8 December 2014 CommunistParty of Swaziland calls on SA not to electrify part
of SA-Swazi border, but to pursue enlightened frontier policy The
CommunistParty of Swaziland is concerned at recent reports that the Department
of CommunitySafety and Liaison in Kwa-Zulu Natal is considering erecting
electric fencingalong the border with Swaziland in the northeast of the
province. The proposal comesin response to escalating cross-border crime, which
includes cigarette andother contraband smuggling, illegal immigration, stock
theft, and robberies. The use ofelectrified fencing, which was set at lethal
voltage levels, along variousparts of the SA border with its neighbours was a
notorious practice of theapartheid regime in its low-intensity war against the
liberation movement. The CPS hopes thatthe KZN provincial government will
understand that most of the cross-bordercrime into SA from Swaziland is due to
the dire levels of poverty in ourcountry. There is also a problem of organised
crime involvement in lucrativepeople trafficking that reaches right to the top
of the Swazi autocracy –and this needs special attention by SA at national
level. But the vastmajority of low threshold cross-border “criminal” activity
comes inthe form of illegal border crossings by young Swazis seeking better
educationand other opportunities, which are denied to them in autocratic
Swaziland. People, includingthe elderly, also cross to use health clinics in
SA, often for HIV and TBtreatment, as such public clinics and services are
largely moribund inSwaziland – again, as a result of the refusal of the Mswati
regime toinvest in public health. It is expensivefor Swazis to get the
necessary permits to cross the border, especially sincethe Mswati regime has
hiked the costs of documents in its attempt to squeezemore cash from the
impoverished population. The existence ofthe brutal dictatorship and criminal
impoverishment of the Swazi people is thedirect cause of cross-border crime
into SA. While the CPSrecognises that this does help the KZN government deal
with the problems itfaces in terms of border security, and that such things as
smuggling in all itsforms must be tackled, it is nevertheless important to
avoid inhumane ways ofenforcing border control. The CPS feels thata more
proactive and engaged effort by South Africa to put an end toSwaziland’s status
as a failed state– and skunk of the world– would eventually result in
inter-state relations of real benefit to ourtwo countries, including a peaceful
and secure border. As long as thedesperate Mswati regime is allowed to endure
in Swaziland, and freedom anddemocracy remain outlawed, the country is
increasingly likely to become avolatile hot spot and point of mass exodus into
South Africa. The border problemreflects the humanitarian crisis in our
country. This will undoubtedlyescalate. The immediateanswer is not to corral
Swaziland with electric wire and hope that the problemwill go away. Rather, it
is crucial to increase assistive border services,pursue enlightened asylum and
reception policies for refugees and migrants, andrecognise and respond to –
with coordinated international support –the growing dependence of Swazis on SA
health, education and other services. The Mswati regimeis not merely a threat
and source of trouble to people in Swaziland, but toSouth Africa as a whole.
The border problem is a direct manifestation of this. Contact Kenneth
KuneneGeneral Secretary072 594 3971 Felix MabasoInternationalOrganiser 074 922
8277
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