Sunday, April 29, 2012

SWAZILAND STUDENTS TURN ON SSN

The Swaziland National Union of Students has attacked the Swaziland Solidarity Network and its official spokesperson Lucky Lukhele following SSN’s handling of criticism about the organisation’s exaggerated claims concerning the support it has from Swazis for its call for revolution in the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

It follows an Internet blogpost by Peter Kenworthy on his stiffkitten site, in which he drew attention to exaggerated claims being made by SSN and some other prodemocracy groups. Kenworthy is also associated with Africa Contact, a Danish-based NGO

Lukhele responded with what SNUS calls ‘bile’.

The SNUS statement was posted on its Facebook site. Here it is in full


SNUS STATEMENT: CHUCK LUCKY OUT OF SSN OR DISMANTLE SSN

The Swaziland National Union of Students is amazed and angry at the bile spewed by one self-imposed exile called Lucky Lukhele.

This is so because, due to intellectually malnutrition, he failed to read and understand the article written by one internationalist and true solidarity friend of the oppressed people of Swaziland, Peter titled  ‘’the democratic movement that cried wolf’’.

This is so because had he been clever and intelligence enough, he would had seen that the article was a constructive criticism of the broad, mass democratic movement in Swaziland.

Truth be told, the students movement do not take kindly to the unwarranted attack of Africa Contact especially when the president of the students union, Maxwell Dlamini is dragged into the attack. We want to put on record that Africa Contact did contacted SNUS about the release Maxwell campaign and explained why they wanted to use him as the face of all political prisoners.

Had he taken time to read about the struggle of South Africa, he would have known that the ANC did the same thing with Nelson Mandela. It is not that ANC was neglecting the other political prisoners but they wanted to focus on a particular person to profile correctly the struggle of South Africans.

But we can’t blame Lucky, he wasn’t good in history that why he is suffering from the political intellectually dehydration. Had Lucky understood the struggle in general, he would have known that you can’t be in solidarity with yourself. That why he would have refused to be the face of a solidarity network.

Secondly, Africa Contact is a true solidarity partner of the Swazi people, unlike SSN which talks more and acts less, they have contributed immensely in the building and strengthening of the mass democratic movement.

This is so because they have contributed in the financially and otherwise in the strengthening of SNUS, SUDF etc which are organizations that have shaken tinkhundla to the core. The less said about SSN the better. It has now turned out to be an organization of statements and has lost focus. Jack Govender and Musa must be turning in utter disgust by what Lucky is doing in SSN.

Lucky Lukhele and together with the chairperson of SSN, Solly has actually destabilized the mass democratic movement. He first tried to sponsor comrades of Pudemo to oust Mario Masuku and he failed dismally on that.

He then tried to sponsor a coupe to take over Pudemo in Elijah Mango, but again he failed not withstanding that he had brought in an armed renegade to take pudemo. After failing in all this attempts he then sponsored comrades to degrade pudemo and its leadership in public, he again failed on that one that is why now he had sponsored division by forming and supporting Communist party of Swaziland, which has been formed by the same individuals who tried to take over Pudemo illegally.

As a matter of urgency, SNUS will write a letter to PUDEMO NEC to review their relationship with SSN.

We can’t allow our struggle, leaders and partners to be ridiculed in public in the name of solidarity. SSN must either shape out and allow us who are in the firing line to lead the struggle. If they fail to do that, we will disassociate ourselves from them and dismantle.

We will demand that Pudemo implements the Westville resolution that exiles must be kicked out of solidarity networks.  We do not own anything to SSN. In fact of late they have been a liability to the struggle of Swaziland hence a need to seriously look at their role and relevance at this hour.

SNUS has actually lost the little respect they had for this organization. If needs be, a new solidarity block that will seek to profile the struggle of Swaziland internationally and render solidarity to the people of Swaziland must be formed to organize the individuals who truly want to assist the people of Swaziland to earn liberation.

And Lucky in the current juncture must go and upgrade his marks so that he will be accepted at tertiary institutions to further his studies otherwise he will be a driver in the new democratic dispensation since we will need people with qualifications to actually take the country forward.

See also

STUDENTS ATTACK SSN ‘BILE’

STIFFKITTEN: FURIOUS REACTION

DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT ‘CRIED WOLF’

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