Abstract

REPORT□ SWAZILAND Last lap to multiparty democracy? Swaziland African larger state, neighbours is a completely tinyland-locked South surrounded Africa southern by and its Swaziland African state, completely surrounded byits larger neighbours South Africa and Mozambiqueto thewestand east respectively. Just 17,000km ofland,thecountry was a British protectorate alongside Botswana and Lesotho towards theend ofthecolonialera onlyregainingitsindependence in 1968. While post-independence Botswana and Lesothoexperimented withdifferent brandsof multiparty democracy sidebysidewithtraditional dynastiesand monarchies,the rulers of Swazilandonlysaw multiparty politics as a precondition imposedby the British as the only credible instrument throughwhich self-rule wouldbe restored. Asa result, on 12April1973, KingSobhuzaII repealedtheWestminster independenceConstitution anddecreedthat allexecutive andlegislative authority wouldbe vestedin himself. This effectively outlawed competitive multiparty politics, and re-affirmed Swaziland's retreat toabsolutemonarchism. Attempts at reform Swaziland remains sub-Sahara Africa'sonly absolute monarchy. The socio-economic ramifications ofthis political shift havebeenfelt eversince. It resulted initially in half-hearted agitation for reform whichmadesomegainsinthelastdecade thanks largely tothesporadic efforts oforganised labour. Ithas,however, provedextremely hardto sustain thepushtoward socio-political reform inan increasingly murky political milieu. In 1978 King Sobhuza II introduced Tinkhundla, a political experiment characterised by a crudefusionof traditional authority and contemporary formsof rule.According to this dual traditional-modern approach to public administration, parliamentary electionsare conductedevery fiveyears.Candidates contest seats ina bicameral parliament consisting ofHousesof Assembly and Senatebased on 'individual merit' and theymay not represent a politicalconstituency manifesto orgroupinterest. Sobhuza'sson,KingMswatiIII, succeededhis father in1986.After muchresistance, Mswati finally succumbedto the relentless pressurefrom labourunionsandtheir internal and international solidarity partners torestore a written Constitution. The Constitution thatwas signedintolaw in 2005, however, onlyformalised thestatus quo. For instance, thekingis bothabove theConstitution and immune to prosecution. He appointsmore thana third of members of a parliament thatis devoidofofficial opposition, allcabinet ministers, judges,and all influential portfolios of public office. Allofthem areaccountable onlytotheking as theultimate appointing authority. TheConstitution also hasa BillofRights which guaranteespeacefulassembly,association, and freedom ofexpression, amongst other rights. On theother hand,thesamedocument forbids politicalparty participation inparliamentary elections thereby rendering political parties ornamental. In effect, generalelectionseveryfiveyearshave nothing to do withregimechangesave forthe routine rotation ofpowerless facesina thinly disguiseddictatorial government arrangement. Swaziland's political configuration did not come aboutas an accidentof history. It was a deliberate strategy for theroyal rulers topoliticise Swaziculture, and to tactically pullat theheartstrings of thegeneralpopulacewho have been warnedagainst activepolitics becauseitpitssubjectsagainstGod -given kingship. Directly questioning orchallenging traditional authority isakin tosacrilege and is,atbest,frowned uponas culturally un-Swazi bymanySwazicitizens. A seniorandinfluential prince recently publicly claimedthat localjournalists wouldbe 'showered withGod's blessings'iftheystoppedreporting aboutsensitive royalaffairs. Politicsand splitin labour Theunclear nature ofSwaziland's politics isattributabletotheunresolved question regarding which isthedriving force for socialreform -political partiesorlabourfederations . Thisis also hardly accidental .Government has consistently condemned labourunions'tendency to dabblein politics, or condemned political formations forinterfering in labourdisputes thatshouldonlyinvolve workers and their employers consisting ofeither thestate orprivate business. Thisisa clearcase ofthestate resorting totheage-olddivide-and-rule strategy. Labourunions, on theother hand,havealways arguedthatthe decisionsand actionsof politiciansoversuch matters as labourlegislation or publicexpenditure directly affect labourpractices and relations. In fact,labourissuesand politics areinseparable inSwazilandandattempts atseparation aremerepolitical manipulation. Workers constitute bothsociety's think-tank and itsgenerators ofwealth.Theyarealso subjectto theexploitation ofthepublic-private sectorcapitalistpartnership . In the Swazi contextwhere politicaloppositionis officially proscribed, a politicised labourmovement isbothdesirable and unavoidable.This is, in fact,the reason that labourhas alwaysbeen thedriving forcebehind activism forchange.Itis also thisvery roleas the 'official' unofficial opposition that defines strained relations betweenstateandorganised labour. Itwas organised labourthatstagedthebiggest andlongest massprotest in 1997anddemanded, inter alia,a written Constitution that was eventuSipho Jele died in I police custody I Sipho Jele died in suspicious circumstances while inpolice detention DR SIKELELA M D LAMINI Is Secretary to the Swaziland Chapter off the SDC and a freelance writer and independent researcher. This article first appeared In the South African Labour Bulletin, see: www.south africanlabourbutletin.org.za Page 3Volume 17Issue 3201 0 INTERNATIONAL union rights Manybelieve his death was a politicallymotivatedmurder STEVE FAULKNER Is International and Equality Officer for the South African Municipal Workers' Union ('SAMINU1) allypromulgated in2005.Itwas organised labour toothat forced government toamenda restrictive Industrial Relations Act(1996) as a precondition for retaining Swaziland'sstatusin the USA's African Growthand Opportunity Act ('AGOA') and Generalised System ofPreferences CGSP')at theturn ofthemillennium. Howeverdespitethesemilestone achievements andan emerging enabling localenvironment and globalsupport, labourstillfellshortof pushing forregimechange.The reasonswererelatedto statepropaganda.Statepropagandais greatly aidedbystatemonopoly on radioand...

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