LONDON, Jul 26 (IPS) – Two politicians have just been sentenced to lengthy prison terms in Eswatini. Their crime? Calling for democracy.
Mthandeni Dube and Bacede Mabuza, then both Members of Parliament (MPs), were arrested in July 2021 for taking part in a wave of pro-democracy protests that swept the southern African country. A third MP, Mduduzi Simelane, remains under an arrest warrant after going into hiding.
Dube and Mabuza have been in custody since their arrest and have reportedly been physically abused, denied medical treatment and denied access to their lawyers while in custody. Last year, they were found guilty of murder, sedition and terrorism, among other charges. Now they know their fate: Mabuza is convicted up to 25 years and Dube up to 18. Since the conviction, Mabuza, who has a medical condition that requires a special diet, food refused in jail.
Dube and Mabuza are political prisoners. They had no hope of a fair trial and their criminal convictions had no basis in reality. Eswatini’s criminal justice system is the work of the country’s dictator and Africa’s last absolute monarch, King Mswati III. For nearly four decades, Mswati has ruled his kingdom with an iron fist. Constitutionally above the law, Mswati appoints the prime minister and cabinet and can veto all legislation. He also appoints and oversees judges, who are routinely deployed to criminalize those who challenge his power.
Dube and Mabuza want to appeal, but know the chances of success are slim.
Ongoing repression
The 2021 pro-democracy protests have been the biggest threat yet to Mswati’s unfettered power. His response has been brutal. At least 46 people were killed when security forces opened fire on protesters. Leaked footage revealed that it was Mswati who ordered the security forces to shoot and kill and who ordered the arrest of the pro-democracy MPs.
While peaceful protesters like Dube and Mabuza have been criminalized, no one has ever received justice for the state-sanctioned killings. And the dangers facing pro-democracy activists have not abated. In January 2023, Thulani Maseko, a human rights lawyer and prominent democracy campaigner, was shot dead for his family. In addition to leading the main network of groups calling for a peaceful transition to democracy, he was also the lawyer for the two members of parliament.
His murder took place just hours after Mswati warned democracy activists that the mercenaries would “deal with them”. No one has been held accountable for the crime, while Maseko’s widow, Tanele Maseko, has faced intimidation. In March, she was arrested and her passport and phone were confiscated when she returned to Eswatini from South Africa.
Authorities have continued to arrest, abduct and detain activists, and others have survived apparent assassination attempts and arson. Mswati’s last prime minister has warned the media they may face stricter regulations. The state has also used force to suppress further protests. A election was held in 2023, but as usual, political parties were banned and candidates had to go through a selection process aimed at excluding dissenting opinions.
With authoritarian rule and the ability of those in power to ignore the demands of the people comes corruption and impunity. Most of Eswatini’s 1.2 million people living in poverty but Mswati and the royal family enjoy enormous wealth and a lavish lifestyle, paid for with the proceeds from the vast assets they directly control.
No dialogue
The national dialogue that Mswati promised in response to the 2021 protests never happened. Instead, he held a Sibaya, a traditional gathering where he any person may speak.
Mswati only promised to engage in dialogue after South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa intervened. South Africa has a clear role to play here: it borders Eswatini on three sides, is by far its largest trading partner and is home to many of its exiled democracy activists, while Mswati is also reportedly calling on South African mercenaries. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) should also be involved. But there has been little pressure for action from South Africa and Eswatini has worked to keep oneself out of the way The SADC agenda.
South Africa and SADC should remind Eswatini of its obligations under the global and African treaties it has adopted, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The government must roll back its repression, including the public order, sedition and terrorism laws that were used to imprison Dube and Mabuza. Releasing the two would be a good start.
Andrew Firmin is editor-in-chief, co-director and writer of CIVICUS CIVICUS lens and co-author of the State of Civil Society Report.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
