Swaziland democracy strike ends

By Norm Dixon Swaziland's trade unions called of their general strike for democracy on January 29. The strike, which began on January 22, was the longest in the small, landlocked kingdom's history and paralysed the country. It is estimated to have cost the economy $A3 million a day. Several demonstrators were killed by police. The general strike, led by the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions and the underground People's United Democratic Movement, was in support of the repeal of the 1973 banning of all political parties, lifting of a state of emergency also imposed in 1973 and reinstitution of democratic structures. On January 27, King Mswati ordered his subjects back to work in a speech that threatened "war" and accused strike organisers of planning to overthrow him. Answering criticism that the strike had become political, SFTU secretary general Jan Sithole said that the SFTU had been forced to become an "omnibus" movement because all other political activity was banned. "We haven't, as a labour movement, shifted from our main agenda ... But our problems can only be addressed where there is democracy and accountability." Despite the determination of the SFTU leadership to remain on strike and the solid support of workers in the key forestry and sugar cane industries, as well as government workers in the electricity, post and telecommunications utilities, most workers heeded Mswati's threats and returned to work on January 29. There was a heavy deployment of police and troops in the capital. The SFTU suspended the strike. A mass rally was held in the capital, Mbabane, on February 4. SFTU leaders said the decision was made to prevent loss of life, as they believed the monarchy would use force. Stephan Brümmer from South Africa's Weekly Mail and Guardian described the scene in Mbabane on January 29: "Soldiers and policemen, rifles ready, mingled with pedestrians on their way to work, and later with shoppers in the malls. Each bus had its own security detail in the form of a police vehicle. The king had told his subjects there would be war if they did not return to work, and the subjects obeyed."