Swaziland:Witchcraft and More. Wikileaks needs to do better.

All Africa reports

Swaziland: US Cable Says Swazi King 'Imbalanced'

Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall greet King Mswati III of Swaziland and wife Inkhosikati LaMbikiza of Swaziland

Probably not the way I would have captioned the above photograph. I have a great deal of sympathy for the inhabitants of Swaziland... that sympathy is some what tempered by the realisation that I might soon be in the same boat as them. Trust me when I say " Long Live The Queen " I mean it.   

The US Embassy in Swaziland said King Mswati III was 'not intellectually well developed' and 'is not a reader'. It also called him 'imbalanced'.

The comments about the Swazi King came from Earl Irvine in February 2010, when he was the US Ambassador to Swaziland.

In a confidential cable to Washington released by Wikileaks, Irvine said King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, had a 'lack of wisdom'.

My forays into the politics of Swaziland are usually brought about by my love of the absurd. Swaziland is perhaps after North Korea the most absurd place in the world and a hell of a lot less dangerous in an international context. That Mswati is lacking in wisdom should come as no surprise, in many ways I am surprised Wikileaks even bothered to release this.    

Quoting an informant, Irvine wrote the king was 'not a reader, and would not review documents left for him. [The informant] called the king 'not intellectually well-developed,' and contrasted his poor educational background with his father Sobhuza II, who was educated at Lovedale College in South Africa alongside future leaders of South Africa's African National Congress (ANC).

He is a fucking fool. What sort of idiot comes up with a plan to build an international airport 70 km from anywhere. It would be funny except it cost $250 million and Swaziland is a desperately poor nation.

" King Mswati III of Swaziland has so little faith in the new international airport that has his name that he does not use it. Instead, he travels in his private jet from Matsapha, the airport that closed to make way for the King Mswati III International Airport (KM111) that was built in a wilderness about 70 km from any major town."

Irvine wrote, 'Essentially a bastard outsider to the royal family, King Mswati III was plucked from relative obscurity when members of the royal family could not come to an agreement on a successor to King Sobhuza II.

I am not criticising  Irvine, I just wish he had tried to convey less meaning and left it at " Essentially a bastard.."

'After Mswati III was selected to be the next king, a posthumous marriage of Sobhuza II to Ntombi [the Queen Mother] was quickly arranged, according to our interlocutor.'

I hope King Sobhuza II was not subjected to the physical aspects of consummation also without his consent.

Irvine wrote, 'Unlike in his early years, the king now identifies and pushes specific projects, and will look to replace ministers or employees who are unable to provide progress on those projects.'

And the people of Swaziland have an international airport in the middle of nowhere. Seriously you couldn't make this shit up nobody would believe you.  

Irvine quoted his informant calling King Mswati 'imbalanced'. He gave an anecdote to illustrate this. 'The king, [the informant] said, invited about 40 officials and advisors to a basement in one of his palaces, where they all sat on the floor to attend to him. King Mswati III turned up the heater, which warmed the floor first, until the temperature in the room reached about 40 degrees Celsius, and told inconsequential stories to those gathered while they sweated, merely to show them he was in power.'

"...merely to show them he was in power.'  " ? I suspect this is wrong. He was more likely trying to impress them with the fact he had power. This act was probably a generous sharing of electricity. One should always keep an open mind. 

Irvine also reported that the king's mother had a sexual affair with Lutfo Dlamini, Swaziland's former Foreign Minister.

Well good on her. For " fucks " sake they made her marry the corpse of King Sobhuza II. 

And the Queen Mother Ntombi's 'associations with men' had undermined the power she had to influence King Mswati's decision-making.

                                                          Queen Mother Ntombi of Swaziland

Just let her have sex with who she wants to have sex with. It isn't anyones business but hers.

Irvine called the cable he wrote to Washington 'Witchcraft and More: A Portrait of Influences on King Mswati III'.

In the cable Irvine said, 'traditional leaders, superstition, and members of the royal family' were the major influences on the king. His ministers, however, 'remain his servants'.

Well I do think regicide has its place.

Irvine wrote, 'The king's wives' opinions matter to the king, especially his third wife, LaMbikisa, who has an advanced degree and is the only wife to whom the king proposed.'

                                                      LaMbikisa

She is beautiful. She is probably very smart. Irvine should  have come up with a way to put her in charge of Swaziland and then we might actually have seen some improvements.

Irvine goes on, 'King Mswati III believes in muti (traditional medicine used to cast spells or curses), and attempts to use muti to attack the king are taken seriously'.

He wrote, 'In 1989 Prince Mfana Sibili was accused of high treason when he allegedly used muti to try to take away the king's powers. When a foreign judge, brought in to hear the case, dismissed it after hearing the charges, a traditional court was installed to convict the prince.'

He said that 'muti people' hold great sway within the royal family, and that the king must eat and drink whatever they give him during traditional ceremonies, particularly when in seclusion. 'If they are unhappy with the direction the king is taking the country, then the king has cause to worry.'

Insanity ? Kill the bastard now. The rest of this story is more insanity.  Trust me you won't believe it.

Irvine went on 'Although Queen Mother Ntombi is considered by many observers to be a powerful figure within the royal family, [name of informant] indicated that her authority has been undermined by her "associations with men," including the then Foreign Minister Lutfo Dlamini.

Irvine wrote, 'Mswati III uses the investment company African Alliance to move his money around internationally.'

The informant indicated that 'the king has become more decisive during his years in office, especially where his interests are at issue, and he views ministers and officials who tell him he cannot do something as cowards'.

Swazi Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini is the king's loyal 'hangman,' Irvine wrote, an assertion that suggests that the king placed absolute trust in Barnabas.

'Instead of looking to influence the king, the Prime Minister acts as the king's steadfast servant, a relationship that dates back to a suicide attempt by Barnabas in 1990 or 1991.

'According to [informants] in an unsuccessful attempt kept secret from the public, Barnabas tried to commit suicide after his involvement in a corruption scandal during his tenure as Minister of Finance became known.

'As part of making amends to the king, Barnabas reportedly prostrated himself before the king, giving himself over as the king's servant.'

Swaziland: More repression in the Pornocracy

All Africa reports.

There is stuff all I can say other than I hope that the film makes it to NZ.

Swaziland: Police Raid Film Critical of King

                                                                                                  Reed Dance

Swaziland police broke up a screening of a documentary critical of King Mswati III and detained the owner of the studio.

Swazi police, acting without a warrant or court order, broke up the screening of The King and the People at a studio at the Christian Media Centre in Manzini.

The screening had been organised by the Swaziland United Democratic Front, an organisation campaigning for democracy in the kingdom ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch.

About 50 people had gathered to watch the documentary when police arrived and closed down the screening. They detained the owner of the studio and questioned him for about three hours, according to reports from Swaziland.

The King and the People, made by Simon Bright, is a recently-released documentary that investigates the present situation in Swaziland. It has been shown across the world.

In a preview of the movie, the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) said, 'The film shines a light on a crisis forgotten or misunderstood by many and unravels the reality of the existence, in the 21st century, of a governing system that is based on royal supremacy, greed, power and zero tolerance to fundamental human rights.'

Percy Zvomuya, who reviewed the documentary for OSISA, said, 'In the movie, there are gritty, frenetic close-up shots of activists on strikes and state thugs beating them up. The grit is placed side by side with the rather drowsy shots of talking heads: an academic, a teacher, an activist and a politician deconstructing the crisis.'

He added, 'But connecting all of this is a sad story of a country (or half a country?) presided over by an elite that controls the executive, the legislature, the judiciary, business and the media. A scene in which the king is seen having 'consultations' with his subjects gives new meaning to the phrase "bootlicking".'

The breaking up of the public gathering is not the first of its kind in Swaziland. In April 2013 armed police physically stopped people from entering a public meeting at a restaurant that was called to discuss the undemocratic nature of the impending national election. Police said it 'presented a threat to national security'.

In March 2013, riot police with batons halted a prayer meeting in Manzini because it had been organised by the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), an unregistered organisation in the kingdom.

In February 2013 about 60 armed police broke up another prayer meeting, this time at the Our Lady of Assumption Catholic cathedral in Manzini. Police said the prayer was a political meeting, organised to disrupt the election that was later held in September.

Swaziland: No more low flying witches as Swaziland enters the airline business

Swazi Media Commentary reports

NEW NATIONAL AIRLINE A WASTE OF MONEY

                                              Sikhuphe Airport 

The Swaziland Government proposal to set up its own national airline to use at the kingdom’s proposed Sikhuphe Airport is a waste of time and money.

It is estimated a single aircraft for the airline would cost E700 million (US$70 million). This compares to the E125 million budgeted for free primary school education in Swaziland this year.

I have blogged before about the many reasons Swaziland needs to indulge in a bit of regicide and it would appear this is yet another one. Swaziland actually owns a jet or rather Swaziland has already paid for a jet. It of course belongs to the King rather than the people who paid for it.

                                                                      The Kings Jet

Swaziland Civil Aviation Authority (SWACAA) says it needs to set up its own national airline to encourage international airlines to use the airport, which is being built 80km from the kingdom’s capital, Mbabane.

If you are going to fuck up big time building an airport you can't afford then I guess building it 80km from its potential users is consistent. One should remember that this is the country which has recently passed a law banning witches flying on broomsticks over 150 meters.

"Swaziland has launched a crackdown on high-flying witches after banning them from hovering above 150metres.

Anyone caught flying their broomstick above the height limit faces arrest and a hefty R500,000 fine, the country’s Civil Aviation Authorities said this week.

According to the Corporate Affairs Sabelo Dlamini‘A witch on a broomstick should not fly above the [150-metre] limit,"

Sikhuphe is an on-going project to build an ‘international airport’ in the wilderness in Swaziland. Since the idea for the airport was first raised by King Mswati, who rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, more than 10 years ago independent observers have called it a waste of resources.

One doesn't have to wonder why the king who has a jet has decided he needs an international airport. I am guessing he also has a reason for building it in the wilderness.

In 2003, the International Monetary Fund said it should not be built because it would divert funds away from much needed projects to fight poverty in Swaziland. About seven in ten of King Mswati’s 1.3 million subjects live in abject poverty, earning less than US$2 per day.

It would seem 10 years hasn't changed anything.

Meanwhile, the king has a lavish lifestyle, including a personal fortune, once estimated by Forbes magazine to be US$200 million, 13 palaces, a private jet and fleets of top-of-the range Mercedes and BMW cars.

What the King really needs now is an international travel ban.

Solomon Dube, Director of SWACAA was reported by local media saying Swaziland needed a national airline because every time he went abroad to market the new airport, ‘reputable airlines’ demanded that the kingdom should have a national airline which would ferry, on-transit passengers.

Ferry them where exactly ? 

" Swaziland is a small country, no more than 200 kilometres (120 mi) north to south and 130 kilometres (81 mi) east to west."

He said they wanted to buy a 90- to 100-seater jet that would cost around E700 million.

I actually would have concerns about flying Swazi Air or what ever the fuck they decide to call it. I am betting that it will probably have a major aviation incident with one of those low flying witches. 

The Times Sunday, an independent newspaper in Swaziland, reported Dube saying big airliners agreed ‘in principle’ to bring passengers to Swaziland but wanted to know if these passengers would not be stuck in the kingdom.

I think that the big airlines would do better by their customers by not taking them to Swaziland. As for getting stuck there it doesn't bare thinking about. 

‘They all demand that we have a national airline that will transport the many passengers they would be transporting from all over the world to Southern Africa,’ he said.

‘They want us to distribute passengers from Europe to Sikhuphe Airport if they are travelling to places like Zimbabwe and Botswana for example,’ he said.

I think I can see a flaw in this plan. Sir Seretse Khama International airport and Harare International Airport

‘They tell us that they do not want their important passengers to be stranded in a Third World country and, therefore, if we want them to use our airport, we should also have a national airline which they would work with.’

Dube did not reveal how many aircraft would be needed to fulfil this role.

It might be cheaper to get the witches to help out.

Dube and the Swazi Government have forgotten one important point. The only reason passengers would fly to Swaziland was because they kingdom was their final destination. If they wanted to go to some other country in southern Africa they would fly into airports in neighbouring South Africa and take already existing routes to their intended destination.

That flaw in the cunning plan again.

So, setting up a national airline for Swaziland would have no effect on that.

Dube has made a number of unsustainable statements in an attempt to ‘talk-up’ the airport and its usefulness.

Last month (October 2013) he claimed SWACAA had targeted small and medium business travellers to use the airport. He said low-cost airlines were interested in using Sikhuphe for business travellers who might want to fly to nearby countries ‘on a daily basis’.

Batshit crazy ?

It was, of course, fanciful, since there is an existing airport at Matsapha and if there was such a market it would already be met.

Dube insisted last month that Sikhuphe would be operational by the end of October 2013, but there are no signs that it is. To date no international airline has announced it intends to use Sikhuphe when it eventually opens.

Regicide please.

Swaziland: The Pornocracy does discrimination

The Times of Swaziland reports

DISABLED BUSINESSMAN STOPPED FROM SEEING KING

NHLANGANO – A business-man living with a disability was blocked by former Pastor Minister Lindiwe Dlamini from having an audience with His Majesty the King because he is disabled.

Dlamini, the former Housing and Urban Development Minister denied Hlatikhulu businessman Peter Petersie an opportunity to meet the King at Mbangweni Royal Residence during the Shiselweni Reed Dance that took place last week.

I would imagine the reed dance is a very good time to attempt to see Mswati III I would think his attention would be focused very much on other parts of the human anatomy to the extent that he probably wouldn't have noticed Petersie's disability.

Peter Petersie (54) was told by the former minister that, because he has one leg, he could not kneel down as detected by custom when one is before the King.

After Petersie was denied the chance to see the King, he then left the Mbangweni Royal Residence dejected.

I must admit I would have been dejected to, mind you probably for very different reasons.

He is livid and claims the former minister was discriminatory against him.

Dlamini was leading a group of busi-nesspeople to the King when the incident happened.

Now that is probably the real reason for the discrimination. Swaziland has no real concept of business or infact even governance. A delegation of business people who create what little wealth the country has when the alternative is hundreds of bare breasted 14 year old girls, one who the king will chose and waste the countries public funds building her a palace is just no choice at all. 

When called, Dlamini confirmed and claimed she was trying to help Petersie, as he could not kneel before the King.

However, an irate Petersie has dismissed Dlamini’s claims. He said he could have managed to obey the Swazi custom despite his disability.

The businessman was among the group of businesspeople who had come to meet the King on business and development related matter.

Peters is a well-known Swazi businessman.

Now if he had claimed to be a wizard he might well have got an audience  This is a country that has weighty issues on it legislative agenda. 

Swaziland has launched a crackdown on high-flying witches after banning them from hovering above 150 metres.

Anyone caught flying their broomstick above the height limit faces arrest and a hefty R500,000 fine, the country’s Civil Aviation Authorities said this week.

According to the Corporate Affairs Sabelo Dlamini‘A witch on a broomstick should not fly above the [150-metre] limit,’

Petersie said: “I am still shocked by the way Dlamini treated me, it was the highest standard of discrimination I have ever seen in my lifetime.” 

“We went there to deliver two cows to the King and I was in charge of the funds and having got inside Mba-ngweni Palace with a colleague, Minister Dlamini said I could not see the King because I have only one leg,” said Petersie.

He should have taken the King some viagra. Better still if he really wanted some royal attention why didn't he appeal to the kings intelligence.

Petersie has said he was offended by Dlamini’s  actions as he had contributed greatly  in the economy of Swaziland.

“I have contributed in building the economy of Swaziland and I do not deserve to be blocked from seeing the King, despite my disabled condition I am a productive Swazi citizen hence, I should not be discriminated against but treated as a human being,” said Petersie.

I agree Petersie but really you have to face the fact that Mswati III is batshit crazy and don't expect anything to change anytime soon. 

Swaziland: The Pornocracy heads " Down Under "

All Africa reports

Swaziland: Queens On U.S.$10 Million Vacation

                                                                   The Kings Jet

Several of the wives of King Mswati III who rules the impoverished kingdom of Swaziland are presently on a vacation trip to Japan and Australia that will cost an estimated US$10 million, a prodemocracy group has reported.

Visiting New Zealand's Western Island aka The Lucky Country. I am sure the Bruces and Brucettes will be delighted.

In total, about 100 people will be on the trip, the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) said.
The group will be travelling variously on commercial aircraft and the wives will travel on royal state aircraft.

Traveling in style will your subjects starve.

In a statement SSN, quoting 'sources within the royal family', said, 'The sole purpose of this trip is vacation. It is rumoured that the trip will cost R20 million (about US$10 million) in accommodation, travel allowances, air tickets, visas and other necessities.'

I wonder how it is covered in the Budget ?

The trip which is said to have begun on 20 July is shrouded in secrecy. No official confirmation of the trip has been made by King Mswati, who rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, or his hand-picked government.

It is not clear how many of King Mswati's are on the trip. He is widely believed to have 13 wives in total, but this cannot be confirmed as the information is considered to be a state secret.

Nearly Reed Dance time so presumably the number of wives will increase.

A group of King Mswati's wives take expensive vacations each year. Last year (2012) they went on vacation to the gambling capital of the world, Las Vegas in the United States.

On that occasion three of the wives were accompanied by an entourage of 55 people. Prodemocracy activists reported they stayed in 10 villas at the cost of US$2,400 per villa per night.

In 2010, a group of the king's wives went on what was described at the time as 'another multi-million dollar international shopping spree' to Brussels in Belgium and London, UK.

About 80 other people went on the trip to tend to the needs of the queens.

Australia   New Zealands Western Island is a very dangerous place it even has crocodiles although not one as the head of state. Guessing  100 hangers on is about right.

In August 2009, five of King Mswati's wives went on a shopping trip through Europe and the Middle East that cost an estimated US$6 million.

At the time media in Swaziland were warned not to report on the trip because it would harm the king's reputation.

Media houses were told they would face sanctions, including possible closure, if word got out. But newspapers and websites across the world followed the story.

I guess the King hasn't heard of social media. 

The Times of London, for example, reported how the queens went on a shopping spree while the subjects of King Mswati went hungry. Seven in ten of King Mswati's 1.3 million subjects live in abject poverty, earning less than US$2 a day.

The Australian newspaper said the king ignored the Swazi poor and the newspaper reminded readers that Swaziland relied on international aid from the European Union and the United States.

Yes.... ever wonder how that aid money ended in Australia ?

The previous year in August 2008 when a group of the king's wives went on a similar shopping spree ordinary Swazi women were so outraged that they took to the streets of Swaziland in protest.
King Mswati does not accompany his wives on these trips. However, he is known to spend lavishly on himself and his wives when he does make trips.

There must be vital business to attend to in the pornocracy, like getting ready for his next 14 year old bride.

A typical example was in April 2011 when he went to London to attend the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton. The cost of the plane alone to take him to the UK cost the Swazi people US$700,000.

The following year he was back in London to attend a lunch to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. He took with him his first wife Inkhosikati LaMbikiza.

She wore to the lunch shoes trimmed with jewels that cost £995 (US$1,559). It would take seven-out-of-ten Swazis at least three years to earn the price of the shoes.

The cost of the King's five-day trip to the UK for the Diamond Jubilee was estimated to be at least US$794,500.

I very much doubt William and Kate will cost anywhere near 10 million US the next time they come down under. Sort of makes you think that.

The extravagant spending came just as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) criticised Swaziland for diverting money that should have been used on education and health to other spending.

As a result of this spending the IMF withdrew its team that was advising the government on economic recovery from Swaziland.

The King is regularly criticised in media across the globe for his extravagant lifestyle, but media in Swaziland dare not criticise him.

Right up untill they decide to cut of his head.

At the time of the visit to the Diamond Jubilee the Times of Swaziland, the only independent daily newspaper in the kingdom, featured a report about LaMbikiza's shoes, gushing that she had received 'rave reviews' from a UK newspaper for her dress sense.

It did not, however, say that the same newspaper reported, 'Guests from controversial regimes include Swaziland's King Mswati III, who has been accused of living an obscenely lavish lifestyle while many of his people starve.'

While more than half of the Swazi population rely on some form of food aid to keep them from hunger, King Mswati has 13 palaces in Swaziland, one for each of his wives; fleets of BMW and Mercedes cars and at least one Rolls Royce.

Last year, for his 44th birthday he received a private jet worth US$17 million as a gift. He refused to reveal who bought it for him, leading to speculation that it was paid for out of public funds.

Of course it was. The guy has never done a days work in his life.

Swaziland: The sugar economics of the Pornocracy. And some other idocies.

The Times Of Saziland reports.

 

This is just to batshit crazy for words.

 

Chief demands E90 000 trubute from farmers

 

                                                                  Sugar Kane ( Porn Star )


KANGCAMPHALALA – Sugar cane farmers in the area are disgruntled that their Chief, Mshikashika Ngcamphalala, is demanding tribute of E5 000 (setfulo) per scheme.


Setfulo is the tribute that is paid to the chief one pays allegiance to.
The chiefdom has about 18 sugar cane farming schemes and each is allegedly expected to pay E5 000.This totals to E90 000 which the schemes are due to pay to the chief for their allegiance.


Ironically, sources in the area said members of the sugar cane associations were tentatively earning around E2 000 a year each on average.
The chief has, through his inner council, sent letters to the various sugar cane schemes in the area, reminding them to pay the ‘agreed’ E5 000.
According to a letter stamped by the Royal Kraal, the farmers are urged to pay the gift to the chief with immediate effect.
Some of the sugar cane farmers, who preferred to speak on condition of anonymity, said the money demanded was too high while they were earning less than the E5 000 per year.


One of the sources said it was difficult to raise the matter with the inner council.
“If you raise such a matter in my area, you will be viewed as radical and you will be victimised. Therefore, most people are complaining in hushed tones,” the insider said.


The source continued: “We are Swazis and we believe in the culture of paying allegiance with gifts but it should be voluntary.”
Farmers denied that they consented to the arrangement of paying E5 000, claiming the idea was imposed.



Chief cites consensus from royal kraal



KANGCAMPHALALA – Chief Mshikashika Ngcamphalala has said he demands that money based on a consensus that was reached at the area’s royal kraal.


In the interview, the chief was jocund; speaking calmly and sharing jokes while the inner council (Bandlancane) sat on the veranda and would every now and then praise Chief ‘Msutfu’ and add something to support his statements. Well-known as a disciplinarian, the chief welcomed this reporter and answered all questions cooperatively.


“That’s an open secret. First things first, sugar cane farming in the area did not come with Swaziland Agricultural Development Enterprise (SWADE). It’s an old programme that started sometime back,” he said.
He said in the past, a chief in the area was made a member of the schemes so that he could benefit from the proceeds.
“However, it was later agreed that a chief could not be a member of all the associations. Therefore, it was resolved that each scheme should pay E5 000 a year,” he said.


Chief Mshikashika said scheme members benefited yearly from the proceeds and said the chief deserved something as well (tetfulo).
“The schemes are tilling the same soil governed by the same chief. This was unanimously resolved in a meeting. The people decided that the gifts (tetfulo) should be budgeted,” he said.


He said some felt that the chief should have a certain percentage in the proceeds but he preferred that a standard fee of E5 000 be set. “Only my successor can change that. I saw it improper to have a certain percentage,” the chief explained.


He said jealous individuals had rushed to the media because they were against the good idea embraced by the rest of the farmers in the area.
Chief Mshikashika said the community embraced dialogue as a solution to all problems, saying those who were aggrieved should have voiced their concerns internally, and not to have rushed to the media. “Bantfu abayifuni intfo lenhle ngoba kuyindalo yaNkulunkulu kutsi bantfu behlukane ngemicondvo.

Loosely translated: “People do not like seeing good things; anyways, it’s God’s nature that people have diverse thoughts,” he said.
The chief said some schemes were getting E24 000 each in a year while others received less than that. However, some sugar cane farmers in the area disputed that, saying most members got around E4 000 each but E2 000 on average.



‘I saved a cattle rustler’s life’

KANGCAMPHALALA – “I saved a rustler’s life by advising him to leave,” KaNgcamphalala Chief said on Saturday.


Chief Mshikashika was responding to a question that he had evicted a ‘troublesome’ rustler who had allegedly stolen some of His Majesty King Mswati III’s cattle.


“I would like to put the record straight. I did not evict him; it was the community who resolved that he should leave this place and go settle elsewhere,” Chief Mshikashika explained.
He said when he took over the chieftaincy reins he found that the evicted rustler Sigulugwane Zwane was not somebody who handled himself well; hence he was not popular among the community (akanambitseki lapha endzweni).


The chief wondered how lawyers worked because the evicted man shrewdly attached people’s property under questionable circumstances. “He quarrelled with a child of a Sikosana family in the area. Through the help of his lawyer he attached a herd of 15 cattle belonging to the parents. Why would he attach cattle not belonging to the accused and attach cattle belonging to his parents?” he wondered.


The chief said that incident made Zwane unpopular and led to the people of that sub-area to seek audience with the Royal Kraal to have him evicted. Zwane was finally evicted a week ago as the community emphasised that they did not want to see him in the area.
Chief Mshikashika said Zwane was also found with two cattle branded HM.


“We are neighboured by His Majesty’s farm here. There is only one person with that brand ‘HM’ hence it was easy to note that the cattle belonged to the King. Macaleni fined him 24 cattle,” he said. Macaleni Dlamini is the overseer of His Majesty’s cattle. He said the eviction was a blessing in disguise since he could have been killed by the many aggrieved people in the area.



Community faces 52 cattle fine

KANGCAMPHALALA – The community stands to be fined 52 head of cattle for harbouring a rustler who allegedly stole His Majesty’s cattle.


This has led to an outcry from members of the community who said the rustler had been caught many times with stolen cattle but nothing had happened to him until he allegedly stole the King’s livestock. “He would rob people of their cattle; the area’s authority did not punish him. We have to suffer for his sins,” a source said. A source said the chiefdom had more than 300 homesteads and each had been ordered to pay a cow.


KaNgcampahalala Chief, Mshikashika said he had tasked residents to find a way in which they could clear the area of the rid the area of the man who stole His Majesty’s cattle.


“Nothing has been decided. I said they should find a way of how we could do it. Zwane was found with two cattle belonging to the King. Macaleni Dlamini, the overseer of the King’s cattle, fined and attached 24 of his cattle. To clear the name of the chiefdom we have to pay double the figure of the 24 cattle,” he said.

Swaziland: Worse than a " Rotton Borough " More batshit crazy in the Pornocracy

The Times of Swaziland reports

Give rotten food to public - Mtsambama MP

LOBAMBA – Mtsambama Member of Parliament (MP) Mlamuli Dlamini yesterday stunned his colleagues when he suggested that the rotten food should be distributed to the public.

This was during the debate preceding the adoption of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Portfolio Committee on inspection of rotten food at the Matsapha Central Government Warehouse. The report was successfully adopted.

While MPs expressed their sadness over the situation, Dlamini said the food should still be given to the people.

Why not ? Swaziland has failed to give anything of value to its citizens.

“The people are starving. I would suggest that we give them the food in the warehouse batsi lelambile iyaludla ludzaka. There are people in the kingdom who eat cow dung in order to take their pills, it is better for them to eat rotten beans than the dung,” he said to the murmurs of his colleagues in the august House.

Not quite Marie Antoinette.
Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo vehemently dissociated himself from the other MP’s suggestion stating that he did not believe that the public deserved rotten food.

“I do not want to associate with that, I don’t think that any sector of our population deserves rotten food. The inefficiency of an ineffective government should not be at the expense of the people, they should not suffer because of it,” Khumalo said.

I assume isn't suggesting they deserve dung.



He went on to state that some Cabinet ministers lacked empathy as was evident in the way they handled issues. He said unless someone had been elected by the people into Parliament it would be impossible for them to understand the pressures of the people.

Acting Committee Chairperson Mbabane West MP Johane Shongwe said the situation proved that there were negligent people in the country who were simply careless to be vigilant.

Yes the King springs to mind.

He wondered how the Deputy Prime Minister, Themba Masuku, had allowed the food to rot.

Also expressing his dismay at the situation was Hlane MP Mduduzi Magagula who said when he had gone to the warehouse he was met by huge rats that he believed lived better than most Swazis.

                                              King Mswati III

This rat certainly does.


They called for the situation to be immediately addressed and for one of the recommendations in the report to be immediately adhered to. The recommendation stated that the food at the warehouse be dispatched and distributed to the people in the various Tinkhundla centres.


Shongwe said there was no way that rotten food would be given to the people of Mtsambama.


They have dung after all.

Swaziland: More batshit crazy from the porncracy

The Daily Star reports

Swaziland Bans Witches From Flying Above 150metres

Swaziland has launched a crackdown on high-flying witches after banning them from hovering above 150metres.

Anyone caught flying their broomstick above the height limit faces arrest and a hefty R500,000 fine, the country’s Civil Aviation Authorities said this week.

According to the Corporate Affairs Sabelo Dlamini‘A witch on a broomstick should not fly above the [150-metre] limit,’

The new aviation law was highlighted after a private investigator was caught flying a helicopter equipped with a video camera to gather surveillance information.

Witchcraft is taken seriously in Swaziland where many people believe in the power of black magic.

Last year a leading Swazi MP called for a hike in tax paid by witch doctors to help ease the cash-strapped country’s financial woes.

 

Hat Tip " hello there, welcome to my blog "

 

 

Swaziland: Batshit crazy in the pornocracy.

allAfrica reports

Swaziland: Forty Years Without Parties In Swaziland

BY RICHARD LEE, 11 APRIL 2013

                                                                Ngwenyama Sobhuza II

Tomorrow marks 40 years since King Sobhuza II abrogated Swaziland's independence constitution and created an absolute monarchy but Swazis have no reason to celebrate - as they continue to struggle with a devastating combination of political, economic, judicial and social crises.

Wikipedia gives a fairly comprehensive biography of the guy this caught my eye.

Sobhuza was appointed an honourary Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Civil Division (OBE) in the 1937 Coronation Honours List. He was appointed an honourary Commander, Civil Division (CBE) in the 1950 King's Birthday Honours List, and was knighted as a Knight Commander, Civil Division (KBE) in the 1966 New Year Honours List.

If there weren't enough reasons to laugh at the institution of colonialism surly this is a prime example. The British Empire heaped honours on the man, yet if bring prosperity and progress the often sited reasons for the barbarism of colonialism one can only conclude it has been an abject failure in Swaziland as well.

With undemocratic elections - or 'selections' as they are more commonly referred to - due in August, 21 Swazi civil society organisations have called on the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to bring an end to Swaziland's sham democracy by ensuring the Swazis' civil and political rights are respected.

Sham fairly well sums up the nation that Alex Engwete hilariously refers to as the Pornocracy of Swaziland  I have argued before that if there was ever a need to justify  regicide Swaziland provides it.   

In particular, the Swazi organisations - comprising civil society, faith-based, legal, women's and youth groups as well as trade unions - are urging SADC to ensure that political parties are allowed to operate freely and participate in elections for the first time in four decades.

"Out of SADC's 280 million citizens, only the 1 million in Swaziland are denied the right to use political parties as vehicles for forming a government of their choice," said the groups in a joint letter to Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete in his role as Chairperson of the Troika Organ on Politics, Defense and Security, which called for crisis in Swaziland to be placed on the agenda of the next SADC Heads of State Summit in Malawi.

You can guarantee that nothing will come of that. What is of even more concern is the on going militarisation of Swaziland, Africanseer reports. 

Swaziland police and state security forces have been condemned for their 'increasingly violent and abusive behaviour' that is leading to the 'militarization' of the kingdom.

Things are so bad in the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, that police are unable to accept that peaceful political and social dissent is a vital element of a healthy democratic process, and should not be viewed as a crime.

Swaziland's 2005 Constitution does incorporate respect for fundamental human rights, including the freedom of association and assembly. However, these rights continue to be violated.

                                                                                                Mswati III

There are of course acceptations to every rule and the current  King of the Poronocracy Mswati III allows free assembly on an annual basis for the so called Reed Dance a tradition he has perverted out of all recognition. 

Despite the straitened times, the royal household has shown few signs of wanting to tighten its belt. In July, South Africa's Mail and Guardian newspaper reported that three of Mswati's wives joined a 66-strong royal entourage heading to Las Vegas on a shopping spree. There was no comment from the palace.

But women at the annual event gathered behind the monarch in the week-long celebrations, even though police kept a close watch on what they might tell journalists and tourists roaming the grounds of the royal village, some 20 km (12 miles) outside the capital.

In the past, the king has used the ceremony to choose a new wife, and some girls still hoped to catch the king's eye. "

In the case of political parties, no legislation has been passed to enable them to register, operate freely and participate in elections. In addition, section 79 of the constitution vitiates the freedoms guaranteed earlier in the document by limiting election and appointment to political office to individuals.

"The exclusion of political parties in this manner and government's insistence on 'individual merit' as the sole basis for eligibility for political office is in violation of a number of regional and international instruments on human rights and democracy which Swaziland is a party to, particularly the 2004 SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections," said the joint letter.

Which of course provides the reason for the above mentioned militarisation of Swaziland as political rights of the citizens of Swaziland are denied the repression needed to keep the suppression continues at a growing pace.

"The violation of these rights has also been exacerbated by the prevailing political climate in which the activities of pro-democracy civic groups and political parties are suppressed through interference and sometimes violent disruption."

With elections scheduled for August, civil society groups are concerned that political parties will once again be excluded from the process unless SADC intervenes and have urged the regional body to:

Assist the Swazi government to urgently put in place enabling legislation for the unequivocal unbanning, recognition, registration and operationalization of political parties to enable them to actively participate in elections;

Assist the Swazi government to hold an all-inclusive national dialogue aimed at normalising the political environment in the country; and

Mediate to resolve the political impasse in the country and ensure the restoration of a multi-party democratic dispensation that co-exists in harmony with the institution of the monarchy.

The crazy thing is that all that is being asked for is a constitutional monarchy. Hell who wants to kill HRH Elizabeth II. I for one advocate taking the bastard out of power by any non violent means available and if that can not be done then I will not lose any sleep if the people of Swaziland resort to regicide. The risk guys like Mswati represent to the development of a strong wealthy Africa is immense.

The civil society groups also highlighted that Swaziland's lack of genuine democracy and the on-going absence of political parties has already been the subject of a resolution by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) in 2012, which called on the Swazi government to "respect, protect and fulfil the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of association, and freedom of assembly" and urging it "to take all necessary measures to ensure the conduct or free, fair and credible elections in 2013."

That ain't going to happen folks.

At the current 53rd session of the ACHRP, a number of organisations - including the African Centre for Human Rights and Democracy Studies, the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), Human Rights Association of Swaziland and Lawyers for Human Rights - have highlighted the lack of progress in Swaziland and called for an end to the effective ban on political parties.

It would be more effective to impose targeted sanctions on the leaders of Swaziland and I don't include the Kings long suffering wives in that leadership category.

The civil society groups that signed the joint letter to President Kikwete included Constituent Assembly of Civil Society (CA); Council of Swaziland Churches (CSC); Federation of the Swazi Business Community (FESBC); Foundation for Socio-economic Justice (FSEJ); Legal Assistance Centre (LAC); Lawyers for Human Right Swaziland (LHR(S); Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS); Law Society of Swaziland (LSS); Media Institute of Southern Africa (MJSA)- Swaziland; Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF); Swaziland Positive Living (SWAPOL); Swaziland Rural Women Association (SRWA); Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations (SCCCO); Swaziland Youth Empowerment Organization (Luvatsi); Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC); Swaziland Young Women's Network (SYWON); Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT); Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA); Women for Women; Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA); Swaziland Youth in Action (SYA)

It will despite all that support be ignored.