SWAZILAND: Tradition of labour tribute draws fire

U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

SWAZILAND: Tradition of labour tribute draws fire

MBABANE, 9 May (IRIN) - By tradition, Swazis of all generations and genders
show their devotion to their monarchs and fealty to their chiefs by
providing labour for chores both practical and symbolic. Recently, the
custom has drawn fire from pro-democracy groups, who claim the practice of
tribute labour violates human rights.

"It is a form of slave labour," Jan Sithole, secretary-general of the
Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions has told the International Labour
Organisation (ILO).

"Nonsense," replies Prince Mguciso Dlamini, older brother of King Mswati,
sub-Saharan Africa's last hereditary monarch. "The tradition of kuhlehla,
where Swazis participate in a royal project, is being distorted for
political purposes. It is made to seem something that it is not to
outsiders. But Swazis understand and accept the practice."

At the annual ILO conferences in Geneva, Swaziland's labour federation
reported that workers were forced to labour for the palace without
compensation, in violation of international labour protocols signed by the
Swazi government.

"The word is out that in Swaziland the subjects of the king are forced to do
work for the palace," said attorney Fikile Mthembu, who joins Swazi
delegations to international conferences. "I think this is a distortion of a
misunderstood tradition."

"Simply put, kuhlehla, or 'tribute labour', is a way for Swazi warriors to
show their loyalty to His Majesty. They can't die in battle anymore,"
explained Prince Mguciso.

In Swaziland, the state is embodied in the person of the sovereign himself,
King Mswati III, the 16th king from the House of Dlamini that has ruled the
Swazis since the 1500s. Swazis do not distinguish between the nation and the
man, and while the king is not considered divine, he is the central figure
of the month-long sacred Incwala (kingship/harvest) ceremonies held when the
first fruits ripen in summer.

Tens of thousands of Swazis in traditional attire converge on the Queen
Mother's village, and petition the national ancestral spirits to endow the
king with wisdom, and the nation with good rains and fortune.

The semi-religious character of Swazi acceptance of their monarchical system
is reflected in the kuhlehla labour tradition. It is seen as devotional duty
to the ancestral spirits as much as making a political statement in support
of the king.

"I do not believe in the ancestors, because I am a Christian, but there is a
sacred part to warrior duty, the tradition of it," said Samson Mkhonta, a 25
year-old electrician who has undergone the ritual initiation to become a
member of the warrior regiments. "We learn the old skills, like making
cow-hide shields and carving fighting sticks. This is passed down from
generation to generation. To me, that is a sacred thing."

For Chuchuza Dube, a 19 year-old warrior when he is not a university
student: "I feel like a real Swazi when I put on the warrior outfit."

Tribute labour comes in several forms. The majority of Swazis participating
do so voluntarily, countering pro-democracy groups' contention that coercion
is involved. But there are some instances of chiefs forcing their subjects
to attend national ceremonies, which may be justified by custom but lends
support to the critics' assertions.

Twice a year, the warrior regiments assemble at Engabezweni royal residence
to weed the royal sorghum field in January, and harvest the crop in May.
Actual work comprises three hours in the morning, and the rest of the day is
devoted to warrior dances and songs, maintaining the regimental barracks
that are large circular log enclosures fitted with domed grass huts where
the men sleep, and initiating new recruits.

"The warriors last fought in 1879, against the Pedi tribe. Today, the
regiments are like a social club," maintained Balolonja Simelane, a
regimental official whose sons have joined the units of their age mates.

Swazi "maidens" participate in an overnight trek at winter's end to fetch
the eponymous reed umhlanga, that lends its name to the Reed Dance
(Umhlanga) held in tribute to the Queen Mother. Last year, a record 50,000
young women, who by tradition must be unmarried, participated.

"The Reed Dance is particularly important in the age of AIDS because it is
intended to reinforce cultural values like the preservation of virginity,"
said Khosi Dlamini, a counsellor for HIV-positive Swazis.

However, some of Swaziland's 350 chiefs do compel their subjects to do
tribute labour. Northeast of Mbabane, Chief Malume demanded fines of cattle,
the Swazis' traditional currency, from subjects who did not participate in
this year's Incwala pageant.

"There is pressure on the chiefs to deliver a sizable turnout of their
people at national pageants," said one palace observer. "The pro-democracy
pressure groups are not the only ones who are politicising the issue. Some
officials in the royal government want to use large turnouts at national
pageants to show widespread support for the monarchy."

The workers federation in particular objects to compulsory labour at the
chiefs' residences. Chiefs' subjects must build their huts, and weed and
harvest their fields. The federation has listed this duty with the ILO as a
violation of human rights.

Chief's runner (aide) Mandla Hlatwayo defends the tradition. "Swazis are
given free land to homestead under chiefs, and free grazing land for their
cattle. All that is asked is they devote some time to the chief's residence,
which is used for the weekly meetings of the area residents and is the focal
point of the community. But some people are lazy, and they do not wish to
give back to the community. It is right to fine them a goat or a chicken."

Said attorney Mthembu: "An understanding of the subtleties of Swazi tribute
labour is necessary before the system can be condemned wholesale. There are
some localised abuses, but most people volunteer on these community or
nation-building or cultural preservation projects, as a way to show they are
Swazis."

[ENDS]

IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 880-4633
Fax: +27 11 447-5472
Email: [email protected]

[This Item is Delivered to the "Africa-English" Service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: [email protected] or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial
sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2002