Royal Palace Governor Urges Violence Against Citizens
The Swaziland News (http://www.swazilandnews.co.za ) reported on Sunday 11 September:
“Themba Ginindza, the King’s Ludzidzini Royal Palace Governor said they were training their own squad to burn political activists including their properties if the burning of structures continued in the country. This information is contained in an ‘intercepted’ cellphone conversation where the Governor was discussing national issues with another Swazi amid reports suggesting that unknown people burnt the home of KaLiba(Hosea) Indvuna yeMbali on Friday evening.
This electronic evidence implicating the Governor in what Government describes as terrorism, forms part of a series of other electronic evidence released by this Swaziland News, linking Mswati and his loyalists in the killing of civilians during the ongoing political unrest. But even before the political unrest, Mswati’s brother Prince Simelane, the Housing and Urban Development Minister uttered similar sentiments inside Parliament, urging security officers to “fight fire with fire”. Mswati’s Government has been speaking about a political dialogue reluctant to start the process while training security forces to shoot and kill protesting civilians as well as burn properties of political activists.
Photo Below: Evidence of violence perpetrated by Eswatini military and police
Photo Below: Young people protesting against police brutality
The sentiments from the Governor confirm a report by the Swaziland News publication suggesting that the King ordered the burning of structures belonging to political activists.
Eswatini is in a midst of a political crisis after King Mswati unleashed his forces to shoot and kill dozens of civilians merely for demanding democratic reforms. In the past months it has been reported that the police planned to undermine the Constitutional rights of the citizens to protest by dispersing the protestors instead of maintaining law and order. King Mswati’s Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini has warned citizens and revolutionary groups against engaging in acts of violence, however, no warning was issued to police and soldiers who continue with the shooting of civilians.
Reached for comments, human rights lawyer Thulani Rudolf Maseko, the Chairperson of the Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF) said the sentiments of the Governor that perpetuate violence were uncalled for. “You can’t target political activists just because they are activists, political activists are not involved in violence. This ‘eye for an eye’ as commanded by the King himself will escalate the violence in the country. The only thing that can diffuse violence is a political dialogue, we need to sit down and talk,” said the MSF Chairperson.
“We are also training our squad to burn them and their properties as well. Oh! They have burnt, if you know SWALIMO members in your area, just burn their properties as well. Akushiswane-ke sitobona kutsi ngubani longeke akhaliswe ngumlilo,” said the Governor. Mswati continues to unleash soldiers and the police to shoot amaSwati”.
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