SWALIMO MEMBERS CLASH WITH WARDERS, 7 INJURED

MANZINI – Seven members of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) were injured after an alleged attack by members of His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS) yesterday.

The purported attack reportedly happened outside the Matsapha Maximum Correctional Facility, where the members of SWALIMO had paid a visit to incarcerated Ngwempisi Constituency Member of Parliament (MP), Mthandeni Dube. According to the Chairperson of SWALIMO National Coordinating Office (NCO), Mzwandile Dlamini, members of his organisation had gone to visit the incarcerated legislator. He said upon arrival at the Matsapha Maximum Correctional Facility, three senior officials of SWALIMO sought permission to see the MP.

Maximum

Dlamini said they were turned back and informed that they could not see the legislator as he (Dube) had reached the maximum of four visitors for the month of February. It is worth noting that the HMCS announced that from October 9, 2021, offenders were allowed to have four visitors per month. In each visit, it was said the inmates were permitted to have a maximum of three guests. This was announced as a measure implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19. This stance is said to be still in effect at the Correctional facilities. On the other hand, Dlamini said the three senior officials were informed that they should return on March 1, 2022. This, he said, resulted in them seeking clarity on what guarantee could they have in that when they returned on the said date, they would not be turned away again. “They told us that there was no guarantee other than to reiterate that we should return on March 1, 2022,” Dlamini said.

The NCO chairperson said they cooperated with the officials and left. He said as they were travelling with other SWALIMO members, they decided to give them feedback. The members they were travelling with, Dlamini said, were waiting adjacent to the Matsapha Town Council stalls, which are located about 100 metres from the entrance of the Correctional facility.

Addressing

He said when they were addressing their members, the HMCS personnel were in close proximity (next to the entrance). Dlamini said the trio, which had been assigned to see the incarcerated legislator on behalf of SWALIMO, addressed the other members, who at the end of the speeches sang about two songs. Thereafter, he claimed they dispersed. The NCO chairperson’s assertions were further corroborated by the SWALIMO Deputy Secretary General (DSG), Gift Dlamini. The DSG alleged that when they dispersed; the HMCS officials attacked their members. He supposed that more females were attacked. The DSG claimed that the officers  who fired tear gas canisters in an effort to disperse them were males. Gift further supposed that the HMCS personnel used batons to beat their members.

“Today I was shocked that most security personnel are cowards as they attacked more females than us males. After speaking to our members, informing them that we should leave and come in our numbers on March 1, 2022, we dispersed,” he claimed. Gift supposed that when they were leaving the market stalls, the HMCS personnel created a Shaka Horn (an attacking tactic which sets the target in the centre). He said it was at this instance that one of the people present, Nomthandazo Maseko, who had just boarded a vehicle, was pulled out. The DSG purported that Maseko was then assaulted with all sorts of missiles, which resulted in her sustaining injuries on her hands, arms and back.

He said this shocked him as the supposed perpetrators of the violence were males, who had the responsibility to protect women from gender-based violence (GBV). “Nomthandazo was beaten for doing absolutely nothing. She was unarmed and was in the car,” the DSG purported. Gift further said there was another female member aged 18 who was allegedly assaulted by the HMCS officers. He supposed that this was disheartening as the female was still young and did not deserve to be assaulted in the manner she was.

Dead

“Our organising secretary was also beaten and we suspected that he was dead. He was beaten on the craniovertebral junction with a baton,” claimed Gift. The DSG supposed that their organising secretary was also hit hard on the head. He said according to their calculations at about 3:16pm, there were seven casualties of the said attack and they were treated at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital. Furthermore, Gift said their women’s representative in the Hhohho Region was treated in a hospital in Matsapha after she was supposedly beaten even when seated. He also empathised with the families of those who were supposedly attacked and further ensured that they did not suffer any attacks beyond what they were purportedly exposed to.

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