{{Short description|Swazi politician (1951–2021)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | name = Mario Masuku | caption = | office = Founding President of the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) | term_start = 6 July 1983 | term_end = 13 September 2018 | predecessor = ''Position established'' | successor = Mlungisi Makhanya | constituency = | majority = | office2 = | term_start2 = | term_end2 = | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | constituency2 = | majority2 = | birth_name = Mario Thembeka Masuku | birth_date = 9 October 1951 | birth_place = Makhosini, Nhlangano, Eswatini | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2021|01|11|1951|10|09}} | death_place = | death_cause = | party = | relations = | spouse = Thembi Mkhonta-Masuku | children = Mzwandile Masuku | occupation = Politician | alma_mater = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }} '''Mario Thembeka Masuku''' (9 October 1951<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://independentnews.co.sz/sports/local-sports/5651/highlanders-shattered-by-marios-demise/|title = Highlanders shattered by Mario's demise|newspaper=Independent News|date = 13 January 2021|access-date=12 July 2025}}</ref> – 11 January 2021) was a Swazi politician who was the leader of the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), Eswatini's banned opposition party.<ref name=a>{{cite web|author=Caesar Zvayi|year=2007|title=Zimbabwe: Welcome Home Son of McGee|url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200711270167.html|publisher=The Herald via allAfrica|access-date=2007-11-28}}</ref>
==Early life and education== He was born on 9 October 1951, in the village of Makhosini, in Nhlangano, Eswatini.<ref name="link" /> He was born into a poor family as the sixth of ten children.<ref name="link">{{cite web |title=Swaziland: Jailed liberation fighter Mario Masuku: `A brief autobiography' |url=https://links.org.au/swaziland-jailed-liberation-fighter-mario-masuku-brief-autobiography |website=links.org.au |access-date=13 July 2025}}</ref> His father, Malcom, worked in the mines in Makhosini, and was also afterward a cowherd working in the Ministry of Agriculture in the Shiselweni Region.<ref name="link" /> His mother, Fakazile, was a maid on farms from the Zwane clan, then a stay-at-home after the children's births.<ref name="link" /> He attended Evelyn Baring High School.<ref name=b>{{cite news|title=Standing up to Swaziland's king|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1795547.stm|publisher=BBC News|access-date=2007-11-28 | date=2002-02-04}}</ref> He was suspended multiple times during his education there for criticizing what he stated was racism by British teachers towards native Swazi teachers.<ref name="b" />
==Imprisonment for political activity== <!--I'm not sure where this was meant to be: He stepped down as president of PUDEMO, and handed over the role to a young leader, Mlungisi Makhanya.--> The Royal Swazi Police arrested and imprisoned Masuku at Matsapha maximum security prison on charges of sedition in 2001.<ref name=b/>
He was arrested again on November 15, 2008, under the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008. At the funeral of Musa Dlamini, who died while supposedly trying to bomb the Lozitha bridge, Masuku is alleged to have verbally supported recent bombings of government institutions. He was acquitted and discharged at the High Court on September 21, 2009 after spending 340 days in prison.<ref name="AIUSA">{{cite news|url=http://blog.amnestyusa.org/africa/mario-masuku-acquitted-in-swaziland/|title=Mario Masuku Acquitted in Swaziland|last=Hager|first=Sarah |date=September 23, 2009|publisher=Amnesty International USA|access-date=2009-10-15}}</ref><ref name="tos">{{cite news|url=http://www.times.co.sz/index.php?news=10788|title=Mario Masuku a free man|last=Nxumalo|first=Manqoba|date=September 22, 2009|publisher=Times of Swaziland|access-date=2009-10-15}}</ref>
On 1 May 2014, Masuku, after a making a speech at a May day rally in Manzini, was arrested together with student activist Maxwell Dlamini.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.africatime.com/swaziland/articles/petition-free-pudemo-leader|title=Petition To Free PUDEMO Leader|website=en.africatime.com|access-date=10 March 2018|archive-date=22 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222164458/http://en.africatime.com/swaziland/articles/petition-free-pudemo-leader|url-status=dead}}</ref> They were charged with terrorism and sedition. A widely supported<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?ID=9929|title=Swaziland: President of Danish Parliament Support Jailed PUDEMO President Mario Masuku's release|website=www.cosatu.org.za|access-date=10 March 2018|archive-date=11 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311021314/http://www.cosatu.org.za/show.php?ID=9929|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[https://www.latestnewssouthafrica.com/2021/01/12/swaziland-long-serving-president-comrade-mario-bhambatha-masuku-has-died/ Swaziland long-serving President of PUDEMO party, Comrade Mario "Bhambatha" Masuku has died]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://dipd.dk/2015/01/danish-political-support-for-mario-masuku/|title=Danish political support for Mario Masuku|date=22 January 2015|access-date=10 March 2018|archive-date=11 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311201458/https://dipd.dk/2015/01/danish-political-support-for-mario-masuku/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://stiffkitten.wordpress.com/2014/06/17/danish-party-supports-mario-and-maxwell/|title=Danish party supports Mario and Maxwell|date=17 June 2014|access-date=10 March 2018}}</ref> international campaign for their release was started shortly thereafter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://afrika.dk/indhold/free-mario-masuku-and-maxwell-dlamini|title=Free Mario Masuku and Maxwell Dlamini - Afrika Kontakt|website=afrika.dk|access-date=10 March 2018}}</ref>
He died on 11 January 2021, aged 69, from COVID-19.<ref>{{cite news |title=COSATU mourns PUDEMO founding President Mario Masuku's death |url=https://www.swazilandnews.co.za/fundza.php?nguyiphi=841 |access-date=13 July 2025 |work=Swaziland News |date=13 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://power987.co.za/featured/pudemo-anc-eff-pay-tribute-to-mario-masuku/ | title=Pudemo, ANC, EFF pay tribute to Mario Masuku | date=14 January 2021 }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://afrika.dk/indhold/free-mario-masuku-and-maxwell-dlamini International campaign for the release of Mario Masuku]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Masuku, Mario}} Category:1951 births Category:2021 deaths Category:People's United Democratic Movement members Category:Prisoners and detainees of Eswatini Category:Swazi democracy activists Category:Swazi prisoners and detainees Category:Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Eswatini