British PM listens to Swazi exiles'

This is arguably the very first time a sitting PM in the UK has given an official response to a petition from Swazi protestors.

About five months ago, the Swazis calling themselves ‘exiles’ asked Cameron’s office to put pressure on Swaziland to allow political reforms.

Cameron had been asked to help Swaziland to democratise and allow political parties to operate freely.

He was further petitioned to ensure that Swaziland respected freedom of the press and the rule of law. This is contained in a letter and petition written by a group of Swazis who live in the UK.

The group of ‘exiles’ asked Cameron to facilitate the suspension of Swaziland from the Commonwealth until human rights were implemented.

They identify themselves as the Swaziland Vigil group.

Swaziland Vigil holds regular demonstrations outside the Swaziland High Commission in London located at 20 Buckingham gate, in protest at alleged human rights abuses in Swaziland, among other things.

They carry placards with various slogans denouncing the Swazi government.

The group petitioned the British PM in May but they say they only received a response a few weeks ago.

The petition was allegedly signed by the exiles and sympathisers of the group.

Cameron’s office responded to the petition, saying it would forward both the letter and petition to the Commonwealth office to make them aware of the group’s concerns.

In a letter dated May 12, from Cameron’s Direct Communications Unit, the PM’s Correspondence Officer who only provided a signature and no full name, said, "I have been asked to forward your letter and petition to the foreign and Commonwealth office, so that they too are aware of your views."

This newspaper is in possession of a copy of the letter.

The Swaziland Vigil also wrote a letter to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

"We are a group of Swazis driven into exile because of the arbitrary behaviour of government," reads their letter in part.

"In Swaziland women with HIV are reduced to eating cow dung because they do not have food yet they must have something in their stomachs for the anti- retroviral medicine they must take," reads the letter. They said political parties and political activity remained banned in the country such that people were left without a voice. "We stage a regular protest outside the Swaziland High Commission just down the road from Buckingham Palace.

 We realise that your hands are tied by protocol and wish to assure you that the protests we plan are against the government of Swaziland," they said. They asked her, as the ‘Mother of the Commonwealth’, to take action so that "we can return home in freedom to a democratic country observing international human rights." Tintswalo Ngobeni, spokesperson of the group also said she had an opportunity to speak about Swaziland problems to the British Parliament.

She said in her speech, she mainly highlighted problems faced by Swazis in their own country and also about lack of opportunities especially for the youth.

The　meeting was organised by Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA), a well-known human rights group.

In an interview Ngobeni, who hails from Manzini, said their unhappiness stemmed from the fact that it appeared that the British monarch condoned what was happening in Swaziland’s political landscape. "We recently received a response from Cameron and we are happy that he recognised our concerns and accordingly responded. We hope action will now follow to help Swaziland democratise," she said. "We value his response because it is very rare that you receive a reply from the British government, especially on such matters."

"Our aim is to be heard. We want government to belong to all of us as Swazis and we do not want the Tinkhundla system of governance."

　

　

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