[1][needs update] SWADEPA was established in 2011 and took part in the 2013 parliamentary elections in Swaziland by putting up candidates running as individuals.

[2] SWADEPA was established September 24, 2011 by long-time veterans in the democracy movement with a background largely in the trade unions supplemented by other civil society institutions such as churches.

The leaders of the party were amongst the architects behind a boycott-strategy that the democracy movement has pursued since 1993 with undemocratic elections being held every 5 years.

This is a balancing act in a context of political repression and recurring police brutality which bounds for extremist views.

SWADEPA has been significantly strengthened in the political spectrum of Eswatini after the elections in October 2013 where SWADEPA won several seats in Parliament and gained a significant number of Constituency Chairpersons (iNdvunaye Nkhundla) and chiefdom representatives (Bucopho) to influence constituency and community political inclinations towards development through democracy.

Building on the boost from the election and the platform it provided, SWADEPA is today challenging the regime on a daily basis, promoting controversial agendas and pushing for changes of both an overall democratic character, but also policies containing improvements in socio-economic conditions for all Swazi’s, workers as well as unemployed, youth, old, men and women.

The “overall objective in the cooperation is to manifest and strengthen SWADEPA’s position as a strong force pressuring for multi-party democracy in Swaziland”.