COSATU has vowed to ask the ANC to isolate the eSwatini monarchy until it allows free political activities and human rights in that country.
The federation through its president Zingiswa Losi made the pledge to involve the ANC in its ongoing campaign against the eSwatini monarchy and its alleged persecution of political activists and banning of political parties.
Losi was making her concluding remarks during the conclusion of the federation’s central committee meeting yesterday.
She said the central committee (CC) has recommitted that Cosatu would continue mobilising and provide practical support for workers facing “an abusive monarchy in eSwatini, a collapsed economy in Zimbabwe, a terrorist insurgency in northern Mozambique, occupation in Western Sahara, military rule in Palestine, sanctions in Venezuela and Cuba”.
In Cosatu’s declaration after the meeting, they wrote a 12-page declaration in which they stated that the central committee had “made an in-depth analysis on the international balance of forces and the implications for the working class, particularly in the global south where the effects of imperialism are harsher.
“It identified the urgency of the need to strengthen and support the campaign for democracy in Swaziland and for an end of sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela and the removal of Israel as an observer at the AU.
“The Southern African region is undergoing the most profound and thorough process of struggle, not seen in many years. In fact, since the end of colonialism and apartheid, we are witnessing serious political and economic changes that are shaking the power structure of the whole region.”
Cosatu said the political upheaval in some of the southern African countries created a good basis for an effective and highly mobilised regional solidarity movement.
“We call for the release of all our leaders who are in jail in Swaziland, and urgent medical assistance for comrade Amos Mbedzi who is seriously ill.
“The CC paid detailed attention to the tragic crisis unfolding in Swaziland, recently escalated by the powerful resistance of the people in response to the brutality and repressive show of power of the monarchy and his government.
“Towards that end, the CC resolved that the federation in conjunction with the alliance as a whole, must lead in the campaign to isolate the Mswati regime until the attainment of political and human rights based on a new and democratic society,” the declaration stated.
It said that the fact that more than 75 people were killed in Swaziland calls on all of them including the ANC to actively support the call for democracy in Swaziland and to decisively support the call for effective co-ordination of targeted sanctions and boycott of all companies and business interests of King Mswati and his family government.
“We offer our solidarity to the workers and the people of Mozambique, who have and still are suffering from the violence of an Islamic Insurgency in the northern Province of Cabo Delgado. In 2017, a group calling itself Ansar al-Sunna started carrying out attacks on government and civilian targets in Mozambique,” Cosatu stated.
Political Bureau