Rights group condemn demolition of homes in Swaziland

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG (AA) - Dozens of people have been left homeless in Swaziland after their homes were demolished following a land dispute between them and a private farm, Amnesty said on Wednesday.

The rights watchdog said those evicted were not provided with alternative accommodation, forcing some to take refuge at a local school while others slept in the open at the site of the demolitions with their belongings and some slept in a chicken shed.

“This latest demolition of homes exposes the grim reality facing many people in Swaziland today,” said Muleya Mwananyanda, Amnesty International’s deputy director for Southern Africa.

Mwananyanda said hundreds of families have been forced from their homes in recent years to make way for development projects.

She said according to international human rights standards, even where evictions are deemed to be justified, authorities must follow due process. “No one should be left homeless as a result of the eviction,” she said.

Amnesty warned that the ongoing ruthless evictions will plunge people into deeper poverty and leave them in a hugely precarious position.

"When a person is thrown onto the streets without any alternative accommodation, what are they supposed to do?" Amnesty’s Mwananyanda asked.

Amnesty has called on Swazi authorities to stop the forced evictions and instead put in place legal and procedural safeguards in line with international human rights standards.

Swaziland, a small land-locked country in Southern Africa, is the continents last absolute monarchy.