The state, non-state community security actors, and violence in Swaziland, 2000-2011

Abstract

Research  and  analysis  of  the  Swaziland  security  sector  have,  up  to  now,  escaped  the  attention  of  scholars.  This  is  in  spite  of  developments  that  show  that  different  segments  of  the  Swazi  population  have  voiced  security  concerns  that  range  from  insecurity  of  property  to  economic  security  concerns  that  undermine  their  efforts  for  economic  well-being  and  reproduction.  It  is  also  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  rural  communities  have  constructed  community  security  frameworks  that  go  beyond  state-centric  approaches  to  security.  This  article  shows  that  rural  Swazi  communities  have  established  non-state  community security frameworks that operate outside the realm of the state and in the process contribute to  the  revision  of  the  concept  of  security  by  emphasizing  economic  threats  instead  of  military  ones  and  focusing  on  community  and  individual  security  rather  than  regime  security.  However,  the  author  argues  that  this  transition  should  not  be  romanticized,  because  in  Swaziland  the  development  of  non-state community security actors has been accompanied by violence and a general disregard for people’s rights. The researcher argues that this is because non-state community security actors developed in the context of a non-democratic state that has entrenched a culture of disrespect for human rights.