Pretoria – The South African government has called for dialogue among the relevant parties in the Kingdom of Swaziland, with a view to seek a speedy and peaceful solution to the situation in that country.
In a statement on Friday, the Department of International Relations said it was concerned about the political developments in Swaziland and called for calm.
Thousands of Swazi citizens marched in Manzini on Tuesday, calling for a democratically-elected government to be put in place and for King Mswati III and his cabinet to step down.
The protest, however, was marred by violence as the government declared it illegal and many union leaders were arrested. According to reports, a number of people were injured during clashes with police who used tear gas, water cannons and batons to break up the demonstrators.
The South African government said it would continue to monitor and assess the situation. – BuaNews
