THULANI’S KILLER; CRUELLEST PERSON TO EVER LIVE

The assassination of prominent political activist Thulani Rudolph Maseko on January 21, 2023, marks a harrowing chapter in Eswatini’s troubled and often turbulent history.

Those responsible for his cold-blooded murder have committed an act that tears profoundly at the fabric of humanity, a senseless brutality that resonates within the kingdom and beyond its borders. I do not know who killed him. In one of his messages to me, which I have not deleted, Maseko said: “Please my brother!

‘‘We appreciate your commitment in your own constructive way Msutfu.” He knew my duty is to embrace both camps –conservatives and progressives. He liked my famous quote: “I’m neither a Tinkhundla supporter nor multiparty supporter.”  

With regard to his assassination, to describe the perpetrator as the cruellest person to ever live in Eswatini, is more than just a rhetorical flourish—it captures the profound devastation wrought by his or their actions. If I were the one culpable, I would have long surrendered to the police, unable to bear the emotional weight of trauma.

The horrific scene unfolded in what should have been a sanctuary—a family home. Sadly, Maseko was killed in his own house. He did not build that house to absorb his blood. At least, we would have accepted his natural death in that house.

Terribly, it was there that the innocence of Maseko’s young children was irrevocably stolen from them. To witness their father’s violent and unjust death is an act of emotional and mental abuse that will haunt them indefinitely.
Only God, the supreme counsellor, will help these children.

Mind you, in a grotesque display of murder, an unidentified individual aimed through an open window, firing the shot that extinguished Maseko’s life as he sat watching a football match on television—a symbol of everyday life and respite from the world’s troubles.

His brains, a testament to his intellectual activism and yearning for political change, were violently and brutally spilled. He did not deserve to die in such a manner; no one should ever lose his or her life because of his political beliefs, for these are the bedrock of democratic society. Tragically, the trail of senseless killing does not only affect the Maseko family.

It extends further to Prince Mahloma, an elderly prince esteemed by his royal status. Militants, under the guise of freedom fighters for political reform, forcibly entered his home—a sanctuary invaded and desecrated. They subjected him to the humiliation of shouting political slogans before heartlessly gunning him down. Not only was Prince Mahloma stripped of his dignity and autonomy, but he was also deprived of hope. Perhaps, if he thought they would spare his life by complying with their demands that he should shout those political slogans. I want to mention that these egregious acts demonstrate an absolute disregard for life and humanity itself.

Brutal

The brutal narrative unfolding in Eswatini echoes similar atrocities witnessed globally—a poignant reminder of the volatile nature of political dissent. I am reminded of the assassination of Russian politician Boris Nemtsov in 2015.
I want to tell the world that this heinous act stands as a chilling parallel to Thulani Maseko’s fate. Nemtsov, a fierce critic of government policy and killed just steps from the Kremlin, left behind a legacy now overshadowed by the imagery of violent loss witnessed by family, friends and supporters.

In Brazil, the assassination of councillor  Marielle Franco in 2018 similarly sparked international outrage. Much like Maseko, Marielle was a fearless advocate for change, whose untimely death echoed the senseless, grim fate that befell Lorenzo Mureithi, a Kenyan political activist murdered under suspicious and untimely circumstances.
These acts of terror remind us that senseless violence is a global tragedy, with Eswatini becoming yet another chapter in this dark narrative.

Eswatini now finds itself at a critical crossroads, dangerously acclimatised to the normalisation of violence.
Where the nation once reacted with shock and dismay to murder, it now finds itself numbed—lulled into an unsettling acceptance of violence and bloodshed. These cycles of violence tragically extend beyond political strife, manifesting in a sinister rise of gender-based violence, tearing apart the social fabric and further staining the kingdom’s soul.

As emaSwati, we were once alarmed and galvanised by the scourge of murder; today, our collective sensibilities appear dulled, our threshold for brutality sadly increased. These strands of violence weave a tapestry that highlights a crucial and urgent message: Killing each other resolves nothing. The recent spillage of blood on Eswatini soil must instead galvanise us into action, serve as a catalyst for introspection, and invoke a profound cultural change.

Inherent

It must remind us of the inherent sanctity of life—as a sacred gift not to be squandered but cherished, celebrated and protected from the insidious forces of violence and hate. In memory of Thulani Maseko, Prince Mahloma, and countless others senselessly slain in the pursuit of a cause, it is imperative that we resolutely denounce violence in all its forms.

The path to viable political reform is firmly anchored in principles of peace and dialogue, not bloodshed and terror.
Let this serve as a clarion call to eschew the impulses of vengeance and cruelty, to fully embrace a culture of compassion and understanding, and to ensure that future generations, free from the fear and trauma of such acts, inherit a world defined by justice and peace.

May the sorrow etched into our hearts transform into a beacon of hope—a hope that compels us to see an end to these barbaric acts and welcomes an era where the values of humanity, dignity and respect, in Eswatini and beyond, unequivocally prevail over the instinct to destroy. Ladies and gentlemen, maSwati lamahle, we owe it not just to ourselves but to the generations yet to come, to create a world where peace is not just an aspiration but a lived reality.

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