April27 Sd2006

Last week in South Africa, President T. Mbeki honoured Sobhuza II of Swaziland by making him a companion to the Oliver Tambo Order. The current king, Mswati III, is one of Sobhuza's 250 children!

This move by Mbeki has shocked many South Africans since Sobhuza II was the man who was assisted by the apartheid regime in writing the 1973 proclamation which banned political parties. This "State of Emergency Decree" enabled Sobhuza to gain absolute power five years after England had left the country; additionally, the decree forced the ANC living in exile in Swaziland to flee. Sobhuza can not be seen as anything other than "an apartheid puppet"!

LINK: Sobhuza does not deserve an award http://swazilandsolidaritynetworkcanada.wikispaces.com/Sobhuza+does+not+deserve+an+award+

Since the April 12th Border Blockades the king has talked of peace and calm in his country but seems never to notice the utter poverty.

On April 19th Mswati celebrated his 38 birthday and April 24th marked the 20th anniversary of his coronation. He referred to himself as "a unifying symbol in Swaziland" and is misleading the public by saying the "1973 Decree is dead". The new Constitution does not allow for political parties or gatherings.

LINK: Unban political parties – no more public relations games!
http://swazilandsolidaritynetworkcanada.wikispaces.com/SSN+statement+Unban+political+parties+-+no+more+public+relations+games

CANADA MUST PUBLICLY CALL FOR THE UNBANNING OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN SWAZILAND.

Please write to

Mr Peter MacKay
Minister of Foreign Affairs
MacKay.P@parl.gc.ca

Ms Josee Verner
Minister of International Cooperation
Verner.J@parl.gc.ca

Canadian High Commission in Pretoria
Ms Sandelle Scrimshaw
High Commissioner to South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland and Lesotho
pret@dfait-maeci.gc.ca

Mr Vincent Charron
High Commission Swaziland Desk
Vincent.Charron@international.gc.ca