PUDEMO TAKES SWAZI STRUGGLE TO EUROPE AT PES CONGRESS IN AMSTERDAM
Mlungisi Makhanya, the President of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), is attending the Party of European Socialists (PES) Congress in Amsterdam, marking a major step in internationalising the Swazi pro-democracy struggle.
Makhanya is accompanied by Mbongiseni Shabangu, the Secretary for International Affairs of the Swaziland Democratic Party (SWADEPA). The congress has drawn progressive leaders from across Europe, including Prime Ministers, senior government officials, and leaders of socialist and democratic parties, placing the crisis in Eswatini on a powerful global platform.
Speaking ahead of the engagements, Makhanya said he intends to use the PES Congress to mobilise European political support for the Swazi people, whose democratic rights continue to be denied under absolute monarchy. He said the gathering presents a rare opportunity to engage decision-makers who influence European foreign policy, development aid, and international human rights mechanisms.
The PUDEMO President said meetings are planned with leaders of socialist, social democratic, and progressive parties to brief them on the situation in Eswatini, where political parties are banned and dissent is criminalised. He said Europe must not continue engaging King Mswati’s regime as if it were a normal government while it jails MPs, tortures activists, and kills civilians demanding reforms.
PUDEMO has also confirmed that it has received invitations to visit several countries following the congress, aimed at exploring party-to-party cooperation, solidarity, and long-term political support. These engagements are expected to strengthen international pressure on the Tinkhundla regime and challenge the monarchy’s carefully crafted foreign propaganda.
The party said the monarchy has spent years misleading the international community by portraying Eswatini as peaceful and stable, while hiding systemic repression behind culture and tradition. PUDEMO believes direct engagement with political parties and movements abroad is key to breaking this narrative and exposing the true cost of absolute rule on ordinary emaSwati.
Makhanya said PUDEMO plans to deploy its leadership across different continents to promote the Swazi struggle and build solidarity with other national liberation movements. He said the struggle in Eswatini is not isolated, but part of a broader global fight against authoritarianism, inequality, and political exclusion.
Mbongiseni Shabangu said the presence of Swazi opposition leaders at the PES Congress sends a strong message that the people of Eswatini are not alone. He said international solidarity played a critical role in historic struggles such as the fight against apartheid, and it can play the same role in dismantling absolute monarchy in Eswatini.
Eswatini remains Africa’s last absolute monarchy, ruled by King Mswati III. Political parties are banned from contesting elections, while human rights defenders, journalists, and activists face arrest, torture, exile, or death for demanding democratic reforms. Despite repeated condemnations by international human rights bodies, the regime continues to act with impunity.
PUDEMO says taking the struggle to platforms like the PES Congress is no longer optional but necessary. With domestic space closed and repression intensifying, international pressure has become a crucial front in the fight for democracy.
As Makhanya and his delegation engage European leaders in Amsterdam, the message from PUDEMO is clear: democracy in Eswatini will not be silenced. The struggle has crossed borders, and the monarchy’s isolation is steadily growing.
