ORLANDO PIRATES AND KAIZER CHIEFS ARE AN
EMBARASSMENT TO THE PROUD TRADITIONS OF STRUGGLE IN SOUTH AFRICA
PUDEMO STATEMENT
WEDNESDAY 17 JUNE 2015
Two
South African Soccer giants Orlando Pirates FC and Kaizer Chiefs FC, have
entered into an agreement with the Swaziland government to partake in a
tournament dubbed The King’s Cup, which is to take place in the month of July,
2015 in Swaziland. A South African company Vodacom is also part of the
tournament as sponsor.
The
Swaziland government has from 1973 governed through a dictatorial framework,
resolute on disregarding calls for democratic governance which have been made
on an ongoing bases by Swazis and the International community. From 1973 many
Swazis have died at the hands of the government security forces, and more have
been displaced through evictions sanctioned by the government in adhering to
dictates of then King of Swaziland Sobhuza II and recently his son King Mswati
III. Almost 70% of Swazi citizens live under the poverty line of less than a
dollar a day, while Mswati III’s preoccupation is buying private jets, luxury
cars and touring the world with his throng of wives at the expense of the Swazi
people.
Presently
a number of political activists and human rights activists are languishing in
jail for expressing their displeasure at the inequalities and the clamping down
on freedoms which has been the order of things since Sobhuza II repealed the
independence constitution in 1973 and decided to rule by decree.
The
Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), implores the two soccer giants to
reconsider their decision to be involved in a tournament that seeks to put a
Human face on a government that has made it its prime occupation to govern the
people with fear and dispossession. The fact that the tournament’s namesake is
to honour an individual who uses fear and corruption to accumulate riches which
he then uses to further suppress freedoms and curtail human rights, should be
an indicator enough that the good game of soccer is being taken to the sewers,
and this tournament will forever taint the good name of these two soccer giants
for having dared to give credibility to a king who sits executive over cold
blooded murder and the incarceration of innocent citizens.
PUDEMO
as a leading political formation in calling for democracy in Swaziland has come
to the conclusion that the tournament is nothing but a desperate attempt to
legitimise the king and his corrupt government, who is under immense pressure
both locally and abroad to institute reforms that will result in a democratic government
which adheres to the rule of law and respects human rights.
Such
pressure was exerted recently by the United States of America (USA) which has
excluded Swaziland from a very beneficial trade agreement, dubbed AGOA, because
Swaziland refuses to institute reforms that seek to ensure that it becomes
democratic. European Union (EU), has also recently called for the release of
human rights activists Thulani Maseko and Bheki Makhubu who are presently
incarcerated for having talked against the abuse of the judiciary by now former
Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi. The 104th International Labour Organisation
(ILO) conference which recently concluded also put Swaziland back into the
‘special paragraph’ for refusing to adhere to convention 87 which has to do
with the rights of workers.
For
the two soccer giants to partake in this tournament will be a mockery to the
many activists that have died at the hands of the government and those who are
presently languishing in jail for having dared to talk against the atrocities
obtaining in Swaziland. It would be a mockery to the throngs of Swazis who live
in acute poverty. It would be a mockery to the death of Dr. Gabriel Mkhumane
who was gunned down in cold blood by the government’s assassins. It would be a
mockery to Sipho Jele who was found hanging from the ceiling in one of Mswati’s
jails. It would even be a mockery to Solomon Mahlangu who died calling for
freedom which is what political activists are calling for in Swaziland.
A few
days ago a Mozambican Ronaldo Luciano Zavale died in custody in what is
reportedly murder. He was reportedly murdered through the favoured suffocation
style of torture which is widely used by the Swaziland Royal Police. If the two
Soweto soccer giants decide to partake in this tournament, they would be
walking into a pool of blood of innocent citizens and in partnering with
murders, they would themselves be partaking in the slaughter of those that dare
speak against the atrocities perpetrated by the tinkhundla regime.
PUDEMO
also calls upon the throngs of fans of the two soccer giants to stand with the
Swazi people in their time of need, and add their voices into calling for the
abstinence from this tournament of shame which seeks to muddy the good name of
soccer by rendering it a tool to legitimise dictators. We would also like to
remind all concerned that the present Swazi regime is partly the brain child of
the apartheid regime which massacred many innocent South Africans. When
apartheid came town like the lump of shame that it was, Swaziland continued to
perpetrate oppression which continues to present day.
Released
by PUDEMO Secretary General
Contact person: Brian Ntshangase (National
Spokesperson)
Tell: +27 81 091 2364
Facebook: pudemo
Tweeter:@pudemo
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