Focus on workers' protest action

An uninspired public on Tuesday largely ignored the first day of a national strike called by the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) and the Swaziland Federation of Labour to press for political reforms from King Mswati III. "The churches, civil society, lawyers, human rights groups, teachers, and the banned political parties were all on board, but the people didn't come to the party," one political observer told IRIN. Following a similar failure in December to find public backing for mass action to press for democratic reform in sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarchy, the labour federations now face a serious credibility problem in their opposition to King Mswati. Although Swaziland's two workers' federations have a combined membership of nearly 85,000, only 50 people gathered outside the SFTU office in the central commercial town of Manzini for a demonstration on Tuesday morning. The protestors were outnumbered by police and onlookers when they chanted anti-government slogans at an adjacent park, although local newspapers reported that more strikers arrived in the afternoon. The goals of the protest action were never clear. Jan Sithole, secretary-general of the SFTU, told reporters: "We wish to demonstrate our disgust that government is going against the advice of economists and purchasing a luxury jet for the king, when one-third of Swazis have no food to eat, and almost 40 percent of the people are HIV-positive." Sithole said the stay-away was also intended to draw attention to the "rule of law" crisis that has pitted traditional authorities against court magistrates who have ruled against palace interests. Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini has declared that the government would ignore Court of Appeal rulings that nullified Mswati's power to rule by decree, and called for the jailing of the country's police commissioner for contempt of court. There was little support for government polices among Swazis interviewed by IRIN on Tuesday. But there was also an overwhelming annoyance at the inconvenience of a mass action intended to shut down the country for two days, and scepticism that such tactics would influence the government. "This is a futile effort, and we are staying open because there is nothing in the strike that benefits us in any way," a Manzini shopkeeper said. Some banks, all schools and post offices, and a few shops were closed on Tuesday. But government offices functioned as usual, and the police had only a moderate presence in urban centres. Police spokesman Vusie Masuku reported no arrests or incidents of violence. An SFTU official told IRIN that only skeleton crews remained at the sugar estates of the eastern lowveld, a stronghold of the labour movement. But the estates reported normal operations, as did factories at the Matsapha Industrial Estate, the country's manufacturing centre outside Manzini. Evidence that the stay-away would not be widely observed came early on Tuesday, when public transport set out as usual from the Manzini and Mbabane bus stations. In a statement on Monday night, Prime Minister Dlamini guaranteed the safety of all who wished to go to work during the strike. "Anyone who impedes the right of other persons to travel will be arrested," Dlamini said. The government had contested the strike's legality at the Industrial Court, which ruled in favour of the unions, calling the strike an industrial action. The Federation of Swaziland Employers acknowledged the legitimacy of the mass action, but criticised a resolution by strike leaders at the weekend that called for future boycotting of all businesses that remained opened during the stay-away. However, the Swazi public's apathy toward mass action, demonstrated by the failure of December's stay-away, may require a change of thinking for the labour federations. "Dissatisfaction with government is there. A desire for greater democracy and human rights is there, but a way to mobilise support is lacking," an Mbabane lawyer with the Swaziland Law Society told IRIN. Traditional authorities aligned with the royal government could not contain their glee that the national strike was largely ignored by Swazis on Tuesday. "We have always said the Swazis believe the best way to address problems is through traditional structures," said Prince Mguciso, brother and advisor to King Mswati. The workers federations belong to the two-month-old Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civil Organisations, which includes the churches, human rights organisations and the Swaziland Chamber of Commerce and Industry. However, none of the coalition groups mobilised their memberships to participate in the anti-government demonstrations.