Swaziland Teachers demand democratic reform from King Swati: Mugabe placates Zimbabweans teachers with platitudes!

The Swaziland’s King Swati III did not meet the country’s Teachers Union Representatives. The king sent his adviser instead and the message from the union leaders was simple enough "We told him we want a transitional government and multiparty democracy," Muzi Mhlanga, the Union Leader reportedly told the adviser. The Swazi Unionists have reportedly called for public protests next week to press their demands for political reform. "The king is pleading that we cancel this thing (public protest). We told him (the adviser) it would be difficult because the decision has already been taken by our members," concluded Mhlanga. What a refreshing and stunning contrast to what happened in Zimbabwe! On Wednesday 6 April 2011 the Zimbabwe dictator, Robert Mugabe, granted the Progressive Teacher Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) a once in a life time audience – face to face with the tyrant. The meeting was to address the teachers’ demands for a living wage and the dictator, after expressing his usual concern and sympathy (shedding the usual crocodile tears) sent the teachers away with a promise of a minimum wage of US$251 – half what the teachers were asking for. The dictator did not say where the money would come from given that the national economic has shown no signs of recovery following the total economic melt down of 2002 to 2008. In the six year period the national economy shrunk by a staggering 84% fuelled by the world record inflation rate picking at over 5 000 000 000% and the total collapse of the agricultural sector following the looting of white owned farms by Mugabe and his loyalists. The scrapping of the Z$ in late 2008 brought down inflation to single digit percentage figures over night and a considerable measure of economic sanity. Unfortunately the farms have remained idle and the lawlessness has continued making it impossible for the much hoped for economic recovery to take place. Mugabe has his excuse why teachers, like the rest of the nation, were poor – West imposed sanctions! “Mr President, Sir; are you blaming the collapse of Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector on the West too?” one PTUZ should have asked. “Mr President, Sir; the country earning millions of dollars from the sell of Marange diamonds but none of the money is received by central government. Are you blaming the West for this too?” a second one should have followed up. Of course none of the PTUZ asked any obvious questions. They were there to ask for wage increase and they must have agonised forever to ever ask that. In 2008, just before the elections, Mugabe granted teachers and other public workers a 700% pay rise. Given the country’s hyper inflation at the time, the salary increase only served to fuel spike in flation. Many people have been asking whether Sub-Sahara Africa will stage public protest demanding democratic reform in any sustainable way as happened in North Africa and some Arab countries. In Swaziland, may be. If the performance of Mr Oswald Madziva and his PTUZ is anything to go by, Zimbabwe is not ready!