3 March 2022: The struggle of the people of Swaziland for democracy, peace and freedom is rapidly intensifying, as frustration with the growing oppression of the Mswati regime and its opposition to any form of meaningful change increases.

The regime stubbornly adheres to the absolute rule of the monarch and continues to ban political parties, free media, and freedom of association. Over 100 people have been killed and many more wounded, tortured and detained during police and army clampdowns on freedom protests over the past year.

The CPS’s “Democracy Now” campaign has gained much headway and has been boosted by the “Turning Up the Heat” campaign, launched October 2021. The aim is to keep the momentum of defiance and protest buoyant and to channel the high-pressure frustrations that the people feel at the continued existence of the Mswati dictatorship.

The CPS is especially focusing on taking the “Turning Up the Heat” campaign to urban and rural communities hardest hit by poverty, oppression, exploitation and underdevelopment. It is these communities that have the most to gain from the liberation of the country from dictatorship and from empowerment through democracy.

The campaign was launched on 25 February this year in Matsapha, where the community responded positively to the calls for freedom and the release of political prisoners – and defiantly in the face of intimidation by the regime and police raids targeting the Mbhuleni, Buhleni, Luve, Lubulini and other communities.

The campaign is also the focus of Sunset Rallies, held on select days for activists to distribute leaflets, engage with local community members and encourage discussion of democracy and a progressive future for Swaziland.

The Sunset Rallies are so called because they are held in the early evenings when people are more easily reached in their communities, and because people’s power will see the sun set on the brutal Mswati regime.

The “Turning Up the Heat” campaign is essential in order to keep the hopes of communities alive and recruit activists, spread the message of freedom, and resist efforts by the police and army to silence the voices of protest.

The campaign and programme of Sunset Rallies will be ongoing and will be spread throughout the country. The aim is to widen the platforms of the rallies to include all elements of the pro-democracy movement, including trade unions and civil society organisations.