziland.
Democracy for Swaziland is long overdue. The SACP calls upon intensified international solidarity with the people of Swaziland, the overwhelming majority of whom are working class and poor. The Swazi people’s struggle for democracy and social emancipation is a just struggle and must be supported in every peaceful way possible.