Communist Party of Swaziland

Friday 23 December 2022: – The South African Communist Party (SACP) has pledged more solidarity with the people of Swaziland in their struggle against absolute-monarchy rule in Swaziland.

This was on Friday, 23 December 2022, at the Annual Summer School of the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) held 20-30 December in Mpumalanga, South Africa where newly elected SACP Mpumalanga Provincial Secretary, Lucky Mbuyane, addressed the School on behalf of the SACP Central Committee.

Mbuyane reiterated the SACP’s long-standing solidarity with the people of Swaziland.

“We are here today to confirm and pledge our solidarity with the people of Swaziland. We also note and appreciate therevolutionary developments that are ongoing in Swaziland. As the SACP, we will continue to play our solidarity role towards the struggle of the people of Swaziland,” he said.

He also added the importance of the CPS’s growth in the struggle. Impressed by the huge turnout and active participation of delegates at the School, he added, “We can see that the Party is growing in leaps and bounds, and that is something we appreciate as the SACP.”

Mbuyane arrived as delegates were singing revolutionary songs and, in his speech, stressed the importance of revolutionary musicin the struggle.

“Revolutionary music is itself a political education, comrades,”he said. “As you sing, it reminds comrades of the work that needs to be done. It inspires us, particularly during difficult times, to continue to pursue the revolution,” he added.

Drawing inspiration from Oliver Tambo, he reminded delegates that Oliver Tambo often spoke strongly of the need for political education in every political organisation.

“In 1985 in Kabwe, Zambia, Comrade Oliver Tambo mentioned that the strength of an organisation depends on the quality of its leadership. The importance of political education ensures quality of leadership in a school of Marxism-Leninism.”

The value of political education is often neglected by some in the various struggles of the people, not only in Swaziland but even in other countries. The CPS has gone against this tide. It has consistently held the Summer School since 2011 and in the process developed revolutionaries for the entire mass democratic movement.

“Practice without theory is blind. You also cannot theorise without practical work. Thus, both theory and practice must always go hand-in-glove,” Mbuyane emphasised.

Mbuyane also stressed the need for both the SACP and the CPS to strengthen their ties and build closer relations.

He said, “The sharing of experiences as Communists is also a crucial thing to do. Today we are also here to share experiences. We shall always invite you to our activities, as we did in our SACP Mpumalanga 11th Provincial Congress, which was another aspect of sharing experiences”.

During the SACP Mpumalanga 11th Provincial Congress, the CPSNational Organising Secretary, Simphiwe Dlamini, delivered a clear message of support which gave extensive enlightenment on the state of the situation in Swaziland.

Mbuyane went on to remind comrades that, as monopoly capital used apartheid as a tool for accumulation, in Swaziland it uses the tinkhundla system. As such, the struggle against the tinkhundla system must necessarily be a struggle against monopoly capital.

“The struggle in Swaziland has also invited a lot of attention worldwide,” noted Mbuyane. He noted that more progressive forces have sprung up in support of the struggle of the people of Swaziland, and the SACP is a part of those forces.

He also noted, however, that the international bodies such as SADC and the African Union have no teeth to deal with the political situation and affirm the people of Swaziland’s right to be free from oppression. As such, the prospects of freedom remain in the hands of the people of Swaziland themselves, with the Communist Party playing its vanguard role.

The SACP also acknowledged and appreciated the work being done by the CPS in the labour movement. 

Mbuyane thus affirmed that, “The CPS has shown to be a true vanguard of the working class. There are clear fruits of your underground work, comrades.”

The CPS Summer School continues its discussions on “Introduction to Marxism-Leninism.”

CPS PRESS SERVICES