Swazilands kong Mswati III er Afrikas tredje rigeste monark, selv om størsteparten af indbyggerne i det lille land mellem Sydafrika og Mozambique lever under fattigdomsgrænsen – og nationen har ondt i menneskerettighederne lyder det i en appel til kongen fra bl.a. Desmond Tutu.
The king has a personal fortune of 50 million US dollar (270 mio. DKR), even though more than 65 percent of his 1.3 million subjects are forced to scrape by on less than 1.25 dollar (6,75 DKR) a day, according to new data published by Forbes magazine.
The fortune does not include the estimated 140 million dollar he holds through the conglomerate Tibiyo TakaNgwane, that he supposedly ‘holds in trust’ for the Swazi nation, writes the Swaziland Newsletter Friday.
King Mswati III, who rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, owns 13 palaces, a private jet airplane, fleets of Mercedes and BMW cars and at least one Rolls Royce, while the majority of his subjects rely on some form of food aid to avoid hunger.
At least 40 percent of the working population is unemployed.
Forbes, in an analysis of the richest monarchs in Africa reported that the King was “more well known for his relationships with women (he had at least 15 wives at the last count), and for his flamboyant parties”.
Ville ikke have konkurrence fra Jesus
It added:
“He turned 46 recently, with his birthday coinciding with the Christian Easter holidays. Not willing to share the spotlight with Jesus, King Mswati postponed his birthday celebrations for five days so that a proper national holiday could be held in his honor”.
“Tibiyo TakaNgwane is an investment holding company that owns stakes in sugar refining giants Ubombo Sugar and Royal Swaziland Sugar Corporation (RSSC), dairy company Parmalat Swaziland, spirits manufacturer Swaziland Beverages and hotel chain Swazi Spa Holdings”.
“The company has assets worth over 140 million dollar, but he holds it in trust for the people of Swaziland”.
The King rules over a kingdom which has one of the world’s highest HIV prevalence rates: over 35 percent of adults. Its average life expectancy is the lowest in the world at 33 years.
Forbes added: “But his gross mismanagement of his country’s finances is now having dire economic consequences. Swaziland is going through a severe fiscal crisis.
“The kingdom’s economy is collapsing and pensions have been stopped. In June last year, the King asked for a financial bailout from South Africa.’
Bønskrift til kongen
Meawhile top human rights defenders sent an open letter to King Mswati III Regarding Swaziland’s Worsening Human Rights Crisis
The letter states:
Your Majesty,
We write to express our concern about the state of freedom of expression, judicial independence,and the rule of law in the Kingdom of Swaziland.
The arbitrary arrests and detentions of human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko, independent journalist Bheki Makhubu, and several political activists, including Mario Masuku and Maxwell Dlamini, have demonstrated a disregard for legal procedures and basic human rights.
In addition, the recent arrest warrants issued for three High Court judges signal a further deterioration of the rule of law.
The most recent abuses (misbrug /overgreb) of judicial independence and media freedom, coupled with the absence of a democratic system of governance and rampant abuse of state resources, are combining to cement the subjugation of the Swazi people.
We call upon you to:
1. Order the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience and political prisoners detained in Swaziland. Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are both protected by Swaziland’s own constitution and by a host of international legal conventions.
2. Replace immediately Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi whose actions lie at the root of the current crisis. Chief Justice Ramodibedi occupies this position unlawfully and in contravention of Swaziland’s constitution, which mandates that a Swazi Chief Justice should have been appointed by 2012.
3. Take concrete measures that will restore public confidence in the judiciary and uphold the rule of law by:
a. Censuring or removing any judicial officer that acts outside his or her mandate and ensure that judges are not subject to harassment or intimidation, allowing them to fulfill their constitutional responsibilities impartially and fairly.
b. Reforming the membership and functioning of the Judicial Services Commission to ensure that judicial appointments are both transparent and merit-based, in accordance with Swazi law.
c. Ceasing the routine and unlawful arrest and harassment of members of civil society and the political opposition by the police and the judiciary.
Your Majesty, the world has taken a keen interest in Swaziland.
If left unaddressed, these recent events will result in lasting damage to your country’s standing with potential international investors and will lead to economic and political isolation.
Those that have signed this letter stand in resolute solidarity with the people committed to creating a more democratic Swaziland.
We urge your government to begin meaningful discussions with the growing number of citizens and independent organizations that are demanding their basic freedoms and calling for democratic reform in Swaziland. These concerned citizens have our unequivocal support.
We hope that you and your government will join that movement to secure the best possible future for all of Swaziland.
Sincerely,
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu
Freedom House
Democratic Governance and Rights Unit, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town
Media Institute of Southern Africa-Swaziland
Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights
Artists for Democracy in Zimbabwe
Beatrice Mtetwa, International human rights lawyer
Bulawayo Agenda (Zimbabwe)
Carlos Portales, Director of the Program on International Organizations,
Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at the American University
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation
Claudio Grossman, Dean, American University Washington College of Law
Combined Harare Resident’s Association (Zimbabwe)
Constituent Assembly of Civil Society in Swaziland
Counseling Services Unit (Zimbabwe)
Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition
David Coltart, Senator & former Education Minister in Zimbabwe
Diane Orentlicher, Professor of Law, American University
Election Resource Centre (Zimbabwe)
Frans Viljoen, Director of the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
Freedom of Expression Institute in South Africa
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Swaziland
Front Line Defenders
Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe
Golden Misabiko, Congolese human rights defender
Grace to Heal (Zimbabwe)
Hadar Harris, Executive Director, Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law,
American University
Human Rights Foundation
Human Rights Institute of South Africa
Jorge Araya, Human Rights Attorney, Switzerland
Kristi Rudelius-Palmer, co-director, Human Rights Center and the Humphrey
Fellowship Program, University of Minnesota
Laurence Burgorgue-Larsen, Professeur, a l’Ecole de Droit de la Sorbonne
Lawyers for Human Rights-Swaziland
Mandla Hlatshwayo, Prominent Swazi activist and businessman living in exile in
South Africa
Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe
Padideh Ala’I, Director, Humphrey Fellowship Program, American University
Paulo Ilich Bacca Benavides, Lecturer in Law, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
SADC Lawyers Association
Sarah Joseph, Director, Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, Monash University
Serge Yondou, Founder, Africa Center for Strategic Studies
Southern Africa Litigation Centre
The Helen Suzman Foundation (South Africa)
The Malawi Law Society
Victory Siyanqoba Trust in Zimbabwe
Women of Zimbabwe Arise
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association
Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
Zimbabwe Young Women’s Network for Peace Building
Kilde: Swaziland Newsletter No. 350 – 6 June 2014
News from and about Swaziland, compiled by Africa Contact, Denmark (www.afrika.dk) in collaboration with Swazi Media Commentary (www.swazimedia.blogspot.com), and sent to all with an interest in Swaziland – free of charge.
