Activist and lawyer Thulani Maseko, who was at the forefront of Swaziland’s struggle for democracy, was gunned down hours after King Mswati’s threatening speech to pro-democracy activists. PUDEMO President Mlungisi Makhanya talks about Thulani’s struggle and what his killing means for the country

Swaziland’s Deputy PM Themba Masuku has threatened to imprison Sticks Nkambule, the leader of transport workers’ union whose members withdrew labor and brought Swaziland to a halt on December 13-14

Speaking from the hospital where he was admitted after being allegedly tortured by the security forces, union leader Mbhekeni Dlamini told Peoples Dispatch, “I will keep on fighting until all my comrades are freed from prison, until all Swazi people are freed from the monarchy”

Mlungisi Makhanya, president of one of the largest pro-democracy political parties, PUDEMO, whose house was attacked “remains unshaken, defiant”

“I was held face down at gunpoint with my arms and legs bound behind for half an hour, while they fired shots and chased down my comrades,” CPS central committee member Vuyiswa Maseko told Peoples Dispatch. 

The police attempted to arrest CPS member Bongi Nkambule, who was abducted and tortured by the police in March. When they failed to capture him, they took his wife into custody and beat her up in the police station. There has been an upsurge of resistance in Swaziland recently

The South African Communist Party and the Communist Party of Swaziland along with several pro-democracy groups have vowed to continue the struggle for Swaziland’s liberation from the rule of King Mswati III, the last absolute monarch in Africa, for which Mbedzi paid the ultimate price

Today we look at an Oxfam report on global extreme poverty rates, rising deaths among unhoused people across the US, and more

King Mswati III has been ruling over the nation since 1986, four years after the death of his father king Sobhuza. 70% of the population languishes in poverty while the king spends billions of dollars every year on personal luxuries

Earlier this month, Mbongwa Dlamini’s residence was sprayed with a hail of bullets by a highly militarized unit of the police called the Operation Support Service Unit (OSSU), putting the lives of his children in danger

Students in various campuses across the country have been boycotting classes since April 7, demanding the transfer of living allowances that remain unpaid for many since the academic year began in November 2021

Bongi Nkambule, a Communist Party activist, was allegedly kidnapped by the police while returning from the Manzini court where charges against his comrades, including the former general secretary of the students’ union, were being heard