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Student leader tells of torture by Swazi police
Pius
Vilakati, a prominent Swaziland National Union of Students leader and former
president of UNISWA, spoke yesterday of his torture at the hands of Swazi
police in February 2010. Vilakati was seized by Swazi police during a mass
demonstration for democracy and decent education standards by students in
February. Police apparently targeted Vilakati because he was one of the main
instigators of the demonstrations.
Source: Swazi Media Commentary
10 November 2010 - 20th Black Wednesday commemoration address by Pius VilakatiTheme: Students in Solidarity can achieve Greatness
It has been a long time since I talked to you, comrades and friends. Thankfully, the first time I communicate with you after such a long time is during this 20th commemoration of such a great day, Black Wednesday. I fully concur with this year's theme that students in solidarity can achieve greatness. We have seen oppressed people in the past, through solidarity, achieving great victories.
In this address, comrades and friends, I also wish to answer some of your questions concerning my disappearance and whereabouts. Frans Fanon, a great African, once said that every generation has a mission to fulfil, either it fulfils it or betrays it. The question I want to pose to you, comrades and friends, is “will you fulfil your mission”? I have chosen to push forward with my mission instead of betraying it. You have a role to play in the defence of the people's rights in Swaziland and beyond.
Will you have the guts to stand up and defend justice? It was the great revolutionary, Che Guevara, who once said “if you tremble with indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine”. These words are so true, and it should be stated that if, as Martin Luther King Jr once said, there is injustice anywhere then there is injustice everywhere. It is your duty as students to speak out against any injustice in Swaziland whether it is committed by the UNISWA administration, or by the government, or even by the king himself. You must defend the poor people of Swaziland since you are the few that has had the chance to acquire tertiary education and you are therefore more enlightened in such matters of people's governance. In all revolutions and people's fight for justice it is important that women play a role in it. Women must be empowered to fight for justice.
The late leader, comrade Samora Machel once stated as follows: “the emancipation of women is not an act of charity, the result of a humanitarian or compassionate attitude. The liberation of women is a Fundamental necessity for the Revolution, the guarantee of its continuity and the pre-condition of its victory... Generally speaking, women are the most oppressed, humiliated and exploited beings in society. A woman is even exploited by a man who is himself exploited, beaten by the man who is lacerated by the palmatoria, humiliated by the man who is crushed under the boot of the boss...” These words by the late great leader were spoken many decades ago but they still ring true even today. In the students side you see that women have still not been emancipated enough since, as you know, there is always a small number of them in leadership positions, especially, in the SRC.
It will be difficult therefore to fight against any injustice if women are not involved. Machel further asked a question “moreover, if we also consider the basic needs for the revolution to be continued by the new generation, how can we ensure the revolutionary education of the generation which will carry out on our work if mothers, the first educators, are marginal to the revolutionary process”? I also ask a question to all of us here: what have we done to show anger at the continued forceful marriage of under-age girls under the guise of culture? We are all aware of the many girls that have been taken out of school and tekaed by people of high government and royal positions in Swaziland. What have you done, and what are you going to do about it?
I therefore call upon you students, as the enlightened few to stand up and offer solidarity to all oppressed people in Swaziland and beyond. Offer solidarity to that child who has died in hospital because of the lack of simple medicine, to that pregnant woman who collapsed and died while still queuing at the government hospital. Now I hear that a certain idiot who poses as a prime minister has promised to use what he termed “sipakatane” to silence dissidents. It is moments like these that call upon revolutionary students to stand and be counted, to speak when all people feel they have nothing to say. Truly students in solidarity can achieve greatness.
I now come to the issue concerning my disappearance and whereabouts. For many people this issue started with the death of comrade Sipho Jele, a cadre of a special kind, member of PUDEMO, in the month of May, 2010. However, I want to clear it up to you all that it started way back in February 10, 2010, when the police abducted me, together with other students' leaders. You have never been told this sad story before. That day the Manzini police took us to the police headquarters, hurled unspeakable insults at us for planning a demonstration against the government. Later they separated us and an order was given by one of the seniors to the police that were taking us out of the police headquarters to “be as vicious as possible”. A shiver went down my spine when I heard such words. I was later transported to Bhunya police station where things got worse. The police took a simple plastic (yes, plastic). I still remember vividly that it was a SHOPRITE branded plastic. They covered my face with it many times, only giving me a few (but not more than two) seconds to breathe between intervals. It was one of the most horrible days of my life. I don't know whether this is the famous “tubing” style. As they were suffocating me they were telling me to desist from trying to make the country ungovernable. They would continuously tell me that Swaziland is the king's country and not a people’s country as I used to say.
Later in the evening, at around 7pm, I was transported back to Manzini where I met the so-called “top brass”. Amongst such dangerous men was a man who introduced himself to me as the assistant regional commander. After a very long talk about me and the students trying to “topple the government” he told me straight in the eye that if I could ever be spotted in any demonstration or political gathering they would not hesitate to shoot and kill me. I was then released at around 9pm. Of course I then had to find my own transport back home. With such a warning they thought that they would discourage me. In actual fact they had just given me the necessary fire to march forward. Such important fire I presented during comrade Sipho Jele's memorial service and night vigil. I had to hide myself in the van which was carrying the coffin after the memorial service.
Later in the night I simply had to escape from Swaziland. I had received messages that the police did not just want to arrest me but simply to kill me. The PUDEMO leadership told me that they could not risk the death of another comrade in the hands of the police. I simply obliged on such a revolutionary call and escaped Swaziland. I am currently well looked after by Swaziland's revolutionary party, PUDEMO, and I now have even more fire and the zeal to fight for democracy in Swaziland, in our lifetime. I know that the UNISWA administration uses my name as an example to discourage you from defending your rights. I know that they claim I lost my education because of my inclinations. Well, they must be ashamed of themselves because I am continuing with my studies here and in a short while I will be in possession of my LLB Degree. In fact it will be even better than the one I would have acquired at UNISWA. So, if the administration tells you that I have lost on my education please let them be aware of such information.
On the issue of me joining PUDEMO I want to say the following: it is not necessarily that I later joined PUDEMO. I was, however, born and raised by PUDEMO. The blood that flows in my veins is, and has always been, powered by PUDEMO, a people's movement. I was, and still am, greatly inspired by the great leader, comrade President Mario Masuku, a man who has withstood all oppression and pressure by the royal government. I am a member of those people calling for democracy in Swaziland. The ideology that I have is the same as that of PUDEMO. In this light it is clear that I am, and always have been, a member of PUDEMO. In its Strategy and Tactics document PUDEMO states the following, amongst other things:
Pudemo is a political home for all who share the vision of democracy, gender equality and social justice. Pudemo thrives to represent at all times and in the first instance, the poorest of the poor and most disadvantaged groups in our society, such as workers, people living with disabilities, rural masses, women, youth and children. The strategic objective of Pudemo is the transformation of our country into a democratic non sexist and prosperous society.
The above statements by Pudemo fit into my ideology and this therefore firmly makes me Pudemo. Therefore, as I have always said to you, I encourage you to be actively involved in politics, read political material, because as it has always been said by great political scholars: the human being is a political animal by nature. It does not mean that just because you are a Christian then you must not be involved in politics. Christians cannot be said to be children of God if they have not defended God's people on earth. Bishop Tom Wright, when he bid farewell to the Diocese of Durham in the U.K. recently, reminded the church to be the voice of justice for the poor and God's creation. He urged Christians to speak out in the face of injustice and give hope to those in difficulty, such as the poor and asylum seekers (Joy Magazine, volume 19, Issue 88, p13). You are therefore also called upon to stand up and defend the truth. I urge you to also be ware that many other Swazis have been exiled because of their political standing and opinions. I urge you therefore to show some degree of solidarity to them, their families and loved ones.
Others have been arrested, such as comrades Zonke Dlamini and Bheki Dlamini. You are also aware of comrade Brian “Slovo” Shaw who was recently threatened with death by the Royal Swazi Police. Please send some solidarity messages, especially to his mother who got such chilling message from the police. You are also aware that some Swazis have been murdered by the police, including comrade Sipho Jele, La-Fakudze, 10-year old Noxolo, and others. Some have died in the line of duty trying to liberate the Swazis, including comrades Musa “MJ” Dlamini and Jack Govender. It would surely be in the spirit of this year's Black Wednesday theme to send solidarity messages to their families.
Malcolm X once said that there comes a time in a person's life when she must either live on her knees or choose to die for a good cause on her feet. Comrades and friends, I chose to die fighting for a good cause rather than to live a long life on my knees, begging at the royal dinner table. What have you chosen to do?
AMANDLA!! VIVA UNISWA VIVA!! VIVA SNUS VIVA!!
VIVA PUDEMO VIVA!!
VIVA BASEBENTI VIVA!!
VIVA SUDF VIVA!!
