What’s wrong with us?

Tony Yengeni, former ANC chief whip.

Swazis, as a nation, seem to have gone numb when it comes to incidents or acts of violence that normally attract swift reaction in other societies.
Take the case of the Indian student who was gang raped and murdered in a bus. The incident caused a massive rupture in the nation, for days, demanding justice, until the government responded by coming up with appropriate legislation to deal harshly with perpetrators of gender-based violence and rape.

How would have Swazis reacted to such a case? How have we reacted to such violence against women, such as the rape of a grandmother of over 80 years and more? How have we reacted to the story and picture of a naked woman being frog marched by her husband or whatever one chooses to call that beast?
How did we react to the story of the woman whose breast was cut off by some unknown man, probably for muti purposes in order to win elections?

I will tell you how we have all reacted to these acts of violence against our women folk: we have been momentarily angry and shocked but soon got on with our lives as if nothing had happened.
Not even women activists have been seen or heard to be doing anything. We just become numb.
The question is: for how long are we going to be reacting like this on matters that call for our collective action?
What is really wrong with us as a nation? Saloywa ngubani?
I hope you will bear with me.

I am angry and frustrated at the same time. 
Today I want to take a closer look at yet another form of violence that appears not to be receiving the attention of the nation or society at large.
This is the issue of police brutality, which often results in extra-judicial killings. There appears to be an increase in the incidents of police brutality and extra-judicial killings which go unpunished and with no public reaction.

While I must do my best not to over-generalise the issues and paint a picture of all the police officers as being brutal, I must emphasise the point that those police officers who commit these barbaric acts end up tarnishing the image of the entire force.

Populated

One of the sad cases of extra-judicial killings by members of the Royal Swaziland Police (RSP) took place in an obscure and impoverished area of Lubulini, called Dlakadla. This is an area populated largely by the proud Mngomezulu clan, who are the Royal Household of the Mngomezulus here and on the Lubombo plateau. On March 4, 2013, the humble community of this otherwise peaceful area, woke up, as usual, to face the challenges of life totally un aware of what was coming to the family of one Thokozani Wiseman Mngomezulu. Thokozani himself took his car for a quick drive, with a Ntshangase friend, to do some shopping for the day.

No sooner had he just left home than the police came looking for him, threatening members of his family to tell them (the police) Thokozani’s whereabouts. Trembling with fear, Thokozani’s sister is said to have told the police that Thokozani had just left the house to do some shopping but the police would hear none of this.

They threatened her with arrest, in the process instilling immense fear in the whole family, which included his mother, his two young children, 82-year-old grandmother and the neighbours, most of whom had gathered at the Mngomezulu home to witness what the police were doing.

Unsuspecting

They all did not expect and were not prepared for what was to yet come.
At about 9:30am, Thokozani and his friend, totally unsuspecting of anything being amiss, came home, driving his car, with his friend and drove into the yard, whereupon one of the police officers pointed a gun at Thokozani just as he opened his car door.
Surprised at what was happening, he came out of the car, raised both his hands to  demonstrate  that he was unarmed and surrendering, and was allegedly shot at close range, first, in his chest, then in the groin.

He died on the spot, with no questions asked as to why the police wanted him.
As if that incident was not enough to traumatise the family and neighbours, the police are then alleged to have prevented Thokozani’s mother from covering the dead body, instead shouting at the family (who were now screaming and running all over) to stop making  noise.
In the process, they kicked his crippled grandmother for asking them why they had killed her grandson!

To further punish this traumatised family and the community at large, the police are alleged to have undressed the body, leaving it naked for more than seven hours. What kind of human beings can do this to another human being? Was killing him in cold blood not sufficient punishment to the family?

Reminded

I am reminded of a story most of us saw on television screens and read about in newspapers. This is the story of Tony Yengeni, then chief whip of the ANC in the South African Parliament.  
I am reading from Justice Albie Sachs’ book: The Strange Alchemy of Life And Law, on page 24, where Tony Yengeni is appearing before the TRC, to face his former torturer Sergeant Benzien, who was asking for amnesty.

It reads:”Show the Commission how you smothered us until we thought we were drowning, that we would suffocate and die.”
The Commission asked someone to lie on the floor, and the bag was put over his head and held there.
“Now, please show us how you held there—how long you held it there”.

Sergeant Benzien knelt down and held it in place for quite a while. After he stood up, Tony Yengeni asked him: “Can you explain how one human being can do this to another human being?” The Sergeant started crying.
On Saturday, May 18, 2013, my entire team went down to Lubulini to spend the day there with the family and to assess the level of trauma and how the family could be assisted to get over this traumatic experience.

The cause of death is said to be due to firearm injury which involved lungs, heart, liver and the pelvis.
What does this tell you? At least this is what it tells me: that the first shot, which was aimed at the left part of his chest, is the one that killed him and that the second shot on the pelvis was absolutely unnecessary. It also tells me that the killing was premeditated.

We spent a day with the family and neighbours and as we did so certain things got our attention.
Children, including Thokozani’s two orphans, were playing a worrying game: they were pointing their imagined guns at one another, chasing one another, and kicking those who fell on the ground. A numbing experience indeed.

So, what will  happen in this case? Will the family receive justice?  Who will give them that justice? What is society going to do with these acts of impunity? Why call it impunity? Simply because as you read this sad story, no suspect would have been arrested.
The killer is still proudly wearing our uniform.

While we appreciate the role said to have been played by the local member of parliament, we believe he could have gone an extra mile, by assisting this family to access justice, beyond just helping the family bury their dead son, grandson, brother and father.
What shall take this nation to act collectively against injustice? What is wrong with us?

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