Swaziland soldiers ‘assault party-goers, force them to eat raw meat’

Soldiers in Swaziland (eSwatini) have been accused of assaulting a group of young people who had been having a braai (barbecue) at a private home.

It happened at Mbangweni on Saturday (11 September 2021) when a group were celebrating a 21^st birthday. Soldiers heard them and demanded that they leave the home because they were breaking a curfew. When they did so they were allegedly assaulted.

This was one of a string of alleged assaults made by army personnel on civilians in Swaziland.

The Times of eSwatini reported armed soldiers entered the house and kicked open doors and assaulted people who were not involved in the celebrations, according to a participant it called Andile.

It reported, ‘Andile further narrated that the soldiers allegedly forced them all out to the tar road where they were forced to do push-ups with their fists for over 30 minutes. He alleged that while doing the push-ups, they were assaulted with a mop stick.

‘Andile said the mop stick broke and the soldiers allegedly took a thorny hedge stick and assaulted them with it. He explained that while they were doing the push-ups, the soldiers brought some of the half-cooked meat and threw it on the ground and forced them to eat it. He said some of the meat was still raw and hot from the fire.’

It added, ‘Andile alleged that some swallowed bones due to the manner they were forced to eat the meat.’

An Army spokesman would not comment on the allegations.

Soldiers in Swaziland have a long history of assaults on civilians. In September 2020 a video was widely circulated on the Internet that appeared to show two soldiers whipping two civilians. The 30-second video showed two men laying on the ground while one was whipped with what appeared to be a branch of a tree. It was reported the assault went on for several minutes.

In November 2019 a pregnant woman was slapped and thrown to the ground by two soldiers at Nsubane in the southeast of the kingdom. When she went to the army barracks to report the matter she was assaulted again.

In March 2019 the High Court ruled the army should pay E70,000 damages to a man it tortured. High Court Principal Judge Qinisile Mabuza also criticised the kingdom’s police for not investigating alleged assaults on civilians by members of the army.

In October 2018 soldiers were said to have tortured farmers who crossed the border at Dwalile to retrieve their straying cattle.

In a separate case in June 2018 three soldiers were charged with assault for burying a man alive after they accused him of stealing a phone from them at Mbekelweni.

See also

Swaziland Army investigates after video showing ‘soldiers whipping civilians’ goes viral 

 

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/09/swaziland-army-investigates-after-video.html

 

Army tortures recruitment cheats  

 https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/02/army-tortures-recruitment-cheats.html

 

Army sexual assaults at border posts 

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/army-sexual-assaults-at-border-posts.html

 

Soldiers inspect woman’s private parts 

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/06/soldiers-inspect-womans-private-parts.html

Swaziland Army investigates after video showing ‘soldiers whipping civilians’ goes viral

The Swaziland (eSwatini) Army has started an investigation after video that appeared to show two soldiers whipping two civilians circulated widely on social media.

The 30-second video shows two men laying on the ground while one is whipped with what appears to be a branch of a tree. It is reported the assault went on for several minutes.

There is some confusion as to the role soldiers took. In some accounts the two men doing the whipping are soldiers and in others it is said soldiers who are not seen on the video but whose voices are heard were the soldiers.

According to a later report in the Times of eSwatini the incident is believed to have happened in an area near Matsamo on Saturday (26 September 2020), close to the border with South Africa.

The video also shows piles of South African banknotes in front of the two victims.

The Independent News, eSwatini, reported the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (the official name of the Army) had started an investigation. A spokesperson said, ‘The defence force has since launched meticulous, internal investigations to determine the veracity of the clip.’

The News reported an unnamed male soldier saying that the defence force did not work like the police who opened charges against suspects. ‘As soldiers they just deal with you on the scene and set you free once you finish your punishment,’ the newspaper reported.

 

A still from the video circulating on social media

Soldiers in Swaziland have a long history of assaults on civilians, especially in border regions. In November 2019 a pregnant woman was slapped and thrown to the ground by two soldiers at Nsubane in the southeast of the kingdom. When she went to the army barracks to report the matter she was assaulted again.

In March 2019 the High Court ruled the army should pay E70,000 damages to a man it tortured. High Court Principal Judge Qinisile Mabuza also criticised the kingdom’s police for not investigating alleged assaults on civilians by members of the army.

In October 2018 soldiers were said to have tortured farmers who crossed the border at Dwalile to retrieve their straying cattle.

In a separate case in June 2018 three soldiers were charged with assault for burying a man alive after they accused him of stealing a phone from them at Mbekelweni.

In December 2017 soldiers were accused of routinely sexually assaulting women as they crossed border posts with South Africa. The Observer on Saturday reported at the time, ‘The army troops have been accused by women of abusing their powers by touching them inappropriately as they lay their hands on their buttocks just to allow to cross either to South Africa or into Swaziland. 

In July 2017 soldiers reportedly forced a bus-load of passengers to strip naked after it crossed the Mhlumeni Border Gate into Mozambique. Local media reported it happened all the time. 

In June 2017 it was reported women at the informal crossing situated next to the Mananga Border Gate were made to remove their underwear so soldiers could inspect their private parts with a mirror. The Swazi Army said it happened all the time. Soldiers were said to be searching for ‘illegal objects’ using a mirror similar to that used to inspect the underside of cars.

In September 2015, the Swazi Parliament heard that soldiers beat up old ladies so badly they had to be taken to their homes in wheelbarrows. Member of Parliament Titus Thwala said that the women were among the local residents who were regularly beaten by soldiers at informal crossing points between Swaziland and South Africa.

See also

Army tortures recruitment cheats 

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/02/army-tortures-recruitment-cheats.html

Army sexual assaults at border posts

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/army-sexual-assaults-at-border-posts.html

Soldiers inspect woman’s private parts

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/06/soldiers-inspect-womans-private-parts.html

 

Swaziland soldiers reportedly beat pregnant woman in latest case of assault on innocent civilians

Soldiers in Swaziland (eSwatini) have again been accused of beating and humiliating innocent civilians.

The latest incidents were reported to have happened at Nsubane in the southeast of the kingdom near the border with South Africa. A pregnant woman was slapped and thrown to the ground by two soldiers in one of the incidents, the Times of eSwatini reported on Wednesday (6 November 2019).

It said a 29-year-old woman was walking in the street when she was stopped by a man in civilian clothes who demanded to look her bag. He said he was a soldier and had a right to search her. 

The Times reported she said, ‘He then grabbed the bag but I held on to it. He was trying to pull the bag but I did not loosen my grip. Eventually, he called another man to assist him and before I knew it there were two men wrestling with me over the bag.’

The Times added, ‘She said after the man had thoroughly searched the bag they dropped it down and then slapped her several times.

‘She said they accused her of disrespecting them.

‘She was slapped and kicked several times before the men left her sprawling on the ground.’

The Times said later she went to the Nsubane army camp to report the matter and was again assaulted. ‘She said she was slapped several times and further pulled by the hair.’

In a separate incident also at Nsubane a 36-year-old woman said she was assaulted and dragged on the ground by soldiers. She told the Times a neighbour had told her that her 10-year-old son and younger brother had been taken to the Nsubane army camp. She went to investigate and soldiers told her to leave.

The Times reported, ‘She pleaded with them not to assault her 10-year-old son.’

She told the newspaper, ‘As I was pleading with them they started assaulting me. They slapped me several times and further kicked me all over the body. Another one was hurling all sorts of insults at me.’

She said as she was leaving the camp another soldier stopped her and ordered her to go back inside. ‘Fearing for her life,’ the Times reported, she refused. She said, ‘He grabbed me and dragged me on the ground.’

Police are investigating both incidents.

There is a long history of army assaults on civilians in Swaziland. In March 2019 the High Court ruled the army, known officially as the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF), should pay E70,000 damages to a man it tortured.

High Court Principal Judge Qinisile Mabuza also criticised the kingdom’s police for not investigating alleged assaults on civilians by members of the army.

The case followed an incident at Vuvulane in the Lubombo region in October 2003 when soldiers attacked Themba Maziya and kicked him with heavy boots, punched him with fists and immersed him in a canal full of water and assaulted him with an electric cable. Soldiers had accused him of stealing an Army vehicle.

The High Court was told Maziya was assaulted all over the body and the head.  As a result he suffered temporary loss of memory, he had scars all over the body and severe trauma.

This was not the only time UEDF forces had been accused of assault. In October 2018 soldiers were said to have tortured farmers who crossed the border with South Africa at Dwalile to retrieve their straying cattle.

Residents told the Sunday Observer newspaper in Swaziland at the time they were abused each time they crossed a collapsed fence dividing the two countries to collect their livestock, which often strayed into South Africa.

The newspaper reported the farmers said members of the UEDF ‘would dip them in a nearby swamp’ in their clothes.

It added, ‘They are also made to do frog jumps, rolled on the ground and some are assaulted and kicked by the soldiers. Most of the abuse lasts for over an hour and had left some of the farmers sick.’

In a separate case in June 2018 three soldiers were charged with assault for burying a man alive after they accused him of stealing a phone from them at Mbekelweni.

In December 2017 soldiers were accused of routinely sexually assaulting women as they crossed border posts with South Africa. The Observer on Saturday reported at the time, ‘The army troops have been accused by women of abusing their powers by touching them inappropriately as they lay their hands on their buttocks just to allow to cross either to South Africa or into Swaziland. 

‘Some women when being searched for illegal goods alleged that they are touched almost everywhere by the male army officers and these informal crossings.’

The newspaper said the inappropriate behaviour took place ‘almost every day’ around the Ngwenya informal crossing. 

In July 2017 soldiers reportedly forced a bus-load of passengers to strip naked after it crossed the Mhlumeni Border Gate into Mozambique. Local media reported it happened all the time. 

The Times of Swaziland reported they were ordered to strip ‘stark naked’ as part of a ‘routine body search’. The newspaper said the passengers had been on vacation in Mozambique.

In June 2017 it was reported women at the informal crossing situated next to the Mananga Border Gate with South Africa were made to remove their underwear so soldiers could inspect their private parts with a mirror. The Swazi Army said it happened all the time.

Soldiers were said to be searching for ‘illegal objects’ using a mirror similar to that used to inspect the underside of cars.

Once the practice became public knowledge, the Army said it would continue to strip people and if people did not like it they should stop crossing the border.

In September 2015, the Swazi Parliament heard that soldiers beat up old ladies so badly they had to be taken to their homes in wheelbarrows. Member of Parliament Titus Thwala said that the women were among the local residents who were regularly beaten by soldiers at informal crossing points between Swaziland and South Africa.

See also

Army tortures recruitment cheats 

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/02/army-tortures-recruitment-cheats.html

Army sexual assaults at border posts

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/army-sexual-assaults-at-border-posts.html

Soldiers inspect woman’s private parts

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/06/soldiers-inspect-womans-private-parts.html

Swaziland soldiers accused of ‘torturing’ farmers searching for their stray cattle

Soldiers in Swaziland / Eswatini have been accused of ‘torturing’ farmers who crossed the border with South Africa to retrieve their straying cattle.

It is the latest in a long line of reports of soldiers physically abusing innocent civilians.

The latest report involves cattle farmers at Dwalile, which is close to the Malutha Border Post between the two countries. 

Residents told the Sunday Observer newspaper in Swaziland (21 October 2018) they were abused each time they crossed a collapsed fence dividing the two countries to collect their livestock, which often stray into South Africa.

The newspaper reported the farmers said when they are found driving cattle from South Africa the Swaziland soldiers who are members of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) ‘would dip them in a nearby swamp’ in their clothes.

It added, ‘They are also made to do frog jumps, rolled on the ground and some are assaulted and kicked by the soldiers. Most of the abuse lasts for over an hour and had left some of the farmers sick.’

The Observer said complaints have been made to the UEDF and community leaders. ‘Some of the people who have suffered brutality at the hands of these uncompromising soldiers have threatened to lay charges against government,’ it added.

The newspaper called the Army’s behaviour ‘torture’ and said residents ‘had suffered intolerable abuse at the hands of the soldiers’.

UEDF Public Relations Officer Lieutenant Nkosinathi Dlamini told the newspaper the farmers made ‘false accusations’. 

Reports of Army abuse of civilians are common in Swaziland. In June 2018, three soldiers were charged with assault for burying a man alive after they accused him of stealing a phone from them at Mbekelweni.

In December 2017 soldiers were accused of routinely sexually assaulting women as they crossed border posts with South Africa. The Observer on Saturday reported at the time, ‘The army troops have been accused by women of abusing their powers by touching them inappropriately as they lay their hands on their buttocks just to allow to cross either to South Africa or into Swaziland. 

‘Some women when being searched for illegal goods alleged that they are touched almost everywhere by the male army officers and these informal crossings.’

The newspaper said the inappropriate behaviour took place ‘almost every day’ around the Ngwenya informal crossing. 

In July 2017 soldiers reportedly forced a bus-load of passengers to strip naked after it crossed the Mhlumeni Border Gate into Mozambique. Local media reported it happened all the time. 

The Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s only independent daily newspaper, reported they were ordered to strip ‘stark naked’ as part of a ‘routine body search’. The newspaper said the passengers had been on vacation in Mozambique.

In June 2017 it was reported women at the informal crossing situated next to the Mananga Border Gate with South Africa were made to remove their underwear so soldiers could inspect their private parts with a mirror. The Swazi Army said it happened all the time.

Soldiers were said to be searching for ‘illegal objects’ using a mirror similar to that used to inspect the underside of cars.

Once the practice became public knowledge, the Army said it would continue to strip people and if people did not like it they should stop crossing the border.

In September 2015, the Swazi Parliament heard that soldiers beat up old ladies so badly they had to be taken to their homes in wheelbarrows. Member of Parliament Titus Thwala said that the women were among the local residents who were regularly beaten by soldiers at informal crossing points between Swaziland and South Africa.

The assaults are not confined to border areas. In 2011, a man was reportedly beaten with guns and tortured for three hours by soldiers at Maphiveni who accused him of showing them disrespect. He was ordered to do press ups, frog jumps and told to run across a very busy road and was beaten with guns every time he tried to resist.

In July 2011, three armed soldiers left a man for dead after he tried to help a woman they were beating up. And in a separate incident, a woman was beaten by two soldiers after she tried to stop them talking to her sister.

He said that he did more than 50 press ups and he was beaten with guns every time he asked to rest.

See also

Army tortures recruitment cheats 

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/02/army-tortures-recruitment-cheats.html

Army sexual assaults at border posts

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/army-sexual-assaults-at-border-posts.html

Soldiers inspect woman’s private parts

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/06/soldiers-inspect-womans-private-parts.html

SWAZILAND SOLDIERS ‘BURY MAN ALIVE’

Three soldiers in Swaziland / Eswatini have been charged with assault for burying a man alive after they accused him of stealing a phone from them.

It happened at Mbekelweni and is one of many reported cases of soldiers assaulting civilians in the kingdom.

The Swazi Observer reported on Tuesday (5 June 2018) that the three soldiers from the Swaziland Umbutfo Defence Force (the official name of the army) had been drinking at a bar and offered to give a lift home to a resident named Dludlu. Later they discovered a cellphone was missing. Next day they went to the man’s home with another man and accused him of theft.

The newspaper reported they assaulted the man. ‘It is said the soldiers then dragged Dludlu into a pit which was dug for a pit latrine and threw him inside and placed a corrugated iron sheet on top,’ it said.

‘While Dludlu was trapped inside the pit, the soldiers and the other man had a conversation among themselves as to what they would do with him. It is said some were heard suggesting that they should just leave him trapped underneath while another suggested that they set fire on top of the pit with Dludlu underneath.’

The Observer reported Dludlu asked the soldiers to take him to the police rather than torture him.

‘He said he was told by the army officials that they were not afraid of the police as they are also law enforcers hence they will deal with him,’ the newspaper reported.

The soldiers were interrupted by a phone call and decided ‘to spare Dludlu’s life’, the newspaper added. They took E300 from his pockets before leaving.

There have been many reports in Swaziland of soldiers assaulting civilians. In December 2017 they were accused of routinely sexually assaulting women as they crossed border posts with South Africa.

The Observer on Saturday reported at the time, ‘The army troops have been accused by women of abusing their powers by touching them inappropriately as they lay their hands on their buttocks just to allow to cross either to South Africa or into Swaziland. 

‘Some women when being searched for illegal goods alleged that they are touched almost everywhere by the male army officers and these informal crossings.’

The newspaper said the inappropriate behaviour took place ‘almost every day’ around the Ngwenya informal crossing. 

It was one of several reports army misbehaviour at borders. In July 2017 soldiers reportedly forced a bus-load of passengers to strip naked after it crossed the Mhlumeni Border Gate into Mozambique. Local media reported it happened all the time. 

The Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s only independent daily newspaper, reported they were ordered to strip ‘stark naked’ as part of a ‘routine body search’. The newspaper said the passengers had been on vacation in Mozambique.

In June 2017 it was reported women at the informal crossing situated next to the Mananga Border Gate with South Africa were made to remove their underwear so soldiers could inspect their private parts with a mirror. The Swazi Army said it happened all the time.

Soldiers were said to be searching for ‘illegal objects’ using a mirror similar to that used to inspect the underside of cars.

Once the practice became public knowledge, the Army said it would continue to strip people and if people did not like it they should stop crossing the border.

In September 2015, the Swazi Parliament heard that soldiers beat up old ladies so badly they had to be taken to their homes in wheelbarrows. Member of Parliament Titus Thwala said that the women were among the local residents who were regularly beaten by soldiers at informal crossing points between Swaziland and South Africa.

The assaults are not confined to border areas. In 2011, a man was reportedly beaten with guns and tortured for three hours by soldiers who accused him of showing them disrespect. He was ordered to do press ups, frog jumps and told to run across a very busy road and was beaten with guns every time he tried to resist.

His crime was that he tried to talk to a man whose vehicle was being searched by soldiers at Maphiveni. The man, December Sikhondze, told the Swazi Observer at the time, ‘I only asked for a lift but they told me I was being disrespectful and that I should have waited for them to finish. They took my cell phone and ordered me to do press ups.’

In July 2011, three armed soldiers left a man for dead after he tried to help a woman they were beating up. And in a separate incident, a woman was beaten by two soldiers after she tried to stop them talking to her sister.

He said that he did more than 50 press ups and he was beaten with guns every time he asked to rest.

See also

ARMY STRIPS BUS PASSENGERS NAKED

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/army-strips-bus-passengers-naked.html

SOLDIERS INSPECT WOMAN’S PRIVATE PARTS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/06/soldiers-inspect-womans-private-parts.html

ARMY UNREPENTANT ON STRIP SEARCH

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2017/06/army-unrepentant-on-strip-search.html

REPORTS OF SWAZILAND ELECTION ABUSE

Reports of malpractice in Swaziland’s election registration are many. Soldiers have been accused of physically intimidating voters, football teams have rejected dubious sponsorship from an aspiring member of parliament and the kingdom’s Attorney-General has warned people against declaring they are standing for election. 

Mtsebeni residents refused to register for elections after they said they were intimidated by soldiers. The Times of Swaziland reported on Tuesday (22 May 2018) they were forced to do physical exercises. The newspaper said it happened at the border area of Mtsebeni, under Gege Constituency, where there are 60 homesteads.

It reported the area’s Indvuna, Khakhayi Hlatshwako, saying there had been disputes with the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) and local traditional leaders over where the registration post should be. Hlatshwako said that at one point soldiers were insulted by residents over the telephone about their love lives.

The soldiers were said to have ‘tortured’ the area’s residents as punishment.

The Times quoted one community member saying, ‘When we went there to fetch firewood, the soldiers made us lie down and do intense exercises as punishment even when we had not done anything.’

The Times reported, ‘Other community members said these exercises included the much difficult jack-knife and push-ups. It was alleged that the age or gender of the people subjected to the exercises was not considered so even the elderly and women were subjected to same.’

At Maphungwane in the Matsanjeni North Constituency, football teams rejected a E10,000 (US$790) sponsorship from an aspiring member of parliament. The Swazi Observer reported (18 May 2018) that the sponsorship was in the form of prize money that would be paid at the end of the football season and after the election had been held.

The newspaper reported the clubs’ representatives questioned the timing of the sponsorship and rejected the offer. One club boss told the Observer that aspiring MPs had also tried to manipulate them in the past.

It has already been reported that police in Swaziland are investigating possible election corruption concerning a former government minister accused of bribing people with promises of food parcels for their votes. 

Residents at Mbangweni complained of nepotism when four people selected to assist in the election were from the same family. The Swazi Observer reported Inkhosatana Gelane, the acting KoNtshingila chief, saying they were ‘loyal and respectful residents’. The Shiselweni Regional Administrator Themba Masuku is investigating. 

In an unrelated development, EBC Chair Chief Gija Dlamini said that aspiring MPs would have to declare how much money they spent on their election in line with the Elections Expenses Act 2013. The Times of Swaziland reported him saying, ‘A person can be given money by their friends and relatives to campaign, and in order to ensure that everything is done in a fair manner, it is important that we request candidates to declare.’

Attorney General Sifiso Khumalo has warned aspiring MPs not to declare yet that they intend to run as it is against the law. Voter registration is ongoing and is due to end on 17 June 2018.

Khumalo said the election itself had not started. The Swazi Observer on Wednesday (23 May 2018) reported him saying, ‘According to the law there are no elections candidates currently. Those who were elected in 2013 are currently just Members of Parliament and that’s all. We cannot then refer to them as contenders for the upcoming elections because that is up to the electorate. Also as per the law, it is wrong for anyone to declare their interest or lobby people to vote for them, there is a time for that and that is the campaign period.’

By law candidates can only campaign after primary elections have taken place.

EBC chair Chief Gija said, ‘No individual can nominate himself. Even if you are interested in contesting for election, it is immaterial as it is the electorate that must be interested in you and further nominate you for you to qualify to be an elections contender.’

Under the Swazi election process published by the EBC registration is followed by a period of nominations which take place at chiefdoms. On the day of nomination, the name of the nominee is raised by a show of hand and the nominee is given an opportunity to indicate whether he or she accepts the nomination.  If he or she accepts it, he or she must be supported by at least ten members of that chiefdom.  The nominations are for the position of Member of Parliament, Constituency Headman (Indvuna) and the Constituency Executive Committee (Bucopho).

The minimum number of nominees is three and the maximum is twenty.  The nomination process takes place in the open, persons are nominated by a show of hand and the nomination is done by the community. Those nominated then contest elections at primary level.

Primary elections also take place at the chiefdom level and is by secret ballot.  During the primary elections, the voters are given an opportunity to elect the member of the executive committee (Bucopho) for that particular chiefdom.  

Aspiring Members of Parliament and the Constituency Headman are also elected from each chiefdom.  At the end of the primary elections, there should be one candidate for the position of the Member of Parliament and one for the position of the Constituency Headman who are going to contest elections at secondary level.  The election for the Executive Committee Member (Bucopho) goes up to the primary level.

It is only between primary and secondary elections that candidates may legally campaign.

The secondary elections take place at the various constituencies.  All the nominees at chiefdom level contest elections at constituency level.  The nominees with majority votes become the winners and they become Members of Parliament or Constituency Headman. 

See also

POLICE PROBE ELECTION ‘CORRUPTION’

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/police-probe-election-corruption.html

POOR START TO VOTER REGISTRATION

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/poor-start-to-voter-registration.html

 

REGISTRATION OPENS FOR SWAZI ELECTION

https://swazimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/registration-opens-for-swazi-election.html