The South African Student Congress (SASCO) has noted the brutality meted against the peaceful people of eSwatini by the intransigent royalist tinkundla regime led by King Mswati III. The only sin of the people of eSwatini is to demand a popular, accountable and transparent government.
The people of eSwatini are demanding an end to the absolute power of the monarchy and want to elect their own leadership as opposed to the king appointing political leadership which only accounts to him. For this simple demand, the people of eSwatini have been arrested, wounded, maimed, and at worse, murdered. The country has become a blood bath. To conceal the onslaught on the peaceful protesters, King Mswati III today ordered the internet to be shutdown as an attempt to silence the people and isolate them from the rest of the world.
eSwatini has degenerated into lawlessness, with the armed forces are said to be at loggerheads with one another such that heavy gunfire was witnessed today between the police and the army in the streets. On the other hand, King Mswati III’s children, whom are members of the military are battling for their lives in a military hospital, prompting the King to retreat into isolation as he fears his children have been poisoned. Such is the sad reality of the political situation in eSwatini.
SASCO wishes to make it categorically clear that it unequivocally stands with the oppressed people of eSwatini. The struggle of the people of eSwatini belongs to the international working class and democracy loving people as well as organisations across the globe.
We call on the ANC led government to immediately intervene in neighbouring eSwatini and facilitate negotiations between leaders of the mass democratic movement and the regime. eSwatini cannot be allowed to descend into chaos which would lead to further economic meltdown resulting into a myriad of socioeconomic problems for the people. eSwatini cannot be allowed to continue as an island in a sea of democracy in Southern Africa.
SASCO further calls on government to immediately suspend diplomatic relations with eSwatini and expel the ambassador of eSwatini from South Africa pending a commitment by the eSwatini regime to negotiations. South Africa must be vigilant during this period and refuse to hand over or allow arms destined for eSwatini to pass through the country as these arms are being used against the unarmed citizens of eSwatini. Further, targeted economic sanctions against individuals within the eSwatini regime, particularly King Mswati III, family and proxies must be put into effect urgently.
SASCO activists and students in campuses across the country must expose all relatives of King Mswati III, his army generals and lieutenants for immediate removal in our universities.
The ANC government must stop paying lip service to the eSwatini struggle for multiparty democracy. The ANC must stop its rhetoric’s and implement all its conference resolutions on the eSwatini struggle to achieve stability, peace and development in the SADC region and beyond. The ANC, as a governing party and its revolutionary ethos cannot employ rhetoric on international solidarity but must be practical in its consolidation and advancement of internationalism. That the government of South Africa as led by the ANC continues to babysit the eSwatini monarch whilst also pledging solidarity with the oppressed masses of eSwatini led by the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) is an indictment on the ANC and present it as hypocritical and incapable of living up to its revolutionary morality.
SASCO calls upon the youth and student populace of eSwatini to sacrifice everything in pursuit of their freedom. We implore them to be inspired by courageous young revolutionaries across the world who fought relentlessly against tyrannical regimes and won. History teaches us that there is no government which has ever fought against its own people and won. The youth must continue to deepen the crisis in eSwatini and sharpen contradictions until the tinkundla royalist regime is totally dismantled upon which a democratic eSwatini shall be constructed by her people.
SASCO joins millions of the people of eSwatini in calling for the unbanning of political parties, release of political prisoners, return of all exiles, and immediate repeal of the 1973 decree which effectively banned political parties and vested all power in the hands of the monarch.
Issued by SASCO
Bamanye Matiwane
President
Buthanani Thobela
Secretary General
Enquiries:
Luvuyo Barnes
Media and Communication Liaison
+27 (79) 393-7131
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