Swaziland
Newsletter No. 749 – 21 October 2022
News from and about Swaziland, compiled by
Global Aktion, Denmark (www.globalaktion.dk)
in collaboration with Swazi Media Commentary (www.swazimedia.blogspot.com),
and sent to all with an interest in Swaziland - free of charge.
Two
traffic cops shot dead, R4 service rifle stolen
By
Stanley Khumalo and Sibusiso Zwane, Times of eSwatini, 19 October 2022
MANZINI: Two assassins shot a pair of traffic police officers dead
in broad daylight, took their R4 assault rifle and drove towards Manzini city
centre.
The assassination happened yesterday at around 12:30pm as the two
traffic police officers were manning a roadblock along a residential route -
Woodmaster Street, behind Grand Valley (GV) Complex. The shooting, which
drew a large number of public transport workers, members of the public and
police officers who were off duty, happened about an hour and a half before the
police officers were to complete their shift. They were manning a roadblock
along Woodmasters Street following that public transport vehicles use this
residential route as a detour since there are construction works on Meintjies
Street.
Meintjies Street is the route used by public service vehicles to
either gain entry or exit the Manzini Bus Rank. Despite that public transport
vehicles were instructed to use another route, some opted to use the
Woodmasters Street which inconvenienced residents of Palm Beach and
Woodmasters.
In a quest to ensure that the public transport vehicles adhered to
the instruction of not using the residential route, the police officers were
said to have been barricading the road in order to penalise those who were in
defiance of the rules and regulations.
While in the scope of their duties, a witness who saw everything
unfold, said a Honda Fit, beige (khaki) in colour, approached them (officers)
driving towards Central Distributor Road (Mavuso Public Road) and the officers
stopped them. The witness, *Msimisi, said two occupants of the vehicle alighted
from the Honda Fit and engaged the officers. Msimisi said as he drove closer,
he saw the police officers walking towards their vehicle and lying on the
ground.
At this instance, he said, one of the people who had alighted from
the Honda Fit had a pistol aimed at them. He said the police officers lied on
the ground about five metres from the road. As he saw this, Msimisi
claimed to have informed an occupant of the vehicle he was driving in that the
officers were seemingly pointed with a gun. This, he said, was dismissed
by his passenger. However, seconds later, Msimisi claimed that loud gunshots
were heard as the two people who were pointing the guns at the duo fled into
their car. As this happened, Msimisi said he alighted from his vehicle and
fled the scene as quickly as possible. This, he said, was to avert being
targeted by the gunmen as he had seen them. Another witness, *Machawe said
he froze as the gunmen fired shots and ended up reversing his vehicle into a
parked car. His fear, he said, was that the gunmen were running towards him.
Like Msimisi, Machawe said he feared that they would shoot him as
he had seen them. The pair claimed that the gunmen were not wearing any
balaclavas or any form of item to conceal their faces. They claimed that
the two traffic police officers were shot at close range, supposedly in their
heads. The witnesses claimed that after engaging in the assassination of the
police officers, the duo fled into their vehicle (Honda Fit) which was idling
as its driver was still within it. They claimed that one of the suspects had
dreadlocks while another was short, stout and dark. They claimed that the Honda
Fit was then driven towards the Manzini city centre which is amass with
vehicles of similar colour and also was busy as it was around noon.
Meanwhile, when these reporters arrived at the scene of the
murders, it was awash with senior police officers from various of departments.
Some women who had witnessed the assassination were inconsolable,
while members of the public were bemoaning that peace had become extinct in the
country. The members of the public, who consisted of public service transport
workers, did not apportion the blame to any party but would constantly be heard
rhetorically asking why were police officers being killed. They made reference
to one of the officers, who was lying face down and covered with blankets,
while in full uniform and also wearing the lime and blue vests adorned by the
Traffic Department.
Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent
Phindile Vilakati confirmed the assassination of the two police officers.
Vilakati further confirmed that after the shooting, the assassins took a police
assault rifle. Vilakati appealed to the public to assist the police in
apprehending the suspects, whom she said were suspected to be a trio. She said
one of the suspects had dreadlocks while his accomplice was short and dark. She
said the suspects were said to have driven towards the Manzini city centre
after committing the murders. Vilakati appealed to the public to contact the
Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) on their toll free number 999/9999.
Alternatively, she said the public could contact the Manzini
Regional Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner Elvis Shabangu on his mobile
number – 7606 4110 or Manzini Regional Crime Branch Officer (RCBO) Thabo
Hlophe on 7606 8570. It is worth noting that following the spate of police
killings, traffic officers have been working in groups with one of them
carrying an R4 assault rifle. Also, police officers were offered bullet
proof vests as part of enhancing their safety subsequent to the hike in the
number of law safety agents who were being targeted and aimed at, with live
rounds.
Incident
This is not an isolated incident. Recently, at New Village, a
police officer was shot in the torso by an unknown gunman while engaging in his
duties. This happened at about 7pm, a month ago. Before that, at
Ngculwini, a police officer was assassinated in front of his family members and
friends. Prior to that, an unknown gunman fired seven gunshots at a police
house at Zakhele Police Camp. Two out of the seven bullets which were fired at
the police house went through the window and lodged in a refrigerator inside
the institutional house.
Leading to that was the killing of another male traffic police
officer, who was based at Matsapha Police Station. He was killed about
500 metres away from his duty station (Sigodvweni, which is along the
Ndlunganye-Police College Public Road), by a daring gunman. The above incident
happened hardly 48 hours after a female officer, who was based at Manzini
Police Station, was shot dead while her colleague (male officer) survived,
after he was shot in the chest. This incident happened at the Manzini Club
Traffic Circle.
* Not real names
eSwatini’s
debt alarming - UN
By
Sibusiso Dlamini, eSwatini Observer, 20 October 2022
The United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) has warned that a serious debt crisis is on the brink of taking hold of
the country.
In a new report, UNDP says Eswatini is
part of nine ‘threshold’ countries which are ‘just on the brink of being
amongst the world’s 54 most vulnerable in urgent need of debt relief’.
The agency’s report titled ‘Avoiding Too
Little Too Late’ states that debt troubles had been brewing in many of the affected
countries long before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and takes stock of the
unfolding debt crisis across developing low-and middle-income countries.
Countries at the most immediate risk are Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Tunisia, Chad and
Zambia.
“Without immediate relief, these countries
will see rising poverty levels and desperately needed investments in climate
adaptation strategic policy engagement team, and mitigation will not happen,”
said Lars Jensen, an economist and policy specialist in UNDP’s bureau for policy
and programme support.
Eswatini is at the bottom of the
borderline list alongside Angola, Cape Verde, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Maldovar,
Nicaragua, Niger as well as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
According to Ministry of Finance Principal Secretary Sizakele Dlamini’s
acknowledgements in the annual public management debt statistical bulletin,
total public debt stood at E26.1 billion at the end of March 2021.
“This is equivalent to 40.2 per cent of
GDP composed of both domestic and external debt at 24.2 per cent and 15.9 per
cent of GDP, respectively,” said the PS while also explaining that the total
debt rose in nominal terms over the last financial year due to major capital
projects having been funded through both external and domestic financing.
This means the country’s debt to GDP ratio
now exceeds the 35 per cent limit of GDP in nominal terms, which is a
recommendation of the Bretton Woods institutions such as the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group.
“The main focus is to invest heavily on
capital projects expected to create an enabling environment for the private
sector to operate and at the same time improve the welfare of the country’s
populace,” elucidated the PS.
Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg
referred all queries to the aforementioned bulletin which recognises potential
fiscal risks and outlines a proposed strategy of the existing debt portfolio.
“Eswatini is aware of increased
accumulation of debt as a result of the desire to fund major infrastructure
development projects as a catalyst to foster economic growth,” reads an excerpt
from the bulletin.
Meanwhile, total public external debt
disbursements for the financial year 2021 amounted to E357.1 million, an
improvement from the previous year’s E1.54 billion.
This progress is attributed to drawdowns
from loans to fund projects such as the Manzini-Mbadlane Highway project, the
Manzini Water Supply and Sanitation project, the Lower Usuthu Smallholder
Irrigation project, the FINCLUDE project, the Shiselweni region Energy
Reinforcement project as well as the Shiselweni region Water Supply and
Sanitation project.
A positive from the bulletin is the
significant improvement in arrears after government’s intensified efforts to
clear debts accumulated since the fiscal year 2016/17. Stock of government
arrears were estimated at E1.5 billion at the end of March 2021, from E5.3
billion in March 2020, and to put an end to this, Cabinet approved an arrears
clearance and prevention strategy expected to bring them to manageable levels
by monitoring and controlling all commitments with the aim to prioritise
critical expenditure.
“These will avoid unnecessary and wasteful
expenditure, prioritise payment of arrears and align them to cash available and
continue to explore other sources of funding, including domestic sources and
cooperating partners,” reads another part of the bulletin.
Assault on pro-democracy MPs:
Solidarity Forces invade Sidvwashini Prison at night, kill Correctional Officer
By Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland
News, 20 October, 2022
MBABANE:
Members of the Swaziland International Solidarity Forces (SISF) invaded
Sidvwashini Correctional Services on Wednesday night and killed a warder identified
as Jobe.
Speaking
to this Swaziland News in an exclusive interview shortly after the
operation, one of the SISF members who was leading the operation said they
arrived at around 11:45pm, produced guns and ordered the officer at the gate to
comply with their orders.
“We
ordered the officer to comply, he promised to take all orders from us but later
screamed and disturbed our operation. Upon hearing the screaming, the officers
inside the Prison were busy calling other officers for a back-up and we decided
to leave with the one officer. We drove with him to the Oshoek Industrial Site
where he was killed and dumped. We wanted to kill all warders inside that
Prison,” he said.
The
member of the Solidarity Forces said they managed to seize a Gaelile assault
rifle with 15 live rounds of ammunition. He said the guns they were seizing
these days would be used in future operations.
The
SISF member then mentioned names of senior Correctional Services officers who
were allegedly leading the operation to assault the incarcerated Members of
Parliament (MPs) that they would be all killed.
Other
names of the senior officers cannot be revealed for now but Correctional
Services Commissioner Phindile Dlamini is one of them.
A
questionnaire was sent to Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, however, she had
not responded at the time of compiling this report.
But
Correctional Services Spokesperson Superintendent Gugulethu Dlamini confirmed
the killing of the warder when speaking to the media.
Tension
is escalating in this tiny Kingdom after King Mswati refused to participate in
a political dialogue and subsequently unleashed his security officers to shoot
and kill dozens of civilians merely for demanding democratic reforms.
Incarcerated
MPs Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube were assaulted and almost killed inside
prison after an order allegedly issued by King Mswati.
The
list of the warders who assaulted the MPs is now in possession of the
Solidarity Forces.
No freedom of
expression – ‘Swazi women treated like slaves,’ Colani Hlatjwako
By Eugene Dube, Swati
Newsweek, 20 October, 2022
MANZINI: Colani Hlatjwako, the One Billion Rising director
believes Eswatini women are not free and they are treated like slaves.
Hlatjwako was speaking during a summit organised by Inhlase
Centre for investigative Journalism. The theme of the event is titled
"Eswatini freedom of expression summit.
The event focuses on promoting campaign for free expression.
“Women's voices are controlled and suppressed by laws and
policies. As women we are forced to kneel down. As women we are slaves in our
communities.”
However another participant Nhlanhla Zwane said, “I disagree
with the speaker Hlatjwako. Nowadays we have a lot of women driving nice cars
in Eswatini. We are doing a lot to assist women.”
Reacting to this issue, Mcebo Gadlela from the Eswatini
Solidarity Fund said, “I believe there is patriarchy in Eswatini. We must help
the girl child. However the boy child also need assistance.”
LAW-DERSWA hosts media
seminar for Swaziland independent journalists in South Africa
By Wandile Lulane,
Breaking News 82 Eswatini, 19 October 2022
The newly established Lawyers For Democratic Reforms In
Swaziland (LAW-DERSWA) today successfully hosted an all important media seminar
for independent journalists of Swaziland.
Pro-democracy lawyer Sicelo Mngomezulu who represented
LAW-DERSWA made opening remarks and applauded independent journalists of
Swaziland for emerging to be the source of accurate information in Swaziland.
“During the period of the Political unrest in June last year,
the mainstream media did not inform the public on what was happening. The
independent Media was the only source of accurate information,” observed
Mngomezulu in his opening remarks. Mngomezulu further alluded to the fact that
the mandate of the mainstream media in Swaziland is to push the agenda of the
regime.
“That is why Swazi TV will never cover me when addressing
supporters of the arrested Mps in Mbabane,” noted Mngomezulu.
The seminar was facilitated by veteran media guru Jabu Matsebula
who touched on a number of topics which include: journalism and the function of
news in society, the collapse of the existing legacy media, News gathering
techniques, telling a story, ethics in journalism and human rights among other
topics.
“A journalist who does not know human rights is not a
journalist. You can be ignorant of everything; but not human rights. Democracy
is essentially human rights,” said the veteran journalist Jabu Matsebula when
delivering his lecture.
Matsebula also warned that a journalist is accountable to the
people. He also advised the independent journalists that authentic journalism
creates a reputation for a journalist.
The seminar was attended by seven online publications in
Swaziland which include: Swaziland News, Swati Newsweek Online, Eswatini
Newsroom, Swaziland Democratic News, Breaking News 82 Eswatini, The Bridge and
The voice of the People News.
Worth noting is that the emergence of online publications in
Swaziland has enabled access to reliable and uncensored information that has
raised the political consciousness of many Swazis.
The seminar was sponsored by LAW-DERSWA and held in Badplaas,
South Africa.
University of eSwatini
cash-strapped, salaries to be delayed
By Kwanele Dhladhla, eSwatini Observer, 20 October 2022
Due
to financial challenges, staff salaries at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA)
will not be deposited today as per norm.
This
was confirmed by Registrar Dr. Salebona Simelane yesterday. He said the
institution would not issue salaries dues financial constraints which continued
to haunt the university for a number of reasons.
When
asked when the probable date for paying the salaries would be, Simelane said he
could not provide a precise answer because they were also not certain when they
would secure the required finances.
“As
soon as we secure the finances, we will pay immediately,” briefly said
Simelane, who did not provide answers as to what measures had been put in place
to expediently secure the finances to pay staff.
It
has previously been disclosed that due to the unpaid tuition fees from the
ministry of labour and social security worth over E50 million for the 2021/2022
financial year, the university could barely function.
UNESWA
disclosed that failure to receive in full the subvention of two months of April
and May 2021 made the situation to be worse. The subvention in question was E34
million.
As
a result of the unavailable funds, UNESWA continuously failed to pay utilities
on time, it failed to remit statutory Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and could not pay
staff’s monthly stop orders as well.
The
university also reportedly previously failed to pay monthly medical aid
contributions and provide adequate security (mending fences and CCTV).
UNESWA infrastructure continues to be in a deplorable state and needs urgent
attention. It was pointed out that there was an urgent need for additional
lecture rooms, hostels, offices and other amenities.
“Staff
houses are no longer suitable for human habitation,” Parliament was informed.
Students have reportedly petitioned the university to urgently attend to the
deteriorating conditions in the hostels.
“There
is also a shortage of working tools including computers, projectors and
stationery among others,” it was mentioned.
As a solution to the challenges facing the institution, the university wrote a
white paper on austerity measures to try and solve the challenges.
The
measures include cost containment initiatives, as well as fundraising
initiatives to try and bring the university to a stable financial
position.
PUDEMO alleges ‘state
agents attempted to kill Penuel Malinga and his family’
By Pholile Masuku,
Swati Newsweek 20 October, 2022
MANZINI: The People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO)
Secretary General Wandile Dludlu condemned the attack on their national
Organizer Penuel Malinga and further alleged that the state had played a key in
the alleged bombing incident.
He released a press statement on the issue.
Dludlu alleged, “The agents of darkness full of evil intent have
yet again attempted to assassinate our own heartbeat as a movement Cde Penuel
Malinga and his family a few hours ago at Mbekelweni 5km outside Manzini.”
Dludlu said, “A double cap Toyota GD6 similar to those used
before by the state military parked almost a kilometer away to dispatch a
battalion of assassins, who landed at least 48 bullets in and around the house
where our leader slept with his entire family.”
“The well-orchestrated operation took a good 10 minutes, wherein
military agents of the regime ran amok all corners of the house, even on the
roof shooting indiscriminately. They then proceeded to soak with flammable
substance his car, a Ford Ranger worth 1 million Emalangeni which was parked
outside and then threw an explosive which exploded in seconds to full ball of
fire, leaving absolutely no opportunity to extinguish it as they cut off the
water pipe which could be used to put out the fire.
“We understand tensions are high as earlier on the day two
traffic police officers were gunned down in Manzini and Swazi government
opportunistically believes it was people associated with us as an
organization.”
He said, “PUDEMO wish to categorically state that, we remain a
none violent organization nor have any grouping of armed man and women, we have
nothing to do with this and condemn the attack of both our leaders and any
human being for that matter.
“We have been vocal in condemning the killing of Swazis since
last year and for the last 48 years of Tinkhundla misrule. We remain unshaken
and steadfastly resolved to continue pursuing our noble goal of advancing
political freedom in Swaziland whereas we acknowledge that Swazis have never
been this angry thus vent their anger on all structures associated with the
regime,
“We call on all Swazis to stand up and salvage this country from
the clutches of royal absolute monarchial downward spiral. The diplomatic community
and all UN agencies to take responsibility and play their role of reigning on
the head of this regime, we know how much you aid and abade this regime. We
know even your plans in the next week literally, but know that whatever you do
here, if it does not address the flagrant abuse of state power and naked
violence sponsored by the state on us and the nation at large, history will
judge you for your role.
“Once again we condemn this barbaric witch hunt attack of
desperate sponsored vigilantism by Swazi government on our leaders and Swazis
whatever their status in society, it is cowardly and backward, reminiscent of
Goliath mentality we don't need nor deserve in these times of modern world.
Victory is Certain,” said Dludlu.
Protesting
junior police officers defy court order, blocked from entering Prime Minister’s
Office.
By
Wendy Magagula, Swaziland News, 18 October, 2022
MBABANE: Junior police officers and
warders were blocked from entering the Prime Minister’s Office and subsequently
given three minutes to disperse by senior cops.
This comes after the officers defied a
court and marched to the PM’s office on Tuesday morning, they are demanding a
salary increment under Phase Two (2).
“We are giving you only three minutes to
disperse,” said a senior cop who issued the order.
Speaking to this Swaziland News earlier on
Monday, the officers stated categorically that they would defy any court order
and march to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The officers first assembled next to the
High Court along the road to the Prime Minister’s office discussing contents of
the court order, one of the officers suggested that it must be read and
analyzed to identify loopholes.
“Let’s first read and
analyze the court order to ascertain some loopholes, we need to march by force
and pass through these senior officers,” said a police officer who was pointing
at his superiors who were standing about fifty (50) metres away.
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