Swaziland's Burning

It is close to growing season in Swaziland, therefore one needs fallow fields. So the locals set fire to their fields. Driving through Swaziland a few weekends ago was like driving through something from Lord of the Rings, when the wee green elve thing is getting in the way of the heroic half man with those ears.

My friend took a few pictures of the burning fields. They don't show you much, but I am feeling artistic. Or maybe it is the Vawter talking.

Meeting with the Director of Public Prosecution

After three weeks of phone calls and a letter sent a month before that, I finally got to meet the Director of Public Prosecutions. The delay in meeting with her was not a surprise, things take time here. I can comfortably speculate that this is because of the lack of legal professionals in the public prosecutions service; The Swaziland Times has a weekly comment on the understaffing of the legal services, we especially need more judges at the Magistrate courts and the High court. The meeting was a chance for me to discuss the court watch programme with the DPP and if things went well, gain access to the public prosecutors library to get case law information. I am pleased to report that the meeting went better then expected. The DPP was totally on board with the aims of the programme, she could see the connection between the court watch programme and the eventual establishment of legal aid in Swaziland.

After a few weeks of reading and looking at the situation in Swaziland, I would advocate for the establishment of legal aid as being perhaps the single greatest possibility for the protection of countless number of women and childrens’ rights in Swaziland. Actually, I think I formed this opinion within a few days of landing, but decided to observe for a little bit in order to substantiate my thoughts. In the legal clinic at SWAGAA we have run out of funding that we would use to assist individuals who clearly have a legal claim, but no means to pay attorney fees. Currently therefore we can provide basic legal advice, reassure women that they don’t need to stay in the abusive relationship, that they can obtain a divorce and maintenance from abusive spouses, but, ‘er, sorry, SWAGAA doesn’t have the money to help you, you will need to find 2500 Emalangeni to pay a lawyer to assist you with that divorce.’

I am also surprised to find myself a proponent of legal aid in order to support the defendant through out the legal process. In my short time in Swaziland I have been in far too many court rooms where the defendant just does not understand what is happening; they don’t speak English, they don’t understand the legal significance of the questions they are asked, and in turn, they ask completely inappropriate questions of the survivor when they conduct their own cross examination. In that case that I referred to a few blogs back, with the two child victims of rape, the questions asked of the brave 5 year old just didn’t make sense. They were questions from a person who was not trained in legal jargon, with very little education generally, and yet expected to articulate his questions at the same level as a High Court Judge. To then also require a 5 year to make sense of such questions and respond should not be happening in a professional setting. A whole host of human rights of the different parties were being violated and yet every professional in the court was doing their best to protect the parties involved.

Meeting with the DPP was perhaps one of the strongest positive moments of the court watch programme to date. As is she says too many individuals ‘go without their story being told, and it shouldn’t be that way.’ It is great to know that there are legal professionals in positions of authority who are passionate about the need to strengthen the legal system and understand the ramifications of the lack of representation for all parties.

Having Nothing to Do

I have been sent here to research a court watch programme. To date however 70% of my time has been spent as a fully-fledged legal officer of SWAGAA- meaning I get sent to the high profile government meetings. Take this past week, spent at Orion, and the week before that, spent at Orion. Both meetings were for country programme action plans, firstly for the UNFPA and then this past week for the UNDP. Granted, I got sent to both of these meetings because 'I have nothing to do.' But at both meetings I did SWAGAA proud, getting many, if not all, of SWAGAA's programme's into the country action plans for the next 4 years. This means that when the UNDP decides to start funding the Court Watch programme, which I convinced the room of 30 gender specialists (including the Speaker of Parliament) was essential for combating GBV, well, the Court Watch activity has now become a national priority.

After three weeks of trying, I have in fact, found something for me to do - meet with the Director of Public Prosecutions to explain what the court watch is. The DPP is married to the Attorney General, how is that for a power couple and a half. I will report back about the meeting on Thursday- it feels good to be meeting with the Swazi powers that be.

The picture is just a pretty view from a hotel that I stayed at for a meeting, not Orion, but very nice. I plan to walk the mountains one day, but Swazis are not as hard core about their hiking as Koreans, hiking mountains is a foreigner thing to do. So I have delayed it, instead doing as the locals do (hang out in an outside pub in Ngwane Park on a Saturday night).

 

At the bottom of the hotel in Piggs Peak, there is one of those large chess boards, the pawns come up to my knees. I can not seem to find anyone to play with me. I also have not been able to find a portable version of the chess set to bring home. This will be my new goal whilst in Swaziland- find a portable chess set made up of traditional Swazi figures.

Manzini Bus Rank

 

This is faded SWAGAA public awareness sign hanging over Manzini Bus Rank, with SWAGAAs toll free counselling line number on it (95). It clearly has been there for a while, I am not sure how effective the message is. Actually I am not sure what the message is.

It's the Victims Fault

I'm aware that I write too much and do not put in enough pictures. So this is just going to be a quick one.

A quote from the High Court Judge Justice Bheki Maphalala, spoken in a ruling in a case of the murder of a university student by her boyfriend.

'Its a shocking fairytale of a man who nurtured, nourished, cherished and invested his hope and resources in a woman for a future paradise. This case will forever remain a lesson not only to Mngometulu [the accused] but to all men like him never to commit the same blunder.'

Apparently it emerged in court that the young women 'strayed, forming relationships with other men and generally disrespecting the accused.' The Comment Column of the Times of Swaziland, Sunday, oh so helpfully summarizes how the Judge was simply being fair in his handling of the case:

'On one hand, he not only castigated the man but gave him a custodial sentence, lenient though it was. On the other, he sent a warning to women to always to the right thing in relationships.' (The of Swaziland SUNDAY, Comment, 'A Fair Judgement,' pg. 18, 8th August 2010.)

Tabloids Inform us: The Justice Minister Resigned

We've not talked about the Swaziland newspapers yet. There are two, 'The Times' and 'The Mirror,' and both can be described as tabloids, though they are marketed as serious news and are in fact the only daily printed news sources. SWAGAA did some journalist training a few weeks back at Hawane Lodge (yet more attendance in hotels in Swaziland), the aim of the training was to look at the issue of protecting individuals human rights whilst reporting on news stories. The state of the lack of independence of the Swaziland media is common knowledge, but not talked about. One journalist highlighted at the training the extent that the media outlets are controlled, to the point of ensuring that royal family holiday shots are put in the papers on a certain day (one wonders why this would be desirable- perhaps photos of The Royal family in the is not a good PR strategy when 69% of the population lives below the poverty line).

The Swaziland news of the moment is that the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Mr. Ndumiso Mamba, has 'resigned following certain allegations circulating in the country and internationally.' The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, also 'did not disclose the nature of the allegations.' (The Times of Swaziland, 'Minister Ndumiso Mamba Resigns,' pg.2, Friday, August 6th 2010).

The international news media gives a much more complete version of the story- The Kings 12th Wive has been having an affair with the Justice Minister. http://www.smh.com.au/world/kings-12th-wife-caught-cheating-on-him-20100803-115h0.html.

Drama Drama Drama in the personal lives of the Royal family.

Mocambique Partying...

..... no wait, Mocambique cultural sightseeing!

I went to Mocambambique Friday night, I went with my co-worker and a bunch of her friends who work for Swazi Travel. So they had the logistics of the trip covered. We hired a Khombi and drove to the capital of Maputo after work. It took 2 hours of travel in total, I held up everyone at the border with my need for a VISA, Swazis can basically walk through. Actually the whole set up at the border crossing Goba is hilarious, the Swazi and Mozzie border posts are about 100 metres from eachother, they look like random concrete outhouses one sees dotted throughout the country side. No lighting, the concrete is all broken and there are random booths around the perimeters of the Mozzie border post with men who are willing to change money for you- from Emalangeni to Rands to Metcash. I found myself doing mental maths for this low key money exchange and for the whole time I was in Maputo. Buying a bottle of water requires a whole thought process: 'if it is this much in metcash, then it will be approx. such an amount in Emalangeni, which is turn is about this much Pounds and finally approx., approx. so much Canadian dollars.' Going on holiday when one lives in a foreign country is tough!

After walking from one border post to the other, informing the Mocambiqaun authorities that I was an Aussie, from Aussieland (yes this is on my official VISA for Mocambique, but not to mind my work permit for Swaziland states that I am from Austria, which is fair enough because I am convinced that a whole heap of people still think I live in Switzerland), we drove straight to Maputo, and then to the club.

I'll not fill you in on the details, but the night ended at 7 in the morning sitting on the beach. The day was then filled with shopping at a flea market, finding the shopping centre (going to any sort of 'big' public building is important when a Swazi is on holiday, it may be due to the lack of large public areas in Swaziland, we don't even have a movie theatre here), eating lots, and dealing with street hawkers.

My overall impression of Maputo was of a faded, busy, hot (even in winter it was noticeably hotter then Manzini), and tropical city. Its miles bigger then Swaziland and one can clearly see the Portuguese influence, and a stronger foreigner presence generally. I have pictures, but of course I need to get new batteries in order to download them (it is always one thing or other with my pictures). But they will follow.

This week will be spent at the hotel in Piggs Peak again (I was there for the Convention on the Rights of the Child meeting). Blogs will follow with details of a weeklong Government workshop on the country programme of action (related to the MDGs). Cheers