POLICE TORTURE A REALITY IN ESWATINI

Sir,

I was profoundly disturbed by an article I encountered in the eSwatini Times newspaper dated November 6, 2024. Positioned prominently in the upper corner of page 5, the article’s headline proclaimed, “No police torture in eSwatini - minister.” Really? Were it not for the values instilled in me by my parents regarding respect for elders, I would assert unequivocally that the statement attributed to the minister is a blatant falsehood. However, out of respect, I will state that the minister is being less than truthful.

Reality

Police torture is indeed a reality in the country. Several years ago, in the year 2021 to be precise, I endured severe torture at the hands of the police in one of the principal police stations, lasting over five hours for a crime I did not commit, being wrongfully accused of breaking into a shopping complex on the outskirts of a major town. I was working as a security guard at the time. Despite my fervent declarations of innocence, the torture persisted without relent. The experience was not only physically agonising but also psychologically devastating, as I grappled with the sheer injustice of my situation. I was stripped of my dignity, treated as a mere object of their cruelty rather than a human being, deserving respect and compassion.

In the article, the minister purportedly dismissed allegations that suspects are subjected to torture and forced to lie on benches while being suffocated with plastic bags in a bid to force out a confession. This mirrors my own experience, where I faced imminent death as I was cruelly deprived of the ability to breathe. Police torture allegedly happened in 2010 to one Mozambican national Zavale, if my memory serves me well, who, unfortunately, lost his life. My suffocation was not just a physical act; it was a calculated attempt to instill fear and submission in me. By divine intervention, after I implored my tormentors for a moment to pray to God to accept my spirit, as it was evident I was on the brink of death, they finally ceased the torment presumably after it was obvious I was innocent of the crime. It was a moment of desperation that I will never forget, a plea that came from the depths of my soul.

Apology

What infuriated me further was that just days after my suffering, the actual perpetrator was apprehended. Regrettably, none of my torturers returned to offer any form of apology. The lack of accountability for their actions only deepened my sense of betrayal and injustice. The fear of the police will forever reside in me forever. As a person of faith, I hold a belief in forgiveness, but it is a struggle to reconcile that belief with the reality of what I endured. How can one forgive when the perpetrators remain unrepentant and the system that should protect the innocent instead perpetuates violence and abuse by blatantly denying to the world that police torture exists in the country?

Injustice

The existence of police torture is undeniable, and for esteemed politicians to categorically deny this reality constitutes a grave injustice. I’m cognisant of the fact that politicians, by the very nature of their ungodly profession, find pleasure in playing to the gallery and are more often than not, economical with the truth. By setting the record straight about police torture, I’m dispelling the notion that police torture does not exist. Believe me, in some instances, it does.

Alex Lucky Nxumalo

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