Cosatu hosts Swazi gathering
2008-12-10 18:36
Johannesburg - Representatives of Swaziland's "harassed" civil society gathered in Johannesburg on Monday, said Cosatu.
Cosatu's international relations officer Bongani Masuku said on Wednesday that the meeting was co-hosted by the Open Society Institute of Southern Africa and brought together 15 leaders from the Swaziland United Democratic Front.
A presentation was made by SUDF Secretary General Vincent Ncongwane and his counterpart in the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, Jan Sithole.
Osisa's policy and advocacy coordinator Roshnee Narrandes said that the meeting was an effort to "try and build up networks of solidarity across borders.
"There's a sense that Swaziland is a paradise where nothing goes wrong."
Narrandes was reluctant to name individuals and organisations who participated as this would make them identifiable to authorities in Swaziland. "People are being harassed," she said.
An earlier meeting that was to be held last week in Swaziland had been called off.
Participants became worried when "police insisted on being at the meeting", said Narrandes.
Narrandes compared the situation in Swaziland to that of Zimbabwe.
Last October, a meeting of the African Social Forum was nearly called off when the rented venue was withdrawn by the Swaziland government, the owner of the venue. It took a court order to compel them to open the venue up to the forum.
- SAPA