Welcoming Remarks by the SACP on the BCC launch

Welcoming Address on the Launch of the Break the Chains Campaign

Ramugumo Rudzani Skinjar, Secretary, SACP Alpheus Malivha District, 25 March 2013

We are privileged and honoured to welcome you as your host to this important revolutionary process of the launch of the Break the Chains Campaign. We hope you will all value your time here as we share our feelings with the situation of the working class and the entire people of Swaziland.

The situation in Swaziland, our neighbour, needs attention and practical responsiveness from all of us as a progressive society. Our history is a worthwhile guide, both in our attitude and manner of reaction as internationalists. We have learned through our history, the importance of support and solidarity for the victory of struggle and the fulfilment of democracy, not only in South Africa, but proven elsewhere in the world.

From the irrefutable fact that our then enemy – apartheid - had to bully and drag our neighbours to defend its barbaric system, our victory was on the very same - but opposite - mobilisation, of support from our neighbours and beyond. We won our freedom, not because we were only strong internally, but also because the progressive world lent us a practical hand to our struggle and we learnt that there was no lesser support than the other, even if it came from the least renowned in the world.

Our Party, the SACP, has mobilised and taught us about Socialism, and international phenomenon of universal freedom, democracy and social development. Cdes from Swaziland who are here, we are confirming that the teachings of the SACP have made us not to struggle to think whether it is a right thing or not to connect with the Break the Chains Campaign because it is our struggle, the struggle for Socialism.

The struggle for freedom and democracy in Swaziland is therefore also our responsibility as South Africans. To us, it is not a question whether to support the struggle in Swaziland, but ours is the need to organise ourselves properly to understand clearly our strategic role more importantly at this critical stage where the defeat of the Mswati autocracy is inevitable. The last fight is more challenging because in any struggle, stakes are high as contending forces seek their own outcome.

To bring to light on the need for critical outlook as South Africans, the aim is give ourselves a bold practical input under a clearly defined role – who do we side with amongst the forces. Do we work with the liberal reactionary forces that seek a fixed democracy with no meaning to the people or we side with the oppressed people whose movement is suppressed and a target of terror by the Mswati anti democracy programme.

It is not given that when we call for democracy in Swaziland we mean one and the same thing because we are not homogeneous as South Africans and the different stratum of our society have different perspectives to democracy in general and social progress in particular.

We would like to encourage the people of Swaziland and their movement led by PUDEMO to hold on to the struggle to this far with minimum assistance. We further call upon them to hold to each other and not to allow short term goals and narrow interests to have space because such has a potential to misplace the past efforts and allow the enemy to crush the movement at this critical moment.

It is our view as the SACP that the programme of the Break the chains campaign, give us as South Africans and for sure the entire world progressive movement, an opportunity to connect directly with the practical circumstances of the Swazi struggle.

Through this programme, we think we will mobilise each other to contribute effectively to the noble course Cde AMOS MBEDZI has, even though we had thought we are far - to build that connection. This is a historical responsibility that we had conveniently shelved, but we are happy that it had resurfaced.

We pledge our maximum support to the implementation of the vision of the Break the Chains Campaign. We thank all the organisations that have responded to our call for the support and looking forward for more practical joint activities in our efforts to make this pledge a reality.

LONG LIVE BREAK THE CHAIN! FORWARD TO FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY AND JUSTICE IN SWAZILAND!

LONG LIVE INTERNATIONALISM!

Alpheous Marivhe SACP District BCC Launch Statement

SACP Alpheus Malivha District, Press Statement, 23 March 2013Successful launch of the Break the Chains CampaignThe South African communist Party Alpheus Malivha 6th District Congress hosted the launch of the Break the Chains Campaign (BCC) for the release of political prisoners in Swaziland on 23 March 2013 in UNIVERSITY OF VENDA. The event was a huge success, honoured by over 500 supporters from different organisations from the province and communities around the Vhembe Region. We thank the University of Venda and its community for the facilities and support they offered.The event received messages of support from amongst our structures of the Mass Democratic Movement. Included were speakers from the ANC, COSATU, NEHAWU, SAMMWU, VETERANS LEAGUE, ANCYL, YCLSA, SASCO, FOCUS, our PEC member and traditional healers of Vhembe region and also in Limpopo province. The event was honoured to be joined by the family of Cde MOS MBEDZI, one of the victims of the Mswati autocracy who is serving a wrong sentence of 85 years in Mswati’s prison. Also a delegation of workers, students, activists of the underground movement from Swaziland and the leadership of the Communist Party of Swaziland. All united in the demand for the unconditional release of all political prisoners, unbanning of political parties and the unconditional and safe return of exiles – a call for freedom and democracy in Swaziland.Cde Tshenuwani Farisani, the convenor of the Break the Chains Campaign, made the key note addressed and made a strong call for the urgent need for democracy in Swaziland as people perish in hunger, violence, disease, torture, imprisonment and political persecution under the Mswati dictatorship. Cde FARISANI made a plea for selfless support from all democracy people of South Africa and the world to the course that the BCC has set in course.We appreciate the contribution of the Lutheran Church Centre (Beuster) and support.We thank the media houses for honouring the event and extend its proceedings, aims, and objectives known by the South African community and beyond. The District also pledges its support to the Campaign and thank the commitment of the branches and the entire structures of the Mass Democratic Movement to the campaign and will work for the success of any programmes of the Campaign.LONG LIVE BREAK THE CHAIN! FORWARD TO FREEDOM, DEMOCRACY AND JUSTICE IN SWAZILAND!LONG LIVE INTERNATIONALISM!