Swaziland is the only African country to recognize Taiwan, which helps perpetuate the continent’s last absolute monarchy, enriching the royal family and arming its repression, while grabbing Swazi land and exploiting its cheap labor.

King Mswati III, Africa’s last absolute monarch, is accused of accepting USD 500 million from the Trump administration to accept deported criminals in Swaziland.

King Mswati III, the last absolute monarch in Africa who survived an insurrection by using the army against the pro-democracy movement, has further weakened his position by caving to the US pressure to accept its deportees.

21-year-old Mvuselelo Mkhabela, a Central Committee member of the banned Communist Party of Swaziland, who had continued organizing anti-monarchist resistance underground after escaping police custody with a bullet wound, was arrested in April and tortured again

The Communist Party of Swaziland is continuing to organize actions protesting the upcoming parliamentary elections in the country. Swaziland is the last remaining monarchy in Africa, and the people of the country have been facing brutal repression for resisting the king’s rule.

Speaking to Peoples Dispatch from his hideout, the 21-year-old narrated how he escaped from the police and made it to safety with the help of his comrades, following hours of torture, after being shot by the King’s police while leading a pro-democracy protest

Mvuselelo was reportedly shot and dragged into a police van. His current whereabouts are unknown. Mvuselelo was tortured earlier this month for protesting elections

In Swaziland, only individuals approved by the local chiefs of King Mswati III can contest elections, and the parliament cannot hold the monarchy accountable. Pro-democracy activists have been calling for a boycott of the elections which are scheduled for August

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

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