[hr-education] Swaziland: Church plans campaign to teach people about new constitution

By Bronwen Dachs
Catholic News Service - Jul-24-2006

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- The church in Swaziland is planning a
human rights education campaign to educate people about the new
constitution in southern Africa's only absolute monarchy.

"It is essential that we do this in the rural areas, where people don't
have access to electronic media and newspapers," explained Father Pius
Magagula, chaplain to the Manzini Diocese's justice and peace commission.

In a July 19 telephone interview from Manzini, the priest said a new
constitution signed into law by King Mswati III in January addresses
issues such as women's equality, but "as the constitution was imposed on
people rather than the result of a consultative process, people are
largely unaware of their new rights. We want to fill them in on the
implications of the new laws for everyone.

The constitution, which took 10 years to draft, has brought about many
changes, such as allowing Swazi women to own property in their own name
and to open a bank account without the permission of a male relative.
Also, a man identified as the father of a child by the child's mother must
pay child support unless he takes a paternity test to prove he is not the
father.

But while women have more rights under this constitution, there are
inequities, such as the acquisition of citizenship, which still favors
men, Father Magagula said, noting that "if a Swazi woman marries a
noncitizen, their children will not be able to have Swazi citizenship,
while a Swazi man's children are automatically eligible for citizenship."
Constitutional rights that clash with local customs will be met with
resistance.

A common-law spouse is now eligible to inherit a partner's estate, while
traditionally an unmarried man's property goes to his parental homestead
on his death.

In the patriarchal country, which is divided into 365 chiefdoms, these
changes "will not be easily accepted by men," Father Magagula said. "We
have been a chauvinistic society for a long time, and people here have
become used to the dominance of men over women".

The church's education program, which will take the form of regular
workshops in four regions of the country, plans to challenge these
attitudes as well as "to let people know that every individual's voice
should count in a just society," he said.

The church's focus will be on the rural areas because "information is far
easier to come by" in the country's urban centers, he said, noting that
the Swaziland Council of Churches, of which the Catholic Church is a
member, has held workshops to address constitutional issues in the
capital, Mbabane, and in Manzini.

The king transported peasants from around the country to his residence in
January to watch him sign the constitution into law, Father Magagula said.

"The king purported to want to hear their views on the constitution" but
"the excitement of the outing and the free lunch" was the reason people
went, the priest said. "Even if the king was right in claiming that 1,400
people had their views heard, in a country with a population of 1.2
million that is not democratic."

While the constitution's "preamble speaks of freedom of association, it
does not spell out what that means," Father Magagula said, noting that
"there is no clause that says political parties are free to operate in
Swaziland."

According to the constitution, the king will continue to appoint the prime
minister, the Cabinet and high court judges. He also can dissolve the
parliament.

The church's education campaign aims "to make people aware of these
issues, so that if we were to have a referendum they would have an
educated opinion," Father Magagula said.

The king, who can abrogate all constitutional rights if he considers them
to be in conflict with the public interest, has ordered the construction
of four palaces, "while next year there will be no scholarships for
tertiary education as the state coffers are dry," the priest said.

Two-thirds of Swazis live in chronic poverty, according to the United
Nations, and 40 percent of the adults in the country are believed to be
HIV-positive.

Source: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0604193.htm





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