Police in Swaziland broke up a press conference on
Wednesday (12 February 2014) held by the Secretary-General of the African National
Congress (ANC), Gwede Mantashe.
Journalists were reportedly ‘frog-marched’ out of the venue
at Lugogo Sun, Ezulwini, by police.
The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) said the meeting
was to brief the media about a delegation led by Mantashe the day before that
met with political parties in the kingdom.
In a statement, the SSN said, ‘Under the auspices of the
Socialist International, the ANC delegation had robust and candid discussions
with the Ngwane Liberation Congress, the Swaziland Democratic Party (SWADEPA)
and Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).’
All political parties are banned from taking parts in
elections in Swaziland, where King Mswati III rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last
absolute monarch. PUDEMO is also banned
under the Suppression of Terrorism Act, as is SSN.
Reports on social media from people at the press conference
said the Swazi police banned the press conference for ‘security reasons’.
International media, including the South Africa
Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), were among the media excluded.
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