As WikiLeaks frontman Julian Assange prepares to end a two-year forced stay at Ecuador’s London embassy, he may take comfort in knowing he inspired resistance to secrecy in places as far away as Swaziland.
In this small African kingdom a group of citizens have started a social media movement called “SwaziLeaks,” which aims to expose the lavish lifestyles of the country’s ruling royals.
SwaziLeaks members — who refuse to say who or where in Swaziland they are, for fear of being targeted — started a Twitter feed a year ago.
They regularly post photos of royals purportedly abroad: partying in Los Angeles, enjoying a luxurious suite at London’s Heathrow airport or at other opulent locations.
“We wanted to try and expose some of the exploitation and corruption of the rich and powerful,” SwaziLeaks told Agence France-Presse.
Swaziland is an absolute monarchy ruled by King Mswati III. The government is frequently accused of stifling dissent and jailing opponents.
The king has an annual household budget of about US$60 million in a country where about 60 percent of the population live on less than US$1 a day.
“We get information and pictures from people who know or work for them,” SwaziLeaks said. “We have never told anyone what we do and try and not put anyone in jeopardy due to the information we have.”
However, determining fact from fiction can be tricky.
“Swaziland is a small country and there are a lot of rumors and half-truths with very little to back them up,” it said.
“We try and not tweet information that we feel has no basis,” it added.
The government did not respond to repeated requests for comment about SwaziLeaks and the veracity of its claims.
However, Mlungisi Makhanya, secretary-general of Swaziland opposition party PUDEMO, is not convinced about the impact of the group.
Makhanya said that most Swazi people do not have access to the Internet and that the country was a “third world country in every sense of the word.”
He also warned that the Swazi government would be ruthless in dealing with them.
A PUDEMO party member was recently arrested for wearing a T-shirt with the party’s name on it.
“They do anything humanely possible to make sure we do not critique the government,” he said.
SwaziLeaks admits that responses to their work have been mixed.
“We are followed by many Swazi journalists and even a few politicians and people within the royal sphere, which amused us,” it said.
“There are some people who seem angry with what we’re doing, you can see the exchanges on our tweet history,” it said, adding that “they don’t seem to actually live in the country and seemingly come from privileged backgrounds, so we can understand that what we share is uncomfortable for them.”
Although SwaziLeaks has not been contacted by the king directly, his close associates have warned in direct messages that they are being watched and would soon be exposed.
The group says it is not worried.
“The message that royalty and their friends live off us, the people, like parasites will spread and be supported by evidence and not rumor. In this we hope that people will start demanding what is due to them,” it said.
“Many, many Swazis think that their lives are the way they are due to forces beyond their control and that the king has their best interests at heart, we hope to show them that this is not necessarily true,” it said.
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