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Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) meeting a waste of time and money, why? Because Swaziland regime doesn't respect human rights. A new auditorium was built to host SADC meetings. King Mswati III does not deserve to be chairman of SADC, because he is a dictator in his own kingdom, he has no respect for the nation, he spends national resources as he pleases with his wives, he has wasted the tax payers money to fund the lavish SADC Summit whist the population starves, like the older generation. The money would be better off spent on providing desperately needed hospitals and equipment.

The Swaziland Government has continuously violated the fundamental rights of citizens by preventing freedom of speech and association. Political activists are being jailed, some have died in police custody. The king of Swaziland rules by the 1973 King's Proclamation decree, which banned all political parties. Police have sweeping powers under the 1963 Public Order Act. Prime minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini made it very clear that political activists, should be strangled and beaten with spikes.

The Swazi nation should be given an opportunity to elect their desired government, with no one influencing or controlling the supreme executive, legislative and judiciary systems. We want all political parties to participate freely without any arrest, torture, intimidation and death.

I will not stop shouting and tell the world about what is happening in my country called Swaziland until there is respect for human rights and democracy!

Viva Swazi Vigil viva!

By: Philile Dlamini

References

1. Armstrong, G. (2014). Swaziland: On trial for criticising the judicial system - Index on Censorship Index on Censorship. Retrieved 2 December 2016, from https://www.indexoncensorship.org/2014/04/swaziland/

2. Nxumalo, M. (2016). Op-Ed: Swazi king prepares lavish summit as population starves | Daily Maverick. Retrieved 2 December 2016, from http://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2016-07-27-op-ed-Swazi-king-prepares-lavish-summit-as-population-starves/#.WEFXiuRXXIU