‘WE’RE BITTER AT SECURITY PERSONNEL’

MBABANE – “We have so much anger and resentment against security personnel; and can’t stand them following the shootings.”

These were sentiments shared by some of the survivors of the June/July unrest that saw some emaSwati allegedly being shot by security forces. The survivors are now attending counselling sessions made possible by the Eswatini Solidarity Fund. According to the survivors, they were taken aback every time they came across the security personnel, especially because the shootings had a great impact on their lives. They stated that they had so much resentment because their lives were no longer the same and those who were previously breadwinners were no longer able to fend for their families.

Roadblock

“When we come across a roadblock and there are security personnel, we come out of the car to tell them that we now have a disability because of them and do not want to be reminded of that episode,” said one of the survivors, who had his leg amputated.
Meanwhile, they stated that they had to adjust to their new life of being unable to do even the small things. Also, they said spiritually they were damaged. The survivors added that government’s actions were deliberate and meant to instil fear in the people who wanted political change.

Accepted

The survivors said they had not yet accepted their fate and were currently on the road to recovery, hence their anger against the country’s security personnel who were the perpetrators.  “It is true that everything we go through is strongly attached to the bitterness we have against the security personnel, yet the truth is even with the anger within us, we cannot achieve most of the things we need to do, including filing letters of demand against government,” they said during their counselling session held in Ezulwini on Saturday. The survivors are currently organising themselves to seek compensation from government. They added that issues of finance were also a challenge, which was why they had to unite and tackle the matter. Furthermore, the survivors noted that they would be forming a group and enlist the services of one lawyer to strengthen their case. “It is not easy to get services of a legal representative and very few individuals can afford one,” they noted.

Representatives

Also, the survivors were of the view that only a few legal representatives could be willing to face government on the issue in fear of being victimised. According to the survivors, it was critical for them to file their matter in the local courts to strengthen the case with the International Criminal Court (ICC). During the unrest, there was looting, vandalism and burning of various businesses to the point that the army had to be roped in to assist police officers. It was during the height of this unrest that some people were shot, allegedly by the security forces.

Investigation

Government had indicated that it would institute an investigation regarding the shootings. When asked how far they had gone with the investigations into the matter, Government Spokesperson Sabelo Dlamini stated that investigations were still ongoing. Meanwhile, the National Commissioner of Police, William Tsitsibala Dlamini, also reiterated the government spokesperson statement, adding that they had not yet concluded their investigations. Some of the people who were shot were found to have breached curfew regulations.

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