THE OPEN SOCIETY INITIATIVE FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA AND THE STRUGGLE FOR OPEN SOCIETY IN SWAZILAND

Abstract

This study of the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa and the struggle for open society in Swaziland 2005-2010 is premised on the notion that Swaziland is faced with serious challenges relating to democratic governance and the abuse of fundamental human rights that undermine the basic values of an open society. An open society is a society in which the state is responsive to the needs and interests of its people, is tolerant of different and differing views, and has clear, transparent and accessible political mechanisms that allow people to determine who their leaders will be. Open society as an ideal stands for “freedom, democracy, and rule of law, human rights, social justice and social responsibility” (Soros, 2000: 120). Open society therefore demands and requires the rule of law that guarantees freedom of speech and press, freedom of association and assembly, and other rights and freedoms that empower citizens to defend themselves against the abuse of power and to make use of the judicial branch for such defence (Soros, 2010: 70). Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), upon recognising the deteriorating situation of human rights and governance declared Swaziland a crisis country, together with Angola, Zimbabwe, and later DRC. By “crisis country” OSISA means a country in which a calamity of governance persists through various manifestations, and that these conditions are continuously in decline. The calamity of governance denotes a situation that has gone beyond on-going systemic weakness: one that has gone into dysfunction and, without intervention, is on the precipice of total disequilibrium. Human rights and governance in a crisis country are systemically weak. The OSISA Board therefore established the Swaziland Engagement Fund to help address the situation. vi The thrust of this study through the relevant literature review, interviews and analysis thereof has been to investigate the effectiveness of OSISA’s interventions through its Swaziland Programme. The study established that there have been successes as well as failures and reached the following conclusions. Both the leaders of the OSISA Swaziland Programme and the organizations interviewed for this research project acknowledged that OSISA’s interventions have contributed to improving the governance and human rights situation in Swaziland, at least in so far as raising the consciousness and awareness of Swazis to the issues at stake. The research revealed that all leaders of the organizations interviewed have a common understanding of what open society means. They acknowledged that although there is an attempt to work together, when it comes to funding, each organization looks after its own interests. As a consequence, common goals dissipate. In the period of the study there have been challenges in how OSISA has carried out its Swaziland Programme. Such challenges include an inability to articulate its strategy and vision, lack of clarity in terms of funding model, and lack of a focussed programmatic area. There are things that OSISA got right in its interventions. Foremost among them is having made Swaziland a priority country; and opening an office with local personnel on the ground. OSISA can capitalize on these successes and carry forward further programmes. The research revealed an agreement that the momentum to contribute to building a democratic Swaziland is there both in the OSISA Swaziland Programme and in the organizations interviewed. However, it would take a vii concerted effort of all the various organizations and Swazis to closely work together and the research points to the need for OSISA to invest more resources in the Swaziland Programme. There is a need for investment in capacity building to strengthen civil society capacity to lobby for topical issues. The research shows that in 2005-2010, the OSISA Swaziland Programme was a meaningful step in this direction, yet it had a constrained impact. Based on the research conducted, this study therefore recommends the following operational actions: 1) Yearly grantees and potential grantees meetings, convened by OSISA, to discuss and agree on:  The OSISA Swaziland Programme national strategic vision;  Programme of action;  Working committee operations; and  A progress evaluation plan. 2) Quarterly or semester meetings, organized by the working committee, where grantees and potential grantees can discuss the following:  Feedback by OSISA on any new programmatic developments;  Organizations’ progress reports; and  A review of work done. As OSISA has declared Swaziland a priority country, the organisation must match that with reasonable budget allocations, and also needs to link up grantees and potential grantees with other potential funders. In addition, the OSISA Swaziland Programme should explore ways to invest in the youth, particularly the rural youth.