Times Of Swaziland: SNUS, TUCOSWA MARCH TO DEMAND COLANI’S RELEASE

SNUS, TUCOSWA MARCH TO DEMAND COLANI’S RELEASE
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Stanley Khumalo and Sibusiso Zwane on 02/02/2022 08:20:00


MANZINI – The Swaziland Union of Students (SNUS) and the Trade Union Congress
of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) will tomorrow stage a march, to demand the release of
Colani Maseko.
Maseko, who is the President of SNUS, was arrested and charged with sedition and
two counts of malicious damage to property. Subsequent to this, a meeting was
held yesterday wherein TUCOSWA and the SNUS leadership took a resolution to
march to demand for the release of Maseko while also voicing out the concerns
over the recent occurrences faced by students’ union leaders. TUCOSWA
Secretary General Mduduzi Gina said the federation noted the supposedly
increasingly deplorable political state obtaining in the country and had agreed
in unison that the political situation was one that required serious attention.
Resolutions
He said in their meeting, four resolutions were reached, which included that the
federation must attend all planned activities calling for the unconditional
release of political prisoners including the SNUS president, the two
incarcerated legislators in Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube. “In this
connection, it was resolved that the federation should participate in the
activities planned by SNUS for the February 3, 2022, in Manzini,” Gina said.
He said it was resolved further that, a petition be delivered to the Manzini
Police Regional Headquarters (RHQ) in protest against the alleged ongoing
senseless and targeted assault of activists. He said a case in point was that of
Sakhile Nxumalo , the Political Educator and Training Officer of the SNUS, which
happened yesterday.
Gina also claimed that there was the general victimisation and intimidation of
pro-democracy leaders supposedly by the State security forces. Furthermore, he
said it was resolved, that in consultation with other formations in the
Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF), a consideration must be made to have sleepover
protests in selected United Nations offices and embassies. This, he said, would
be a build-up towards a mass stay away, which must ensue through wide membership
consultations. Supporting this was SNUS Secretary General Wakhile Lukhele
through a statement. Lukhele said the SNUS leadership had taken a resolution to
call upon all forces to the battlefield as of tomorrow, February 03, 2022. He
said the SNUS appealed to all its allies, the youth, the church and all members
of the mass democratic movement to join forces and render the country
ungovernable.
In the statement, Lukhele said, the freedom of all emaSwati was in their hands.
Lukhele also urged all students and the nation at large to stay united and rally
behind the union and its president, all political prisoners inclusive of Amos
Mbedzi and the two incarcerated legislators. In the statement, the secretary
general said history had taught them that when the youth united against any
injustice that prevailed, no matter what the circumstances, they would conquer.
“Even now, in this moment, the union leadership is confident that any form of
injustice that attempts to silence the voice of students can be defeated in
solidarity,” he said. Lukhele said while the SNUS president was officially
charged, the campaigns officer of the organisation Sibusiso Commander Nkwanyana,
was released after allegedly being tortured and throttled by police officers at
Mliba Police Station.
He also said another student, Simphiwe Sgubhu Gamedze from the University of
Eswatini (UNESWA) Luyengo campus, was taken to Malkens Police Station and was
later released on the same day. He alleged that the SNUS political and education
officer (Nxumalo) was tortured and later taken to the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial
(RFM) Hospital. This, he said, made it clear to them that they were supposedly
being kidnapped, tortured and injured. He advised students to be vigilant and
safe from the police. Meanwhile, TUCOSWA held a consultative meeting yesterday
at the Shosholoza Preschool Hall to reflect on the increasing attack on
pro-democracy activists. The meeting was necessitated by the arrests of Student
Union leaders that happened on January 31 and February 1, 2022, respectively.
Meanwhile, the meeting wherein the resolutions were taken was attended by the
national executive committees (NECs) of the National Public Service and Allied
Workers Union (NAPSAWU) , Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT),
Swaziland Commercial and Allied Workers Union (SCAWU) and Swaziland Democratic
Nurses Union (SWADNU).
Also present were National Workers Union of Swaziland Higher Institutions
(NAWUSHI), Swaziland Health Institution and Allied Workers Union (SHIAWU),
Swaziland Transport Communication and Allied Workers Union (SWATCAWU), Swaziland
Agricultural Plantation Workers Union (SAPWU) and the Youth Structure.