SWAZILAND: 'REWRITE CONSTITUTION'

Swazi Media Commentary

4 November 2008

COMMENT

Swaziland should look again at its constitution, this time ensuring that there is full consultation with the people, civic society and political organisations.

This s a major recommendation from the Commonwealth Expert Team (CET) members that were official observers of the elections in Swaziland in September.

The CET said that the elections were not entirely credible because the constitution banned political parties and members of parliament had few real powers.

In its report on the election, just published, the CET says revisiting the constitution is necessary to ‘ensure that Swaziland’s commitment to political pluralism is unequivocal’.

It says that review of the constitution ‘should be carried out through a process of full consultation with Swazi political organisations and civil society (possibly with the support of constitutional experts).’

The CET went on to say that the election was not credible, even though a new constitution has been introduced in Swaziland since the last election in 2003.

The CET states, ‘Swaziland has now adopted a new Constitution, which affords the nation an opportunity to make democratic progress. The real challenge is to gain the confidence of the democratic dispensation with an entrenched bill of rights, as is expected of Swaziland in accordance with Commonwealth principles and declarations.’

It added, ‘We also noted our serious concerns on the inherent inconsistencies and contradictions, particularly as they relate to the separation of powers (or lack thereof) and the rule of law. We also expressed our deep concern for the inconsistency and contradictions as they relate to the interpretation of the fundamental right of freedom of association and assembly, where political parties are denied formal recognition, so that they do not have the right to carry out activities which political parties would normally conduct in a multi-party democracy.

‘We believe that the Monarchy and a multi-party democracy are not mutually exclusive, and that a mechanism should be found to insulate the Monarchy from the turbulence of politics.

It goes on, ‘In the modern world, which is complex and constantly evolving, a multi-party democratic system has proved to be the best one for accommodating diversity and well-treasured norms in society. Practical experience has shown that institutions which have been marginalised have suffered. Confidence in the institutional framework to promote a vibrant electorate is vital, as a conscientious, well informed electorate is critical in this day and age. In any country the prevailing political environment influences all aspects of life including social and economic conditions for its citizens. One of the major areas it affects is the constitutional and legislative framework governing electoral processes.’

According to a report from the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation, the Swazi government has declined to comment on the report until it has had a chance to study it fully.

This is a standard response from the Swazi ruling elite to any criticism it receives from the international community. In practice, the government never responds (think of all those criticisms earlier this year and last about the poor governance in Swaziland).

The government thinks it can ignore these findings. It can’t. It is up to democrats to keep pushing the point that Swaziland’s ‘unique’ democracy stands condemned and it must change.

To read the full report, click here.

See also

ELECTIONS

Link http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/11/swaziland-rewrite-constitution.html

SWAZI ELECTION OBSERVERS IN DARK

Swazi Media Commentary

17 September 2008

Comment

I am not the only one who isn’t sure what the election observers are doing in Swaziland – the observers themselves are in the dark.

They had a meeting yesterday (16 September 2008) to discuss what they should do ahead of the election in two days time.

An informal report I have received about the meeting says that the observers, who are from various Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries had never read the Swazi Constitution or the 1992 Elections Order that governs how elections should be run.

To make matter worse they don’t know whether they are monitoring the Swazi poll using SADC or African Union election guidelines or whether they should be using some local guidelines. Since the Swazi Government keeps telling us that Swaziland has a ‘unique’ democracy (political parties are banned, the parliament has no real power and the King appoints the Prime Minister and some Cabinet members even though they have not been elected to parliament) I suppose ‘local guidelines’ are best.

It also emerged that some of the observers do not speak English or siSwazti (the two languages in Swaziland) yet no translators have been made available to them.

Meanwhile, the Swazi Observer reported today that civil society doubts whether the EBC is ready to conduct Friday’s elections. Among concerns raised are those relating to constituency boundaries.

The Observer reported that Mario Masuku, president of the banned organisation Peoples’ United Democratic Front (PUDEMO), also cited the number of cases pending in court from the primary elections last month that might jeopardise the authenticity of the Friday election.

Times of Swaziland political commentator Vusi Sibisi, writing in today’s newspaper today also wonders why the election observers are there.

Sibisi writes, ‘As I see it, there are no similarities or comparisons that can be found between the uniquely Swazi Tinkhundla political system to or with any other political system the world over. This in spite of the fact that the Kingdom of eSwatini is a signatory to all international conventions relating to people’s rights and freedoms.’

He goes on, ‘As I see it the yardsticks used to determine if an election has been free and fair do not apply here simply because the system on which the elections are anchored is not democratic.’

To read the full Sibisi article click here.

See also

OBSERVING THE SWAZILAND ELECTION

ELECTIONS

Link http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/09/swazi-election-observers-in-dark.html

OBSERVING THE SWAZILAND ELECTION

Swazi Media Commentary

16 September

Comment

OBSERVING THE SWAZILAND ELECTION

News that 100 observers are heading to Swaziland for this Friday’s election raises the question what are they expecting to see?

They will hardly have enough time to unpack their suitcases before the election is over and it’s time to go home.

If last month’s primary elections are anything to go by there will be many problems with the election.

At one point the primary election was postponed even though polling stations had already opened. The chaos was over missing ballot papers, incomplete voting forms and ballots with the wrong candidates’ names.

Violence broke out at polling stations as polls were closed before everyone had the chance to vote.

Many losing candidates ran to the High Court to have the vote overturned.

On top of this there were accusations that some election boxes were tampered with.

Others said the election was not secret.

On top of this there were accusations that candidates tried to bribe voters and claims of other inappropriate and illegal behaviour by candidates.

Apart from specific incidents on polling day there is also the ongoing dissatisfaction with the members of Swaziland’s Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC). The High Court has been asked to rule on whether the members were selected in accordance with the Swazi Constitution.

The constitution states that the chair should be a senior judge, but in fact Chief Gija Dlamini, the EBC chair has no legal background and is variously described as an ‘electrician’ or an ‘electrical engineer’.

The European Union (EU) has already announced it will not send observers to the election because it hasn’t been given enough time to do the job properly. There is also some concern among EU representatives that the Swazi poll is meaningless because political parties are banned and the parliament that is elected has no real powers. Swaziland’s present Prime Minister Themba Dlamini was selected by King Mswati III even though Dlamini had not been elected to Parliament.

After the last Swaziland election in 2003, the Commonwealth Expert Team which did observer the election reported ‘we do not regard the credibility of these National elections as an issue: no elections can be credible when they are for a Parliament which does not have power and when political parties are banned’.

Nothing has substantially changed since 2003 and there is no reason to believe that this week’s election will be any more meaningful. Which of the 100 observers will have the courage to say so?

See also

ELECTIONS

SWAZILAND ELECTIONS 2008 BLOGSITE

ELECTIONS AND BOUNDARIES COMMISSION

Link http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/09/observing-swaziland-election.html

SWAZI ELECTIONS 'A MOCKERY'

Swazi Media Commentary

5 August 2008

COMMENT

Swaziland newspapers have attacked the kingdom’s forthcoming elections as ‘a mockery’.

In separate comment articles the editors of the Swazi News and the Times Sunday both used the term ‘mockery’ to describe the way in which the elections have been run. This past weekend saw nominations for candidates open and close, but people were only given three days notice to prepare for them.

Meanwhile, the Swazi High Court was asked to rule whether the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), the organisation tasked with overseeing the election, was legal under the Swazi constitution. The High Court dismissed the application and reserved judgment.

The editor of the Times Sunday Mbongeni Mbingo, writing in his own newspaper (3 August 2008), said, ‘The elections have always been presented as a mockery, since the day Chief Gija [chair of the EBC] and his commissioners were handed to us.’

He went on, ‘Right now, I am convinced they cannot do the job and they are an embarrassment. I hope they know this, because we cannot disguise it anymore.’

Mbingo went on to say, ‘My frustration today has a lot to do with why the elections are made to be such a mess. I am wondering if people are deliberately doing things to embarrass our king and country and to make sure that the elections flop. I wonder what is there for them when they achieve their goal, but it is perfectly clear right now that there are dark forces pulling this country back.

‘I can’t fathom how we could get things this wrong—so embarrassingly wrong! This week, our EBC decided—or should we say they realised—that there needed to be the nominations, the first step toward the elections. The people were not given enough time to prepare, and shockingly, the EBC, its polling officers and everyone else expected to help, were not ready.

‘It was like we were all caught off guard. This shocked me. Who decided that this weekend should be the beginning of the elections, and when was this decision taken? Why was it not communicated to the public in time?

‘I am assuming this latest comedy of errors goes to show that people were right to question Chief Gija’s leadership qualities.’

Mbingo went on, ‘This is frustrating because it gives the world the idea that we are not capable of putting our house in order, or in fact of getting people who could run things properly and efficiently. The world always has to look at us as the laughing stock, people who couldn’t be serious, and a country lacking in leadership.’

Thulani Thwala, editor of the Swazi News, writing in his own newspaper (2 August 2008), said, ‘The elections have become a mockery before they begin.’

He went on, ‘... no one is certain on whether these elections are legal or illegal. My immediate thinking is that they are illegal. We go to nominations today without the voter’s roll. We begin the nomination with a certain section of people still firmly occupying public office and they might be nominated. Some law-abiding citizens have already taken leave of absence from their respective work places to contest the elections but we still have a group of men and women who still call themselves Cabinet ministers. Why are they still in office? Should they be in office really?’

In a direct plea to Swaziland’s King Mswati III, Thwala wrote, ‘We go to the nominations today Your Majesty a confused lot. As you read this letter we are not sure whether we are going or coming or both. We do not know whether what we are doing is right or wrong. Your country needs direction now and it can only be you to lead us. The people you entrusted with such a task have failed.’

In a news report headed Confusion, chaos, controversy, the Times Sunday reported (3 August 2008) on the first day of nominations, ‘Some of the problems that elections officers had to surmount were rowdy voters who learnt on the day that they were “not eligible” to vote.

'They were later allowed after the EBC allegedly admitted it made a blunder. In other areas, such as Kwaluseni, land or chieftaincy disputes delayed the nomination process, while in some cases, elections officers were forced to postpone. In Northern Hhohho, a number of nominating venues had to cancel due to problems that came to the fore just before starting time, while some delayed but proceeded later.

‘The EBC offices at Nkhanini were inundated with calls from elections officers and returning officers who came across different kinds of problems, some of which forced them to postpone.’

The report went on, ‘While some of the people were rejected as nominees because they were currently employed in public office some who are in similar positions were nominated without a fuss. Although some had to show proof that they had resigned from employment, one teacher from Nhlangano lied to election officers, claiming that he is employed in a shop in Nhlangano. His name was not immediately revealed, however, he is currently being probed for fraud.’

The Times of Swaziland yesterday (4 August 2008) in a report headed Shock, surprise, chaos at nominations said, ‘Though preliminary reports from the EBC show that it has so far been smooth, various reports from across the country show otherwise.’

It went on, ‘While many ended the weekend on a good note, toasting to a possible seat in the august house, television star Themba Xaba saw his dream up in smoke after he was disqualified, while numerous other civil servants with no leave forms were also turned back.’

The report added, ‘At Butfongweni area, residents were, however, stunned when a chief’s daughter allegedly tried to use her connections to get nominated.’

A separate report in the Times (4 August 2008) gave details of the incident, ‘According to the polling station’s presiding officer, identified as Mrs Mthupha, people had to be dragged from their homesteads in order for them to “second” the princess’ supposed nomination.

‘“She came here with instructions, which she said were from the Elections and Boundaries Commission. The instruction was to the effect that we should include her name in the list of nominated candidates,” she alleged.

‘The presiding officer said the incident caused a temporary halt to the election process as the polling officers would hear none of what the chief’s daughter was saying.

‘Mthupha disclosed that the “Princess” first arrived at the polling station on Saturday but was turned back by the polling officers because she had no proof of registration with her.

‘“On Saturday her name was raised but it was later discovered that she was not eligible to participate here since she was registered under Mbekelweni,” she explained.

‘The action by the polling officers did not go down well with the royal family member who then took up the matter with the EBC, which later sent word that she must be allowed to participate in the election. The message was communicated through Returning Officer Driven Nkhambule.’

Link http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/08/swazi-election-mockery.html

DISSENT ON SWAZI ELECTION ‘SINFUL’

From Swazi Media Commentary

www.swazimedia.blogspot.com

A march that took place in Swaziland this week to protest against the xenophobic violence spreading throughout South Africa showed how difficult it is to have a dissenting voice heard in the kingdom.

This time the problem wasn’t the Swazi police, who are famous for firing teargas and rubber bullets at legitimate protestors. The problem this time was the march organisers.

It happened like this. The Council of Swaziland Churches (CSC) organised a march in the Swazi capital Mbabane to draw attention to the racial killings in South Africa and to hand in a petition to the South African Embassy.

Depending which newspaper you read 50 people (Swazi Observer, 29 May 2008) or 100 people (Times of Swaziland, same day) took part.

Among those attending were ‘progressives’. In Swaziland, the term ‘progressive’ has taken on a peculiar meaning, especially when used by defenders of the status quo or the media. ‘Progressives’, means nasty, horrible people, who given half a chance will burn your houses down and eat your children. Or, at least, something like that.

‘Progressives’ turned up and ‘hijacked’ the proceedings. Interestingly, both the Times and the Observer used the word ‘hijack’ in their headlines, when reporting on the incident.

As ‘hijacks’ go, it was pretty small beer. According to the Observer, one well-known progressive joined the march and began to sing, what the newspaper described as ‘political songs’. The newspaper reported that eight men later joined him.

‘While the Christians were singing hymns, they were singing political songs and chanting political slogans. Some of the Christians tried to stop them, and a fight almost broke out because they refused to stop chanting the political songs or leave the march. They said no one was going to stop them expressing their views,’ the Observer reported.

The Times reported there was ‘tension’ when an Anglican Church pastor told them ‘the walk was not political’.

The ‘progressives’ were said to have brought their own placards (but in its usual fashion the Times declined to let us know what was written on them.) It must have been something ‘radical’ because the marchers (identified as supporters of the banned organisation PUDEMO) kept the banners under wraps until they reached the centre of the city. When they were outside the embassy, they raised them.

The ‘progressives’ told the Times they were protesting about the ‘crisis’ of the forthcoming elections in Swaziland.

Bishop Meshack Mabuza, for the CSC, told the Times that he hoped they would realise they had done wrong and would ‘repent’.

So there you are. The march against xenophobia was ‘not political’, according to the organisers. It begs the question: If racist killings are not political, what counts as political to the churches of Swaziland?

Also, the ‘progressives’ were not allowed to dissent against the elections. By doing so, according to the bishop, they had sinned and needed to repent.

I hope that the Bishop was misquoted, or quoted out of context, because if there is one thing that Swaziland needs right now it is dissent. The forthcoming elections are a con trick on the Swazi nation and the international community, who both are being led to believe that the elections are ‘free and fair’.

The sooner we understand that basic truth the better. And if it takes nine ‘progressives’ marching alongside a handful of Christians to make us understand, so be it.

First published 30 May 2008

THE WRITING ON THE SWAZI WALL

From Swazi Media Commentary

http://www.swazimedia.blogspot.com/

The Times of Swaziland got itself in a bit of a state yesterday, when it tried to report about some rude words that had been written on a wall near an election registration post.

You see the words were about King Mswati III and they were not flattering.

‘What was written cannot be printed due to their contemptuous nature,’ the Times reported (28 May 2008).

And to top it all some pamphlets were found nearby which were ‘anti election’.

Dissent (about anything the ruling elite is in favour of) is not allowed in Swaziland, so the mere fact that someone has dared to say something nasty about the king is, I suppose, news. What interests me is that there is no vocabulary for the media to use when reporting such matters.

Reading the Times report I got the impression the newspaper desperately wanted to give the details, but the consequences they would face if they did would be too dire.

Here are some choice extracts from the report. The pamphlets were about, ‘The ongoing election registration process and the upcoming elections are said to be a waste of public funds to enrich those in the corridors of power.’

The Times said that the writing on the wall, when translated from the original siSwati, said, ‘away with … and the government who feeds on our money’. The writing didn’t actually say ‘dot, dot, dot’ – the Times put that in to spare our anger. I assume ‘dot, dot, dot’ is really King Mswati III. Mswati is known in some circles as ‘M3’ and the Observer newspaper group has taken to calling him ‘HMK’ (for, I assume, His Majesty the King), but I shall always think of him from this point forward as ‘dot, dot, dot’.

Anyhow, the Times continued, ‘Parliament was also not spared in the seditious statements as it was accused of passing laws like the recent Road Traffic Act, which according to the perpetrators, are made to enrich the government at the expense of the poor.’

So dangerous are these statements that the Times took it upon itself not to reveal the name of the political party that distributed the pamphlets, because the newspaper couldn’t confirm that they were genuine.

The Times reported that police confiscated the pamphlets; although it was not said what offence has been committed.

These are not the first ‘anti election’ pamphlets to have been found in Swaziland recently. As I reported on Wednesday (28 May 2008) pamphlets found at Zombodze were also seized by police.

There is a serious point to this. Swaziland is supposed to be having a ‘free and fair election’ (at least according to ‘dot, dot, dot’), but how can that be so if people are not allowed to discuss the issues. Swaziland is not a democracy and just about any of the many indices you care to use shows that too many people in the kingdom are poor, and the distribution of what wealth there is in Swaziland is poorly distributed. Only this week the newspapers have been reporting that one cabinet minister has more than E30million (more than 4 million US Dollars) in his personal bank account.

Why shouldn’t people be allowed to talk about this massive imbalance of wealth? And why shouldn’t they be allowed to question the present social setup that puts ‘dot, dot, dot’ above the rest of the population.

That, after all, is what elections are for. Except, of course, in the ’unique democracy’ that is Swaziland.

See also
‘DEMOCRACY IS EVIL’ – SWAZI CANON
SWAZI KING SAYS ELECTION IS FREE


First published 29 May 2008

See also
SWAZI PROTESTORS DEFACE WALL

SWAZI ELECTION ILLEGAL START

From Swazi Media Commentary
http://www.swazimedia.blogspot.com/

Voter registration for the national election in Swaziland started this week, even though the date of the election has yet to be set.

Nor have issues about who is to make the decision on the date been resolved. The Swazi Constitution says it’s the business of the Election and Boundaries Commission (EBC), but the advisory committee of King Mswati III, Liqoqo, says only the king can decide the date.

Then there is the legality of the EBC itself. Democrats in Swaziland believe the members of the EBC were selected illegally and members do not have the correct qualifications for the job. A court appeal on the matter is presently pending.

The Times of Swaziland reported yesterday (Tuesday 20 May 2008) that on the first day of registration, registration points were ‘either ill prepared, ill equipped or the people ill informed about what was expected of them’.

In addition, the Times reported, ‘Some constituencies such as Nkilongo are in protest over the registration of the election officers in their area.’

This prompted the Times to ask in an editorial comment whether the elections will be ‘free and fair’ as King Mswati III has promised.

The Times also criticises the EBC for ‘trotting around the country painting multi-parties black and blaming them for wars’. This, the newspaper says is not ‘civic education’. It accuses the EBC of ‘dictating not educating people freely and fairly’.

The EBC also comes in for a blistering attack from the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations (SCCCO).

In a media statement released yesterday (20 May 2008), SCCCO coordinator Musa Hlophe says that widows have been illegally excluded from registering to vote for traditional reasons. They have been turned away ‘for the sole reason that they are widows in mourning dress’. Hlophe says that this is illegal because there is no law preventing widows from registering.

Hlophe says, ‘It has been obvious from the outset that this Commission’s appointment, qualifications, competence and experience are all outside the letter and the spirit of the Constitution. This illegal exclusion of the widows is just the latest in a series of gaffes where the Commission has ignored and flouted the law, the constitution, common sense and good practice. How many more blunders does it take before the Commission realises how far out of its depth it is and does the honourable thing and resign.

‘The Election and Boundaries Commission and the Department of Justice and Constitutional Affairs’ disregard for the rule of law and parliamentary independence have shown the true colours of the Commission. It is just as obvious that in recent closed meetings with traditional authorities that its appearance of independence is fatally compromised. This is not an independent rigorous, well organised and technically capable commission but a toothless rubberstamp for labadzala – nothing more, nothing less.’

This is only the first day of the voter registration for elections that are widely expected to take place in November 2008. EBC Chairman Chief Gija Dlamini is quoted in the Times (20 May 2008) saying that people who put the registration process into disarray should be sent to jail.

If Day One is anything to go by, registration is already in disarray and the EBC must take much of the blame for this

Chief Gija is meant to be in charge and must take the responsibility. I hope he has his toothbrush packed ….

See also
SWAZI ELECTION PARTY DOUBLE TALK


First published 21 May 2008

SWAZI KING SAYS ELECTION IS FREE

From Swazi Media Commentary
http://www.swazimedia.blogspot.com/

Swaziland’s elections this year will be free and fair.

Or they will be if you believe the chief editor of the Swazi Observer. The Observer – the paper that is in effect owned by King Mswati III – reports the king assuring South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki (and therefore the world) that the news Swazi Constitution will ensure that the elections will be free and fair.

The Observer reported today (Thursday 24 April 2008), in a news article written by its chief editor, that the king told Mbeki that ‘under the new constitution, the elections were open to all Swazi adults and that the country’s political system has empowered every Swazi to freely choose what they see as the best candidate’.

The Observer reported that the king challenged all potential MPs to align themselves with the national fight to overcome poverty. What the Observer didn’t report was that these remarks were made at a sumptuous banquet, nor that in Swaziland this past year 600,000 people of the kingdom’s nearly one million population have had to rely on international food aid to fend off starvation.

The Observer did report that the king said that the new Swaziland’s constitution encourages people ‘to nominate and elect on merit, a candidate amongst themselves whom they know best to have the potential of representing their interests in parliament’.

What neither the king nor the Observer added was that political parties are banned in Swaziland, despite repeated calls for them and possible legal action from civil society groups in the kingdom.

Mbeki, who recently refused to acknowledge there was a political crisis in Zimbabwe following the disputed elections there last month (March 2008) said he wished King Mswati, ‘success in the general elections’.

It wasn’t clear what Mbeki’s definition of ‘success’ was. But, Mbeki’s continued support of Robert Mugabe, a despot who is trying desperately to cling on to power illegally in Zimbabwe, may give us some clue.

King Mswati III and the South African President, met during Mbeki’s two-day trip to the kingdom.

While the Observer and other Swazi media were upbeat in their reporting of the visit, some South African media were more realistic.

The SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) reported (23 April 2008), ‘It is believed that pro-democracy groups are putting pressure on Mbeki to raise the question of King Mswati’s absolute rule and lack of reforms.’

SABC added, ‘Meanwhile, the Swazi monarch is expected to raise concern with Mbeki over Cosatu’s [Confederation of South African Trade Unions] call for an economic blockade of the kingdom. Cosatu has pledged solidarity with the Swaziland trade union movement in demanding an end to Mswati’s absolute monarchy rule. Swaziland has been under pressure over the past few years to introduce democratic reforms.’

I don’t know whether this was discussed at the banquet because, unsurprisingly, I wasn’t invited. If such a discussion took place I have yet to see reference to it in the Swazi media.

The Pretoria News (23 April 2008) was less optimistic. It didn’t believe that Mbeki would raise the issue of democracy.

It reported, ‘Swazis feel little hope that Mbeki will press the king for more meaningful political change towards making Swaziland a true democracy.

‘Mbeki’s actions on Zimbabwe have not escaped the attention of political pundits in Mbabane.’

It went on, ‘Even though the political climate in Swaziland is not as volatile as Zimbabwe, banned political organisation Pudemo’s publicity and information secretary Zakhele Mabuza said it would be a sad day for the voiceless and disadvantaged in Swaziland if Mbeki concluded there was also no crisis in the country.

‘Mbeki was last in the country in 1996 when he was deputy president to meet Mswati during a week-long mass stayaway by opposition unions and politicians brought the country to a standstill.

‘When asked by journalists in 2004 why he and Mbeki had never met during the latter’s presidency, Mswati shrugged it off as a mere clash of diaries in their busy schedules. Mbeki later cancelled a scheduled trip over a year ago at the last minute.

‘Mbeki’s failure to visit Swaziland has fuelled speculation that he does not approve of Mswati's leadership style and his suppression of democracy. Yet no one seems to think his long-delayed visit now will influence political change in the country.

‘Vusi Sibisi, a columnist in The Times of Swaziland, wrote: “There is not much we can hope for from his belated visit to these shores. For besides his mishandling of the Zimbabwe crisis, he is a spent force, who a year or two ago, as a leader of a regional superpower, could have counted for something in terms of nudging the Swazi government towards embracing democracy.”

‘A source close to the monarchy speculated that perhaps Mbeki was visiting only now because Zuma is expected soon for his first meeting with Mswati since he became ANC president and Mbeki wants to get in first.’

According to the Swazi Observer, Mbeki ‘promised to return to Swaziland again and again.’ If the Pretoria News is right, Mbeki will have plenty of time on his hands to do just that.

Link http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/04/swazi-king-says-election-is-free.html

First published 24 April 2008

SWAZI ELECTION BOARD BANS REPORTERS

From Swazi Media Commentary
http://www.swazimedia.blogspot.com/

Journalists were banned from a meeting held by the Swaziland Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) because its chairman doesn’t like the way the media is reporting its activities.

Police, including at least one from the intelligence branch, were called to eject any reporters who tried to get into the meeting.

In another twist in the long-running controversy over the way members of the EBC were chosen and the Commission’s activities since then, the announcement of the date of the election has been postponed.

Chief Gija Dlamini told the Times Sunday today (13 April 2008) that the reason the meeting was held behind closed doors was because ‘the media had failed to report truthfully about their previous meeting at Siteki.’

The Times Sunday reported that the meeting at a hotel was with traditional leaders from the Hhohho Region of Swaziland and was part of ongoing ‘civic education’ being undertaken by the EBC.

The Times Sunday reported that more than 40 chiefs from different areas of the region ‘were given the special privilege of meeting the EBC behind closed doors and protected by the presence of the police.

‘Police officers, who were deployed at the hotel, were told that journalists were not welcome to cover the meeting.’

The Times Sunday continued, ‘Apparently, Chief Gija was not happy with one of the dailies [Swazi Observer] after it quoted him saying political parties were not allowed at the in the upcoming elections.

‘He said they were now careful with who participates in these meetings as they do not want to expose themselves to “manufactured” stories in the media.’

It is significant that Dlamini did not say that contrary to the Observer story; political parties indeed were allowed to participate in the election.

The Times Sunday reported that the EBC had already met privately with chiefs in other regions of Swaziland.

Dlamini went on (unwittingly, I suspect) to admit that not all people in Swaziland were to be afforded the same opportunities to learn about the election. Chiefs were to be given special privileges.

The Times Sunday reported, ‘Chief Gija said their meeting with the Chiefs was meant to respect traditional protocols before they can start the process of civic education to the ordinary masses.

“You will know that Swazi culture dictates that we respect chiefs as heads of communities and we could not therefore be seen to be doing something without the knowledge of the chiefs”, Gija said.’

The Times Sunday in an editorial comment said, ‘By holding such secret meetings, for a process that determines who will govern us for the next five years, the EBC has compromised the transparency that should encompass such an important election process.

‘To cut a long story short, the Commission has indicted to all that the elections, or selection, will not be independent.’

The EBC is under attack on several fronts at the moment. During the past week it was announced that civic organisations are going to court to get the appointment of the EBC members ruled unconstitutional. The Swazi Constitution states that members should be judges, but none of the people appointed are. The chairman himself is variously described in the media as an ‘electrician’ or ‘an electrical engineer.’ Whatever his formal job title is one thing is for sure: he has no legal training.

Following Chief Gija’s statement that political parties remain banned, the African Union Democratic Party announced it had petitioned the Swaziland House of Assembly to make a law allowing political parties to operate.

According to a report in the Swazi Observer (10 April 2008), ‘The petition alternatively states that the House of Assembly should amend provisions of the Constitution which prohibit political parties from standing for local and or general elections and from managing and directing public affairs at government level.’

Meanwhile, there is mystery about the actual date of the election. Recently, Chief Gija called a press conference to say that a date would be announced last week. The date for the announcement has come and gone but we still do not know when the election will be held.


Link http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/04/swazi-election-board-bans-reporters.html

First published 13 April 2008

SWAZI ELECTION DATE ABSURDITY

From Swazi Media Commentary
http://www.swazimedia.blogspot.com/

Swaziland will know this week the date of its national election.

The kingdom’s Elections and Boundaries Commission held a press conference last Friday (4 April 2008) to announce this.

That’s right. It held a press conference to tell us that sometime this week it will tell us the date of the election (presumably by holding another press conference).

The Swazi News (5 April 2008) was a bit put out by this, calling it a ‘mockery press briefing’ by the ‘illegally appointed’ Commission. I don’t suppose it would do any good if I pointed out that news reporting is meant to be unbiased and objective (go take a look at the SNAJ Code of Conduct Article 1 people).

The Weekend Observer (5 April 2008), as befitting a newspaper that is in effect owned by King Mswati III, was very supportive of the Commission. It gave space to the Commission’s Deputy Commissioner Mzwandile Fakudze to ‘clarify’ how it was that the newly appointed Commission had no judges on it, even though this was a specific requirement of the Swazi Constitution.

Fakudze said the Constitution also allowed for people of ‘high moral character and proven integrity’ to be appointed and the Commission members were appointed on this basis.

The Weekend Observer went on to report Fakudze saying that the King Mswati III (after being advised by the Judicial Service Commission) was the person to decide who had high moral character and proven integrity.

With the date of the election getting nearer (it is widely expected to be in October or November 2008) more and more election reports are getting into the newspapers. The main headline on the front page of the Swazi Observer on Monday (7 April 2008) read TEACHER ACCUSED OF ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN. The story referred to a school principal (not actually a teacher as the headline said) who had asked members of her community to nominate and support her candidacy for Parliament.

In the Alice in Wonderland world of Swaziland’s ‘unique’ democracy this is illegal because the powers that be haven’t said campaigning can begin.

Well, I suppose it depends on who you are, because the same issue of the Observer had a report about Zombodze Emuza, a sitting Member of Parliament, who told his constituency at a meeting of all the hard work he had put in on their behalf over the past five years. Then he gave each resident of his constituency two loaves of bread.

Which of course had nothing whatsoever to do with election campaigning.

Link http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/04/swazi-election-like-alice-in-wonderland.html

First published 10 April 2008

SWAZI ELECTION ‘MAY NOT BE FAIR’

From Swazi Media Commentary http://www.swazimedia.blogspot.com/

Swaziland’s national election, due later this year (2008) may not be free and fair, according to a report in the Times of Swaziland.

This is because an Electoral Commission which is supposed to oversee the elections has not been created.

This delay in setting up the Commission might mean that it would not have enough time to carry out its duties before the election, which is expected to be held some time in October or November. This could mean that the election would not be free or fair.

The Times reported yesterday (Thursday 28 February 2008) on a forum jointly organised by the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations (SCCCO) and the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Swaziland Chapter.

The Times reported Stephen Donaghy of SCCCO saying the Electoral Commission should have been in place last year, but this has not happened. The reason it was meant to be there in that time was because it had specific duties to carry out.

One of these duties was informing people on the process of vote casting. There was also a need to make sure enough polling stations were available for voting.

The Times reported that Donaghy ‘called upon the nation to unite and find a solution on how best the situation would be handled in light of the delay’.

I hope all the media in Swaziland heed that call. As I have written previously, after the last election in 2003 the media – especially the broadcast media – were criticised by official election observers for the poor way they informed people in Swaziland about the elections.

If the media were seeking a guide on what their roles could be during the run up to the election, they could do no better than to read the official report of one of the groups of observers, the Commonwealth Expert Team (CET), which was very critical of the way the last election in 2003 was run.

The CET expressed concern over the very few people in Swaziland who actually registered to vote. In about 85 percent of the registration centres the CET visited, it saw no people at all registering.

Discussing the possible reasons for this apathy, the CET stated:

‘It appears to us that the lack of public participation in the registration process was symptomatic of a wider public disengagement with electoral processes.

‘For instance, civil society organisations played no role in educating and mobilising voters to register and thus exercise their franchise. The provision of education on electoral rights and responsibilities seemed to be the preserve of the election management body and the chiefs at inkhundla level.

‘Nor were domestic observers from civil society involved in monitoring the integrity of the registration process. We were of the view that key stakeholders such as civil and political organisations needed to be brought into the electoral process so that they could play an active role in educating and mobilising the public to exercise their vote.

‘We were also of the opinion that public participation in democratic activity both at local and national level may increase if political parties, which currently have de facto existence, were given legal recognition.’

There is very little time before the election and a lot of work still needs to be done. Let the media mount an immediate campaign to ensure that everything is put in place on time to allow a free and fair election. Let’s not give Swaziland’s undemocratic ruling elite an excuse to postpone the election.

Link http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/02/swazi-election-may-not-be-fair.html

First published 29 February 2008

SWAZI RADIO AND THE ELECTIONS

From Swazi Media Commentary

http://www.swazimedia.blogspot.com/

An Archbishop in Swaziland has criticised the way members of parliament (MPs) use the radio to ‘chat’ to their constituents, rather than going to see them and talk face to face.

He also said that the MPs talk about ‘non issues’ such as mourning the dead rather than about matters that affect the people who elected them.

The comments from Archbishop Jameson Mncina, head of the Efiliphi Church in Zion, were published in the Swazi Observer newspaper yesterday (Wednesday 20 February 2008).

The Observer reported the Archbishop saying that MPs rely on the national radio to ‘chat’ with their constituencies. He was referring to a series of programmes that recently started on the state-controlled Swaziland Broadcasting Information Service (SBIS) radio. Each MP is being given the chance to go on radio at 6.15 in the morning to talk about matters that interest them.

The Observer reported the Archbishop saying, ‘Instead of going to the people at the grass-roots level where they were elected, they now create a barrier by talking to the people over the radio. They no longer have contact with the people. How many people listen to the 6.15 morning programme?’

The Archbishop was further reported saying that after MPs were elected they were expected to return to the people and organise meetings with them rather than talk to them ‘through gadgets of mass communication’.

The Archbishop went on to criticise MPs for talking about ‘non issues’ such as food aid distribution and, he was reported saying, they mourn dead members of society ‘and they give a colourful picture of the effects of destitution’.

The Archbishop has a point if MPs are deliberately avoiding their constituents by going on the radio. A conscientious MP would both appear on radio and visit the grass roots.

But radio should not be ignored by MPs. Radio is a very important medium in a developing country such as Swaziland. Radio is by far the best way of getting messages out to the largest number of people in the kingdom.

Figures contained in the African Media Barometer – Swaziland 2007, published recently by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Swaziland Chapter report estimate that SBIS, which has two channels, can reach about 95 percent of the population (of about one million people).

Radio is broadcast in the local language siSwati, as well as in English. This means that just about everyone in the kingdom can understand what is being broadcast. Unlike when reading newspapers, the listener does not have to be literate to understand what is being said on the radio.

The programme that includes MPs is a new programme and it is no coincidence that it has been started in the run up to Swaziland’s national elections which are due to take place later this year (2008). Sceptics might say that this is giving sitting MPs the chance to remind their constituents who they are so that they will vote for them again when the elections come.

SBIS should be congratulated for thinking about how it can give good coverage to the election. After the last election in 2003, SBIS received mixed responses over its coverage.

As I wrote before in a report on the way the election was conducted the Electoral Institute of Southern Africa praised SBIS for allowing all candidates to canvass in the airwaves for about five minutes.

However, the Commonwealth Expert Team (CET) in a report found broadcasting coverage of the election in Swaziland ‘disappointing’.

SBIS carried short items by the candidates early in the morning, but there was little news about the election and in the week up to the poll and the CET said it heard no discussion programmes or any other substantial coverage.

The CET also criticised radio coverage on the election day itself, because the fact that it was election day was not even mentioned on the early morning news.

The date of the election day in 2008 has yet to be announced, but it is widely expected to be in October or November. This gives SBIS time to organise coverage and to make sure that people in Swaziland get a proper chance to be educated about the election itself and also to hear from candidates and others about the main issues that people should be considering when choosing an MP.

To be truly useful to people in Swaziland at the time of the election, SBIS must provide air time to all candidates and allow them to be questioned by listeners. Radio phone-in shows could be a good way of doing this. SBIS must also choose a number of topics that are important to ordinary people in the kingdom and produce programmes around them. For example, programmes about health, education, water roads as well as the ever-present topic of corruption could be broadcast.

These programmes should allow people of all opinions (not just the ruling elite) to debate the topics and SBIS should not be afraid to allow dissenting voices (and not just the traditionalists) to be heard.

SBIS has a golden opportunity to prove to people in Swaziland - as well as to the listening world outside - that it is capable of behaving in the same way as radio stations in democratic countries.

Link http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/02/swaziland-radio-and-elections.html

First published 21 February 2008