Tradition of labour tribute draws fire

By tradition, Swazis of all generations and genders show their devotion to their monarchs and fealty to their chiefs by providing labour for chores both practical and symbolic. Recently, the custom has drawn fire from pro-democracy groups, who claim the practice of tribute labour violates human rights.

"It is a form of slave labour," Jan Sithole, secretary-general of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions has told the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

"Nonsense," replies Prince Mguciso Dlamini, older brother of King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa's last hereditary monarch. "The tradition of kuhlehla, where Swazis participate in a royal project, is being distorted for political purposes. It is made to seem something that it is not to outsiders. But Swazis understand and accept the practice."

At the annual ILO conferences in Geneva, Swaziland's labour federation reported that workers were forced to labour for the palace without compensation, in violation of international labour protocols signed by the Swazi government.

"The word is out that in Swaziland the subjects of the king are forced to do work for the palace," said attorney Fikile Mthembu, who joins Swazi delegations to international conferences. "I think this is a distortion of a misunderstood tradition."

"Simply put, kuhlehla, or 'tribute labour', is a way for Swazi warriors to show their loyalty to His Majesty. They can't die in battle anymore," explained Prince Mguciso.

In Swaziland, the state is embodied in the person of the sovereign himself, King Mswati III, the 16th king from the House of Dlamini that has ruled the Swazis since the 1500s. Swazis do not distinguish between the nation and the man, and while the king is not considered divine, he is the central figure of the month-long sacred Incwala (kingship/harvest) ceremonies held when the first fruits ripen in summer.

Tens of thousands of Swazis in traditional attire converge on the Queen Mother's village, and petition the national ancestral spirits to endow the king with wisdom, and the nation with good rains and fortune.

The semi-religious character of Swazi acceptance of their monarchical system is reflected in the kuhlehla labour tradition. It is seen as devotional duty to the ancestral spirits as much as making a political statement in support of the king.

"I do not believe in the ancestors, because I am a Christian, but there is a sacred part to warrior duty, the tradition of it," said Samson Mkhonta, a 25 year-old electrician who has undergone the ritual initiation to become a member of the warrior regiments. "We learn the old skills, like making cow-hide shields and carving fighting sticks. This is passed down from generation to generation. To me, that is a sacred thing."

For Chuchuza Dube, a 19 year-old warrior when he is not a university student: "I feel like a real Swazi when I put on the warrior outfit."

Tribute labour comes in several forms. The majority of Swazis participating do so voluntarily, countering pro-democracy groups' contention that coercion is involved. But there are some instances of chiefs forcing their subjects to attend national ceremonies, which may be justified by custom but lends support to the critics' assertions.

Twice a year, the warrior regiments assemble at Engabezweni royal residence to weed the royal sorghum field in January, and harvest the crop in May. Actual work comprises three hours in the morning, and the rest of the day is devoted to warrior dances and songs, maintaining the regimental barracks that are large circular log enclosures fitted with domed grass huts where the men sleep, and initiating new recruits.

"The warriors last fought in 1879, against the Pedi tribe. Today, the regiments are like a social club," maintained Balolonja Simelane, a regimental official whose sons have joined the units of their age mates.

Swazi "maidens" participate in an overnight trek at winter's end to fetch the eponymous reed umhlanga, that lends its name to the Reed Dance (Umhlanga) held in tribute to the Queen Mother. Last year, a record 50,000 young women, who by tradition must be unmarried, participated.

"The Reed Dance is particularly important in the age of AIDS because it is intended to reinforce cultural values like the preservation of virginity," said Khosi Dlamini, a counsellor for HIV-positive Swazis.

However, some of Swaziland's 350 chiefs do compel their subjects to do tribute labour. Northeast of Mbabane, Chief Malume demanded fines of cattle, the Swazis' traditional currency, from subjects who did not participate in this year's Incwala pageant.

"There is pressure on the chiefs to deliver a sizable turnout of their people at national pageants," said one palace observer. "The pro-democracy pressure groups are not the only ones who are politicising the issue. Some officials in the royal government want to use large turnouts at national pageants to show widespread support for the monarchy."

The workers federation in particular objects to compulsory labour at the chiefs' residences. Chiefs' subjects must build their huts, and weed and harvest their fields. The federation has listed this duty with the ILO as a violation of human rights.

Chief's runner (aide) Mandla Hlatwayo defends the tradition. "Swazis are given free land to homestead under chiefs, and free grazing land for their cattle. All that is asked is they devote some time to the chief's residence, which is used for the weekly meetings of the area residents and is the focal point of the community. But some people are lazy, and they do not wish to give back to the community. It is right to fine them a goat or a chicken."

Said attorney Mthembu: "An understanding of the subtleties of Swazi tribute labour is necessary before the system can be condemned wholesale. There are some localised abuses, but most people volunteer on these community or nation-building or cultural preservation projects, as a way to show they are Swazis."