A campaign to have political prisoners in Swaziland released received a major boost when many structures pledged their support and indicated that they would not rest until King Mswati gave in to their demands.

The prisoners include a resident of Limpopo, Mr Amos Mbedzi.

This was during the launch of the Break the Chains Campaign at the University of Venda last Friday. The campaign was initiated by the Alpheus Malivha SACP district in South Africa and the exiled Communist Party of Swaziland.

During the meeting, veteran politician Dr Tshenuwani Farisani was named as national convener to lead the campaign. This gave hope to the family of the local MK activist, Amos Mbedzi who was sentenced to 85 years  in prison by the Swaziland High Court after being convicted of murder.

In an interview after the launch, Ms Muofhe Mbedzi, the mother of Mbedzi, said the jailing of her son had affected the whole family. “His jailing came as terrible blow to us as a family. We just keep on praying to God that He opens the gates of jail and that one day he will be released and come back to help his family. Now that there is this campaign, our hopes have been raised,” she said.

She added that the family had given up hope, thinking that everyone had forgotten about her son. "We hope that the campaign will shake the forces that be and that he will be released soon. Amos was everything in the family. He took care of us all and he was helping the children with their schooling,” she said.

Farisani, who addressed the gathering, said he had been approached by several leaders from Swaziland, asking for his assistance. “King Mswati must allow the people of Swaziland what other people in the world, including Africa, enjoy,” he said. Farisani said they would campaign for the ostracism of the Swazi government until Mswati unbanned political organisations and freed political prisoners.

Kenneth Kunene, who is the exiled Communist Party of Swaziland's general secretary, said they needed help to bring the situation in Swaziland to normality. “Activists are harassed and tortured and trade unionists are not allowed to organise in the country. Something needs to be done because people are suffering,” said Kunene.

Many structures from Swaziland and South Africa attended the campaign launch.