Swaziland: Insanity continues

Times of Swaziland reports

Police to arrest women in miniskirts

                              2008 Reed Dance Swaziland

MBABANE –Police, fresh from halting a young women activists’ miniskirt march at the Manzini Bus Rank, Wendy Hleta, their spokesperson says mini-skirts, crop tops and skimpy dresses that reveal parts of the female body are illegal.

Crop tops are tops which expose part of the stomach.

People who wear these types of clothing risk being arrested and prosecuted.

This is because these clothes are deemed to be indecent, immoral and have an element of nudity.

Hehe the Pornocracy it would appear has different standards for different citizens.

Hleta said there is a law, which she identified as classified under Common Law and statutory law under the Crimes Act promulgated in 1889 outlaws this type of clothing.

Well passing a law in 1889 that could for see the 1960 mini skirt development was fairly far reaching. We have however moved forward a further 50 odd years. As the picture above shows the King who selects a new bride annually at the reed dance is not constrained by the law.

She said it would take one person to lay a complaint with the police then they would not hesitate but put the offender behind bars.

The law that outlaws miniskirts is the Crimes Act number six of 1889 part V, section 49 which controls "immorality and offences in public places or places of public resort and control of places of public interest’.

Hleta said in recent　 history the law, has not been enforced but since the society of Manzini, especially the bus rank, have voiced it out that they were not happy with miniskirts, people should know the existence of this law.

She said section 49 (1) (b) which states that a person shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding one hundred Emalangeni or in default thereof imprisonment not exceeding six months, "....who in or within sight of a public place, or in a public resort indecently exposes his person or makes indecent signs or gestures.

Hleta said the common law in Swaziland detects a criminal act called indecent exposure which entails deliberate showing a potion of your body be it male or female.

She said this kind of behaviour varies from society to society and was dependant on the local moral standards in that society. She said the essence of the law was that clothing that revealed body parts were immoral and, therefore, illegal.

Hilarious.

Nevertheless this will obviously exclude exposure of body parts due to breast feeding and cultural regalia that is acceptable in cultural activity.

The mother of two teenagers said a lot of young girls had the tendency of going to malls for shopping or leisure wearing miniskirts and said this invites people who do not approve of this to emotionally abuse the youth by harassing them.

　

"Our children must dress for the occasion. Short skirts for their parties and since they are aware of the disapproval in bus ranks, they must avoid going there to avoid unnecessary embarrassment and emotional dent. Parents should also assist their children with the truth as some do not really look good in those minis and it even embarrasses females to see another female exposing her back-side or even underwear. For females it is polite that when you have dropped something, squat with your upper body still up right and pick the item rather than bending half your body head first to pick the item," Hleta said.

I don't believe this shit.

She said the Manzini Bus Rank was one area that had openly rejected mini- skirts.

Hleta said this place was male dominated and people who worked there have shown that they did not appreciate seeing women half dressed at their place of work.

Now that has got to bullshit.

"To show that the society there does not embrace skimpiness, women vendors who work at the bus rank assist the half dressed women by borrowing them kangas, to cover up when they are attacked.

"It’s a pity that there are people who have been physically violated at the bus rank. We do not encourage that women should be harmed but at the same time people should note acceptable conduct or behaviours from one society to the other," she said.

Hleta said she loved fashion and loved being beautiful but said being a fashionista should always be confined to the limits of modesty, self respect and confidence. She said she always encourages her children to follow fashion trends that were acceptable to society while guiding them on how other people might take their taste.

"One of my children is very fond of short and skimpy dresses, but is flexible when she is told how other people may criticise an outfit and she is flexible to view it as constructive criticism that may create a responsible future young woman," she said. She said all women were blessed with beauty which was unique and always attractive to men.

"When dressed in skimpy clothing they invite more interest from men who feast their eyes on them in appreciation which is a thing that happens even if you are well covered with clothes. I have read from one of the social networks that men and even other women have a tendency of ‘undressing people with their eyes’, this becomes easier when the clothes are hugging or are more revealing," she said.

She said another problem with the revealing clothes was that it made it easier for men to tear away the clothing during rape, but really this does not mean that man should make a dress code an issue in a rape case since it is not an issue or an element in the crime. Police only enquire about what the victim wore for exhibit record and other relevant evidential reasons.

Am I reading this shit ?

　"The act of the rapist is made easy because it would be easy to remove the half cloth worn by the woman," she said. She said the risk of rape was not worth the miniskirts or skimpy dresses. Hleta said the fact that miniskirts were outlawed in the country does not mean that when women wearing miniskirts were violated would not be attended to by police.

"We will not judge them but we will assist them with due respect and the offenders will be arrested," she said.

"We are still awaiting the Sexual Offence and Domestic Violence Bill of 2009 as it makes it an offence to stalk or harass women in any nature."

She said should this Bill pass, then females may heave a sigh of relief.

"With hopes that they will act reasonably and with respect as I would personally be disappointed if women would take it to the level of wearing bikinis in town in the name of ‘we wear what we want’ as bikinis are common in swimming pools and the beach front," she said.

Bat shit crazy is alive and well in Swaziland.