THE BREAK THE CHAINS CAMPAIGN - BCC

         

BREAK THE CHAINS

Of

Swaziland’s political prisoners!

Join the campaign, add your voice, and get involved!

The Communist Party of Swaziland is building a broad-based campaign delinked from any party political affiliation called BREAK THE CHAINS. The aim is to demand the release of political prisoners/detainees in Swaziland. We hope you will consider joining the campaign by contacting us (see below). BREAK THE CHAINS welcomes individual supporters as well as organisations.

BREAK THE CHAINS is a campaign for the unconditional release of political prisoners/detainees in Swaziland. There are currently eleven activists who are being held without due process on trumped up charges.

They are imprisoned because of their support for the freedom struggle in Swaziland, Africa’s last absolute monarchy. We appeal to you to support BREAK THE CHAINS by making your voice heard to demand the release of the eleven activists.

We are also linking the campaign demands with an urgent call for the unbanning of political parties and organisations in Swaziland and guarantees on the safe return of political exiles. We must BREAK THE CHAINS of the five imprisoned activists and BREAK THE CHAINS of the Swazi people!

Swaziland faces a massive struggle to achieve democracy in the face of a vile and corrupt regime, under king Mswati III, that presides over the mass poverty of the Swazi people and their suffering the highest HIV-AIDS-TB rates in the world – all this while the regime lives in gross luxury and wastes the country’s resources on vanity projects for the royal elite.

BREAK THE CHAINS to ensure the release of:

1.    Amos Mbedze - A South African, member of the ANC, SACP, Umkhonto Wesizwe) arrested in September 2008, he was convicted and sentenced to 85 years in prison , currently he is on appeal.

2.    Bheki Dlamini - SWAYOCO PRESIDENT: arrested in 2010, denied bail, no trial. 

3.    Zonke Dlamini - SWAYOCO LEADER: arrested in 2010; denied bail, no trial since arrested.

4.    Maxwell Dlamini -FORMER SNUS PRESIDENT, (CURRENT SWAYOCO SECRETARY GENERAL): arrested in 2011; granted E50 000 bail with strict control and monitor conditions.

-         He was arrested again on  21^st April 2013 after a rally that was held in Mbabane, Msunduza location on 19^th April 2013.

He was charged with sedition.

5.     Musa Ngubeni – FORMER STUDENT LEADER: arrested in April 2011, st granted E50 000 bail with strict control and monitor conditions

6.    Roland Rudd- Long time political and human rights activist ,ha s been denied bail and no trial date

7.    Basil Thwala –A trade union leader who has been convicted on weak grounds, was arrested during a transport strike

8.    Kevin Dlamini- Student leader who was arrested during a strike action, denied bail.

9.    Wonder Mkhonza – The National Organizing Secretary of PUDEMO

He has been charged with sedition.

He was arrested on 12^th April 2013

10.Mfanwenkhosi Boer Mntshali – A PUDEMO member and long serving SWAYOCO leader.

He is also a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS). He was arrested on 19th April 2013 during a SWAYOCO rally. He has been charged with sedition.

11.Derick Nkhambule – PUDEMO member and long serving SWAYOCO member. He is also a Campaigns Officer of the Peasant Commission, a member of the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS). He was charged with sedition, after being arrested during a SWAYOCO rally  on 19^th April 2013.

THE LIST OF THE 16 BOMB SUSPECTS AND TREASON TRIALISTS WHO WERE ARRESTED IN 2005, THEY WERE RELEASED ON BAIL:

-         FIRSTLY IT WAS E50 000

-         E3 000 BAIL

-         THE REST SURITY E2 000

EFFECTS OF THE ARREST

Gibholo Nkhambule– SUFFERED AFTER THE ARREST TO DEATH

Sipho Jele – continuously harassed until he was killed in the hands of police for wearing a PUDEMO T-shirt

VUSI SHONGWE, ROBERT NDZIMA, THEMBA MABUZA – they lost their jobs and benefits. Two of them had to relocate to South Africa

Ignitious Bonginkosi Dlamini (IB) – relocated to South Africa as he was constantly under surveillance in Swaziland

Brian Slovo Shaw – continuously harassed until he relocated to South Africa

Wandile Dludlu – was forced to abandon his tertiary education and further harassed and brutalized by the police

Goodwill du Pont – he was under constant police surveillance until he relocated to South Africa. His family was also threatened by police and the traditional structures

Sicelo Mkhonta – his FAMILY WAS THREATENED WITH EVICTIONS BUT STILL RESIDE INSIDE THE COUNTRY

Mduduzi Mamba – he lost his job and his wife was killed under police brutality

Other Swazis who have suffered under the brutality of police:

-         Mathousand Ngubeni- he died in the hands of police at Sigodvweni police station

-         Ntokozo Ngozo – he was murdered by police in broad day light after he surrendered himself half-naked to prove that he was un-armed, in August 2007.

-         Fikile Fakudze – she died immediately after police interrogation in December 2005.

-         Bongani ‘Slagpan’ Vilakati- killed at Mabovini in March 2001.

-         Jele Sibusiso and Edison Makhanya of Bhunya who were arrested for allegedly stealing cell-phones and later murdered by police in custody

-         Nandi Hlophe- she died in the police custody in  April 2004.

-          Thabani Mafutha Dlamini- he was shot and killed at Magele in Nhlangano, in March 2012

-         Diba-diba Zikalala- he was shot twice by police, three days after  Mafutha’s murder.

-         Sihle Mbhembe – he was killed in a police cell in Mbabane, in 2012

-         Bhekinkosi Scarface Masina- he was killed by police, in 2011

-         Sikhumbuzo Thwala – he died in police cell

-         Phumelele Mkhweli- a worker  from Siteki, chased by police to his death

-         Thokozani Wiseman Mngometulu- shot and killed at Lubulini in late March 2013

-         There are also noticeable Vicious attacks on workers > NAAPSAWU

o   SNAT

o   SPRAWU

o   STUDENTS

o   LAWYERS

-         EVICTIONS CARRIED OUT BY THE STATE IN AREAS SUCH AS:

o   Macetjeni

o   Kamkhweli

o   KaShali

o   Embita

o   Madonsa

o   Murray camp

o   Sandile Dlamini- a soldier from Mahlabatsini, evicted and fired from work

-         The bombing of Alex LaNgwenya’s house at Bhunya

-         Others were forced into exile due to the escalating police brutality and terror since 1983, 1998, and those in 2005.

                                 

Support BREAK THE CHAINS

We urge you to:

-         Send demands to the Swazi government and the king calling for the immediate release of Amos Mbedze, Basil Thwala ,Roland Rudd ,Kevin Dlamini ,Bheki Dlamini, Zonke Dlamini, Maxwell Dlamini, Musa Ngubeni, Wonder Mkhonza, Mfanwenkhosi Boer Mntshali and Derick Nkhambule.

-         Raise awareness on the issue of Swaziland’s political prisoners by spreading news of the campaign for their release.

-         Raise the issue in your community, trade union branch, Church group, and among your neighbours and friends.

If you are outside Swaziland:

-         Issue calls to Swazi diplomatic missions for the release of political prisoners.

-         Demand the boycott of Swaziland by the government of the country in which you reside until all political prisoners are released.

-         Get your organisation / political party to join the campaign

CONTACT

Goodwill DuPont

Deputy Chairperson & Head of Campaigns CPS

Email: goodwilldpnt@gmail.com

Cell: 079 472 4508