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Thursday, 13 May 2010

SWAZI ACTIVIST KILLING - ONE OF MANY

The death in custody of Swazi democracy activist Sipho Jele is not an isolated incident. The Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC) yesterday (12 May 2010) released the names of other people it says have died at the hands of the regime of King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.


SDC says the killings are ‘systematic’. SDC says, ‘The following statistics give a clearer picture of the political nature of these killings. The Jele issue is not at all in isolation.’


SOURCE


Noxolo Mdluli, 22 January 1996- S student in Manzini


Percy Malinga, August 2003- A leader of PUDEMO in the rural Shiselweni region is shot 13 times in what police said was a failed hijacking. Nothing is taken from him but his life. The community apprehends one of the assailants and a few days he dies in custody!


Bheki Dlamini- A national organising secretary of the Nurses union and member of PUDEMO is attacked by “criminals” who take nothing from him, stabbed several times and recovers in a hospital in South Africa.


Mandlenkosi “Matausand”Ngubane, May 2004- is tortured and dies in police custody


Lafakudze, 29 December 2005- A wife to one of the detainees is abducted, tortured to death by Swazi police for not cooperating in giving details about the activities of her husband who is a PUDEMO member


Timothy Tsabedze- A Regional political Commissar of PUDEMO and a rural development and agricultural officer is attacked by “criminals” next to the royal head quarters in Lobamba. He is stabbed several time. Only his diary is taken from him. What criminals steal a diary?


Ntokozo Ngozo, August 2007- He was a former leader of the Swaziland Association of Students and the Swaziland Youth Congress which is the Youth wing of PUDEMO. With only under wears covering his body, with both hands in the air; he is shot several times at close range and is killed.


Dumsani Khoza- a former National Executive Committee member of PUDEMO is involved in a terrible car accident, sustaining fatal injuries. Instead of being taken to hospital police take him to custody. He dies a few days later


Vincent Dlamini, 1 January 2008 - PUDEMO national Commissar and current Deputy General Secretary of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions is shot at four times in what police say is a failed hijack. Two “criminals” are arrested and they are killed in custody.


Dr Gabriel Mkhumane, 3 April 2008- a former Deputy President of PUDEMO is shot dead in neighbouring South Africa after the Swazi police has gone to his mother several times to tell her that if he did not tell his son to stop this “PUDEMO nonsense” he will come in a body bag. And he did.


Sbusiso Mashaya, May 2009- A trade unionist is shot and killed in what police say is a brawl in a bar. The killer is identified by police shot at close range. No case.


Mjomane Msibi, 16 June 2009-A PUDEMO member, who is organiser for the sugar belt is shot dead by police claiming he was running away from arrest.


Sipho Jele, 3 May 2010- A member of PUDEMO and the union SAPWU is abducted by police on Workers Day. Detained and after two days he is dies in custody in what police claim was suicide.

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