Granting Swaziland citizenship to foreigners should be stopped because too many of the country's trade unions were now led by foreigners, Manzini regional administrator Prince Gabheni Dlamini said on Thursday.
His remarks were seen as refering to the controversial leaders of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions. SFTU president Richard Nxumalo is alleged to be South African by birth and secretary-general Jan Sithole's father was a Mozambican national.
Last year the government tried to deprive Sithole of his citizenship, claiming he was Mozambican and should return there.
This is not particulary encouraging with respect to the restoration of the 1968 constitution, since it was conflict over similar efforts to exclude opposition politicians from parliament on citizenship grounds that led up to the suspension of the constitution. Interesting to compare to Zambia & various accusations about Kaunda & Chiluba.
Chris Lowe
<chris.lowe@reed.edu>