Protests against Swazi king
2005-01-25 14:04
Mbabane - Police and security troops were out in full force in Swaziland on Tuesday as hundreds of people gathered in the capital, heeding a call from trade unions to protest the regime of King Mswati III, Africa's last absolute monarch.
About 5 000 police and military personnel were deployed in the streets of Mbabane in the southern African kingdom and at the main entrances to the city, stopping buses and taxis for checks.
"A lot of people are stuck in some roadblocks," said Jan Sithole, secretary general of the umbrella Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU), which has called for a two-day nationwide action to press for political reforms.
"We are sure that most of them will join us," said Sithole.
Police had deployed two water cannons ahead of the day-long protest in Mbabane after the unions said they expected 20 000 people to turn out.
The 36-year-old king, controversial for his polygamy and lavish lifestyle, has ruled the country by decree since his coronation in 1986 at the age of 18.
The union call for change is being backed by opposition parties which are banned in the kingdom, wedged between South Africa and Mozambique.
Several similar pro-democracy protests have been staged in the country in recent years, the largest being in 1996 when many businesses and shops closed down, some for up to three weeks.