Swazi regime declares war on demonstrators

By Peter Kenworthy, Africa Contact's Swaziland group

The predictions that todays demonstration for democracy in Swaziland, announced by the unions and Democratic movement in an attempt to highlight and protest against the planned cuts in public expenditure and saleries, will be met by police and security force violence are unfortunately about to come true.

According to the representatives of the Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC), who are part of the demonstrations, security forces are blocking off the streets of Mabane, “armed to the teeth with various armaments and these include their armoured vehicles, caspers, water canons.” The security forces are also “visible and heavily armed” in “every corner of the country.”
Spokespersons for the SDC, Mary Pais Da Silva and Sikelela Dlamini, also believe that the security forces have been instructed to “crush the people’s demonstration using brutal and deadly force.”

The over 10 0000 demonstrators that have braved the police blocades and intimidation are not detered, however, according to Da Silva and Dlamini. “No amount of brutality shall deter us from our goal – multi-party democracy.”