Swaziland offers support to anti-Mugabe marches

The Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC) urged all its supporters and progressive forces to participate in the march to the venue of Saturday’s SADC gathering to draw attention to the need for a clear programme for free and fair elections in Zimbabwe.
The polls should be held in an atmosphere where voters are not subjected to intimidation, manipulation, or the anti-democratic measures of Zanu(PF) and state military forces that have marred previous elections, officials said.
Civil society organizations in Zimbabwe and the region are organizing the protest march.
“We hope this protest will serve as a wake up call to SADC. SADC has virtually destroyed its own reputation by prevaricating on the need for democratic change in Zimbabwe, and by endlessly pandering to the prejudices of Robert Mugabe. In the face of irrefutable evidence of violence, including physical abuse, blatant interference and widespread fraud, SADC failed to defend the democratic majority who voted for real change, and failed to unambiguously condemn the terror unleashed by forces loyal to Mugabe.
A range of respected human rights organisations and many eye witnesses have drawn attention to the way that ZANU-PF supporters used the worst possible means to intimidate poor communities, including rape and illegal abductions,” Stephen Faulkner, spokesperson of SDC told The Zimbabwean in Johannesburg. He welcomed the tough stance taken against Mugabe and his party when the SADC troika met in Livingstone, Zambia, earlier this year.
“We note the critical report that has been developed by the South African Government which now appears to have taken a reality check, and has produced a report that offers some hope. SADC now needs to make amends for its chronic indecision and appeasement, and especially so given the leading role of the South African Government in this travesty of justice. The SADC must now strive to rescue its reputation and put its weight behind the people of Zimbabwe so that they are able to exercise their democratic rights in a conducive environment. The South African Government must stand firm, and stop protecting Mugabe, and decisively side with the people of Zimbabwe against his barbarous rule.”
Swaziland and Zimbabwe, where human rights violations characterize the countries; political landscapes are the region’s two problem countries. Faulkner urged SADC to act on Mugabe and the Swaziland dictator, King Mswati III. “SADC must make a decision. It can either continue to be part of the problem and effectively do nothing, or it can break with its own sorry past, and be part of a popular solution that puts the needs of the people first. Either way, the democratic forces of our continent will push ahead and assert their rights.”