Quick Facts
Biography
Mario Masuku (born 1951) is the leader of the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), Swaziland's banned opposition party.
Early life and education
He was born in the village of Makhosini and attended Evelyn Baring High School.
Imprisonment for political activity
The Royal Swazi Police arrested and imprisoned Masuku at Matsapha maximum security prison on charges of sedition in 2001.
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.
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. They are charged with terrorism and sedition. A widely supportedinternational campaign for their release was started shortly thereafter.