The Congress of South African trade Unions (COSATU) joins millions of workers and people all over the world in calling for democracy in Eswatini, particularly on the occasion of the 52^nd anniversary of the 1973 Kings decree which criminalised all forms of political activity and officially banned political parties in the country.

COSATU has consistently been a key part of the international solidarity movement with the workers and the people of Eswatini and the first organisation to initiate the historic border blockades which over the years yielded significant achievements in raising the profile of the Swazi people’s struggles for democracy.

From the days of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU), which is now part of the federation Trade Unions Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), COSATU actively mobilised the international trade union movement and other progressive forces towards a global solidarity movement that placed the Swazi issue firmly on the global agenda. Since then, the struggle has become a permanent standing item in all major international forums and activities.

Towards this end, without exception, COSATU commemorates April 12 as the day on which the Swazi people’s voice was crushed by the monarchy and vested all power to himself in the now infamous 1973 Kings decree.

In the words of the late King Sobhuza, “Now therefore I, Sobhuza 11, King of Swaziland, hereby declare that, in collaboration with my Cabinet Ministers and supported by the whole nation, I have assumed supreme power in the Kingdom of Swaziland and that all Legislative, Executive and judicial power is vested in myself  and shall, for the meantime, be exercised in collaboration with a Council constituted by my Cabinet Ministers. I further declare that, to ensure the continued maintenance of peace, order and good government, my Armed forces in conjunction with the Royal Swaziland Police have been posted to all strategic places and have taken charge of all government and all public services”.

The decree was designed by the Afrikanerbroederbond, through a Pretoria Advocate named Van Wyk De Vries, who was amongst the key advisers of the Swazi king. The political insecurity of the Swazi royal family with political parties and democracy resonated with the apartheid regime’s political insecurity with the South African liberation movement, in the same vein as the neighbouring Mozambique under Portuguese colonialism was seeking allies to eliminate the anti-colonial liberation movement in that country.  This was the regional context in which the 1973 Kings decree was proclaimed at Esibayeni to crush and silence all political voices in the county and protect the royal family from public scrutiny, accountability and transparency. The rates of corruption, greed and monopoly of economic power in the hands of the king and the royal family today are no surprise. But an inevitable result of the trajectory the country has been on since 1973.

This year marks 52 years since that fateful day and marks a huge stain on the political and economic conditions of the whole SADC region, because Swaziland is the only country in the region that, by law and officially, bans political parties and proscribes all forms of political activity, except for those by the royal family and their friends.

COSATU expresses solidarity with the various activities organised in various parts of the world, including in South Africa and inside Eswatini itself. This demonstrates the courage of the Swazi people and activists who have been doing this work at huge personal risk given the murder of human rights activists, leaders, trade unionists and youth activists by the monarchy regime. 

We specifically note the growing coordination by a combination of progressive forces towards a Justice for Swaziland Campaign built along the traditions of the historic Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC) and the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) which have been primary frontrunners in successfully building high impact international solidarity over the years.

COSATU has successfully concluded all its Provincial Congresses and without exception, all Provincial Congresses deliberated on both domestic and international balance of class forces and the issue of Eswatini was and remains high on our agenda as we move towards the Central Committee (CC) in September, which is a mid-term conference for COSATU to evaluate all our work and implementation of resolutions since the last National Congress in 2022.

At the centre of all our international solidarity work is the task of rebuilding working class internationalism as the core anchor of all our international solidarity work. The CEC directed the International Relations Committee (IRC), which was held on the 26 March, to conclude the International Solidarity Plan and prepare for a re-launch of a well rejuvenated international solidarity momentum.

Amongst the key elements of the COSATU International Solidarity Plan are;

1. Concrete and detailed plan for solidarity work with the workers and people of Eswatini, particularly the trade union movement led by TUCOSWA and its affiliated unions who are facing sustained persecution by the Swazi state, with examples such as the public sector unions (SNAT, NAPASAWU and transport and communications workers union (SWATCAWU) and the ILO case of Conventions 87 and 98, as well as the pending ICJ Case of the right to strike.
2. Coordinating with progressive forces in Eswatini, such as PUDEMO, SWAYOCO, SNUS, CPS, and the Justice for Swaziland Campaign (J4SC) and the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) towards a broad global front that brings together all progressive forces towards more unity in action.
3. Linking the Swazi struggle with other international struggles of the oppressed wherever they are, such as Palestine, the DRC, Western Sahara, etc
4. Deepening class consciousness in all our work to advance the centrality of the working class and progressive values of a clear anti-imperialist, ideologically grounded and progressive political outlook to defeat narrow chauvinism, reactionary elements and versions of elitist revisionism in favour of working-class content.
5. Advance the perspective of the Southern African Progressive Forum discussion, which in various alliance platforms has been engaged and perspectives shared on what it would be and what it would stand for, particularly in the current context of the deepening global crises of capitalism.
6. Hosting of an international Solidarity Roundtable to bring together all progressive forces involved in different struggles globally, to enhance better coordination of all solidarity work towards more impact and synergy.

Issued by COSATU

Zanele Sabela (COSATU National Spokesperson)

Mobile: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639

Email: zaneles@cosatu.org.za