PUDEMO DEMANDS THE RELEASE OF CPS LEADER
COMRADE MUSA DUBE The People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO)
would like to condemn in the strongest possible
terms the arrest of Communist Party of Swaziland
(CPS) Deputy Secretary General, Musa Dube.
Comrade Musa is a well-known revolutionary par
excellence who grew within the ranks of SWAYOCO and has led our youth structures as National Political
Commissar. He is today a senior leader of the
Communist Party and still plays a pivotal role in the
liberation struggle as led by PUDEMO. Comrade Musa was arrested at KaKhoza on Saturday
14th September and held at Manzini police regional
headquarters. Today he appeared for his first
remand hearing at the Manzini Magistrate Court. He
will be kept at Zakhele Remind Centre pending his
bail application to be lodged very soon. He is charged with Sedition for being found in possessing and
distributing pamphlets of a seditious nature. We demand the release of comrade Musa as we
believe he is a peace loving Swazi whose only sin
was to expose the on-going sham elections as the
farce that they are. Together with the CPS and other
political parties, joined by faith based, students and
labour organisations we are calling for the rejections of these sham elections whose outcome is
predetermined and will not change the rotten
political system called Tinkhundla. We call upon the SADC team to reject these stage
managed elections and to refuse to observe an
elections where political parties are banned and
political activist criminalised.
We are already in touch with comrade Musa’s lawyer
to ensure that he is assisted throughout the legal processes. We call upon all our members and the
public at large to attend all his court appearances in
support of our course. Statement issued by PUDEMO spokesperson Zakhele
Mabuza
Monday, 16 September 2013
PUDEMO Calls for the Release of CPS leader
Sortu conderms arrest of CPS DSG
SORTU condemns the arrest of CPS Deputy General by Swazi special units and demand his inmediate release.
On 14 September the Swazi police special unit, Lukhozi, arrested Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) Deputy General Secretary Musa Dube while he was campaigning for a boycott of the so called “elections” being staged by the Mswati regime on 20 September.
Musa Dube was conducting campaign work to promote he message that the only elections that should be held in Swaziland are free and fair ones, where all political are able to take part on whatever platform they want. Those elections are the exact opposite of that. They are merely a way of selecting who will serve him best.
Sortu denounces his arrest and demand his release
As well as the release of all swazi political prisoners. We demand the end of the Mswati regime and free and fair elections
Sunday, 15 September 2013
Swazi Communists Denounce arrest of leader as human rights violation
Swazi communists denounce arrest of leader as human rights violation
NELSPRUIT, 15 Sept. 2013: On 14 September the Swazi police special unit, Lukhozi, arrested Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) Deputy General Secretary Musa Dube while he was campaigning for a boycott of the “elections” being staged by the Mswati regime on 20 September.
Cde Dube has been confined at the notorious Manzini police station, and is due to appear in court this week on a charge of sedition.
The CPS has called for his immediate release, and for all progressive organizations and parties to condemn Dube’s arrest and detention.
“Sedition is the term Mswati uses to describe pro-democracy work,” said CPS general secretary in response to news of the arrest.
“Our comrade was conducting campaign work to promote the message that the only elections that should be held in Swaziland are free and fair ones, where all political are able to take part on whatever platform they want. Mswati’s elections are the exact opposite of that. They are merely a way of selecting who will serve him best.”
The police have been closely monitoring CPS activity against the elections. For days they had shadowed Dube and a fellow activist, who was with him, before moving in. His fellow comrade managed to escape. Dube allegedly had a PUDEMO (People’s United Democratic Movement) t-shirt in his possession at the time of his arrest.
The intimidation of activists campaigning for a boycott of the elections increased following a go-ahead recently by police commissioner Isaac Magagula who opined about the “threat” to the elections by “groups and individuals”.
The Mswati regime has been buoyed in its elections sham by the generally uncritical and permissive attitude to them by most African states, SADC, and the international community. Only a week ago, the British ‘think tank’ Chatham House timed a visit to Swaziland to voice general approval for the elections and against the pro-democracy movement’s opposition to them.
“Despite this, most Swazis are aware that the elections are a silly game of Mswati’s,” said Kunene. “No one believes that they are about improving anything in the country.”
“Maybe if Swaziland was strategically important and a larger country, you would see heavyweight nations and others, and even some supposedly progressive forces, gushing about the aching need for democracy. But since it isn’t they are not really interested, and they’re happy to see things remain more or less as they are.”
Kunene said that the arrest of Musa Dube must be condemned as a human rights violation.
“We urge progressive organizations and individuals everywhere to slam this act of intimidation. And they must be vigilant in the days leading up to the elections. We are bound to see more police harassment of people who protest against the elections.”
Saturday, 14 September 2013
CPS DGS ARRESTED
Break the Chains Update !!!
Royal police crackdown on political activist ahead
of Mswati's anti democracy elections'
Mswati's police this morning arrested CPS DGS cde
Musa Dube in Manzini. Charges are yet unknown.
He was spoted driven by Lukhozi, the royal serious
crime unit known for its toture and killings in
police cells.
There were eight Lukhozi police who were driving
on a kombi together with the political activist.
Currently he is not confirmed by the manzini
police station. This means he is in and out of
police cells torture.
We strongly condemn the inhuman and barbaric
act of mswati's regime.
We call for a massive boycott of the elections and
further peaceful disruption is of significant value
at this stage.
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Cde Wonder Mkhonza admitted to E15 000bail reports the swazi times
PUDEMO’s Wonder gets E15 000 bail
BY MBONGISENI NDZIMANDZE
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MBABANE – National Organising Secretary of
the proscribed People’s Democratic
Movement (PUDEMO) Wonder Rodgers
Mkhonta has been admitted to E15 000 bail.
The accused is expected to pay this amount in
cash.
Mkhonta was admitted to bail by High Court Judge
Qinisile Mabuza yesterday.
He has been in custody since April 10, 2013 after he
was arrested by Lavumisa police. The PUDEMO
member was allegedly found in possession of
seditious documents.
Some of his bail conditions were that he should
surrender his passport to the investigating officer,
he should report at the Nhlangano police station
every Friday and that he should not interfere with
crown witnesses.
He was also warned that in the event he breached
the bail conditions his bail would be revoked.
The state was opposing Mkhonta’s application on
the basis that upon his release he might disturb
the upcoming elections.
His Lawyer Leo Gama, however, successfully argued
that Mkho-nta was not a flight risk and that there
was no way he could interfere with crown
witnesses in the event he was admitted to bail
Sergeant Sipho Sitsebe in his affidavit, stated that
it would not be in the interest of justice to admit
Mkhonta to bail because of the seriousness of the
charge preferred against him and because of the
possible sentence if found guilty.
In his affidavit Mkhonta alleged that when he was
arrested, the motor vehicle in which the alleged
seditious documents were found in had not be
driven into the country, but was on neutral
territory between the Swazi and South Africa
border. Sergeant Sitsebe, however, disputed this
and instead he stated that the motor vehicle was
searched upon entering Swaziland at the border
post.
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
THE CONDITION OF CDE DERRIC AT SIDVWASHINI PRISON IS A WORRY
Check this.
Communist Party of Swaziland -Campaigns office 8 may 2013
CONDITION OF CDE DERRICK IN SIDWASHINI PRISON IS A WORRY
Today was the third court appearance of the three political prisoners arrested at the APRIL 19 TH SWAYOCO MSUNDUZA RALLY against the Mswati anti democracy elections. 1. Comrades Maxwell Dlamini - Secretary General of (SWAYOCO) 2. Mfanawenkhosi ‘Boer’ Mtshali -Central Committee member of the CPS 3. Derrick Nkhambule - Campaigns Coordinator in CPS Peasant Commission. They are all charged with Sedition and are kept in hostile conditions at the notorious Sidwashini Remand Centre in Mbabane. were all due to appear in the Mbabane magistrate court today. As reported few days ago on the bad health situation of Cde Derrick Nkhambule, he was not able to attend court today as his situation deteriorates. The prison authorities are refusing our cdes access to basics including medical demands. The prison is isolating them because the warders have already issued judgment to the cdes. They denial them rights to fair treatment as a sentence for what they allege treason crime for plotting against Mswati, a crime the prison has already issued a sentence to. Our cdes will not receive the necessary rights in these institutions and the regime is prepared to keep them long under the selectively harsh conditions. This will survive as the Mswati regime continues to deny they are political prisoners when they are because it wants to close the international human rights organisations from setting the standards such prisoners held by such a regime. We call upon international human rights organisations to act against the human rights violations in Swaziland and claim the responsibility over the lives of our comrades for their safely and health. We are encouraged by the ceaseless fight for their prison rights of our comrades even under risky and hostile conditions inside the prison. Their next appearance is the 14 th May 2013 pending committal to High Court. Their representative has already filed papers in the High Court for their bail application. We stand side by side with the families who are battling to cover their family responsibilities at this time of their members persecution by the Mswati regime. We demand for the unconditional release of all political prisoners, the Unbanning of political parties and the safe return of all Swazi exiles. FORWARD WITH THE BREAK THE CHAINS CAMPAIGN For details contact; Goodwill du-Pont Head of Campaigns -CPS Mobile: +27794724508 Email: goodwilldpnt@gmail.com
Saturday, 4 May 2013
THE BREAK THE CHAINS CAMPAIGN - BCC
