‘TERRORISTS’ ALL OVER SWAZILAND

Things are so bad in Swaziland now that everybody is suspected of being a terrorist.

This comes after King Mswati III illegally appointed Barnabas Dlamini as Prime Minister and publicly told him to get the ‘terrorists’ and all those who support them.

Now there is news that the Swaziland army public relations officer Captain Khanya Dlamini has been dismissed from office because he is suspected ‘to be working with local progressives and their counterparts in Kenya, who have experience in guerrilla warfare’.

The Times Sunday reports today (26 October 2008) that Capt Dlamini’s superiors accuse him of making telephone calls to terrorists in Kenya. Once this was discovered Capt Dlamini was immediately transferred from a central office to a remote post in Siteki to look for cattle rustlers.

The Times Sunday goes on to give the background to the case, but nowhere does it or the army authorities give one shred of evidence of wrongdoing on Capt Dlamini’s part.

It seems that suspicion of ‘terrorist’ involvement is enough to be considered guilty these days. The Times Sunday reports that Capt Dlamini was not subjected to any formal investigation and instead was simply instructed to reimburse the army for the E4,200 (about 525 US dollars) cost of the calls to Kenya.

Asked by the Times Sunday if he has any contacts in Kenya, Capt Dlamini said there were none.

‘I am not a terrorist, and I am not assisting anyone who carries out acts of terrorism. I also have no links with people who are against government, so I do not understand why I should be associated with these allegations,’ the newspaper quotes him saying.

The Times Sunday gives further background that suggests that Capt Dlamini may have been targeted because he had previously upset his bosses.

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