Lucky Lukhele
Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:01:14 -0700
* * * *
* * *SWAZILAND SOLIDARITY NETWORK STATEMENT ON THE PASSING AWAY OF COMRADES ADVOCATE 'PRINCE' MUSA DLAMINI aka MJ AND JACK GOVENDER aka SIPHO KHUMALO* It is with great sadness and anger that we learnt of the tragic passing away of two prominent internationalists, revolutionaries and members of the freedom struggle in Swaziland, comrades Musa "MJ" Dlamini and Jack Govender aka Sipho Khumalo. The humblest and the bravest servants of humanity have fallen – pick up their spears and carry on the fight for freedom. According to the information, at our disposal, disseminated by the royal news cables and cohorts, the two comrades passed on between Mbabane and Manzini in what appeared to have been an explosion and their remains were scattered around the scene of the accident. The SSN is deeply saddened by the untimely departure of the two most dedicated revolutionaries and of its founder members. We dip our revolutionary banners in their living memory as we pay tribute to their contribution to the struggle for freedom, peace, justice and democracy in Swaziland. SSN does not believe the royally edited information and blatant lies about what happened on the fateful night of September 20, 2008, the day that swallowed two giant revolutionaries. The tinkundla free Swaziland will cherish this day as having contributed immensely to their freedom and a befitting monument of freedom will be erected in their honour, for their selfless service to a democratic and free Swaziland where all will live together harmoniously and with peaceful neighbourliness without the oppression by the other. Comrade Jack Govender, on the insistence of Prince Musa who introduced him to PUDEMO, was the founder member of Swaziland Solidarity Network, in fact he was the main drive for its establishment, and was the first one to establish contact with the progressive liberation movement in Swaziland post South African democratic breakthrough in 1994, People's United Democratic Movement [PUDEMO], Swaziland Federation Of Trade Unions [SFTU], Swaziland Youth Congress [SWAYOCO], Swaziland Association Of Students [SAS] where he met MJ and the then Swaziland Democratic Alliance. He left South Africa in December 1998 to pursue studies and work in the USA and later would travel the world. He came back to South Africa in February 2008 and continued his work for the liberation of Swaziland through the solidarity network. It is only befitting that he fell in Swaziland the land he fought so much to liberate from royal dictatorship, his internationalist blood and that of his friend and comrade Musa will nourish the germinating seed of freedom that will soon bear the Swazi tree of freedom which one day even the royal oppressors will bask under its protection of comfortable shade of freedoms. As we pay tribute to these gallant heroes of our freedom struggle, ardent internationalists, we reject with all contempt the insinuations by the autocratic Swazi regime police that theirs was an evil act of terror. They were forced to those conditions, to confront the enemy head on, by the autocratic regime and undemocratic government of King Mswati III, who abrogated all national powers -judicial, legislative and executive unto himself through the unfortunate and the sad decree of April 12, 1973. Until today Swaziland remains a dictatorship under King Mswati III and his royal cohorts. Theirs was a just struggle from which all and what is necessary remain justified to use against human oppression and for the cause of justice and the liberation of their fellow countrymen and women. We have also noted with disgust the manner in which the royally influenced media has attacked the integrity of comrade MJ. This is expected from their quarters who serve their masters. MJ was a hero of the Swaziland struggle for freedom and was not a coward. He did not allow his law studies to blind and limit him from freeing his people and for that we will always remember him both as a great legal mind and great patriot who loved his country for which he gave his blood, the greatest honour any revolutionary can attest for his country. The sacrifice of his thriving law practice to concentrate on the freedom of his people is greatly appreciated and acknowledged by all of us who worked with him. To all peace loving Swazis, patriots and democrats across all the sectors we call upon you to remain focused and steady in the just struggle for a free, peaceful and democratic Swaziland and we call on you to unite during this time of pain in Swaziland, to join hands and face the common social and political challenges facing you, to work together and confront the tinkundla system to totally destroy it and usher in a democratic dispensation. We call on to strengthen the revolutionary foundation of the Swaziland United Democratic Front to take the final challenge for your country's liberation for which MJ was a prime architect from its initial conception. We remain available for any support that is possible and within our capacity towards a free and democratic Swaziland. We can only remind you that for your liberation arise the consciousness of the masses who are the ultimate arbiter of their fate and social condition, deepen your roots in them and observe the spectacle of a people's revolution in motion. To their respective families we sincerely pass our deepest condolences and regrets for these untimely deaths. May they know that we all share their pain and grief and thus help to lessen their pain. We also loved them, they were our comrades and brothers but we know your pain is immeasurable. To our beloved comrades as we bid them our final farewell, may their undying revolutionary spirit live on and help to inspire many young revolutionaries to take up their spears and soldier on until Swaziland is free and indeed until humanity is totally free from hunger, illiteracy, disease and dictators. Lalani ngoxolo maqhawe a maqwawe, so hlala si ni khumbula nge zenzo zeno! Yours was an heroic action, not an act of cowardice, and accordingly will spur us on until Swaziland is finally free from the unjust system of tinkundla oppression. Our banners are flying half mast for you comrades – rest in peace! Issued by the Swaziland solidarity Network-South Africa Chapter** *Contact Details: Lucky Lukhele: 072 502 4141* --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SA Swaziland Solidarity EOM Forum" group. Visit the group site at http://groups-beta.google.com/group/sa-swaziland-solidarity-eom-forum for more options, pages and files. To post to the group, send email to sa-swaziland-solidarity-eom-forum@googlegroups.com or reply to this message. To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---