WE WILL RESPOND WITH NECESSARY FORCE - PM

MBABANE – “Government will not hesitate to respond with the necessary force to protect our national security, as a sovereign State in the face of these brutal crimes that are being committed under the pretext of pursuing democracy.”

These were the words of the Prime Minister (PM), Cleopas Sipho Dlamini, when addressing the media during a press conference held at the Cabinet Offices yesterday afternoon. Dlamini said now that the unknown criminals, who he referred to as terrorists, were hiding behind veiled motives and had declared war against the people, government would declare it as well against the former. “Njengoba sebayiphakile natsi sitayiphaka kuhlanganwe etulu,” said Dlamini in vernacular.

Statement

The PM’s statement came after two police officers were shot dead by unknown gunmen while they were on duty in the past few days in two separate incidents. The police officers are Zinhle Mavuso and Alpheus Sibusiso Matsebula. Mavuso was shot on Saturday around 3am, while Matsebula was shot on Sunday evening. They were both on duty responding to incidents reported via phone calls. However, it has since surfaced that the reported incidents were hoax.

The PM, during the press conference, was in the company of the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Pholile Shakantu. Dlamini said government could not sit back and watch these terrorists intimidate emaSwati. He said the security agents would stand up against the terrorists. He said government would not even bother to dialogue with such people, whom he referred to as ‘batsakatsi’. “Wase wakhuluma yini nebatsakatsi, ngoba akusibobantfu labaphilako laba batsakatsi?” said the PM in vernacular.

He said government would do everything to protect the lives of emaSwati, and to restore peace and order in the country. “These criminals and their enablers will face the full might of the law,” said Dlamini. The prime minister said government was already out in full force conducting investigations and gathering the necessary information that would help to decisively deal with the criminals behind these acts. He said government committed to every citizen that it was deploying all its assets internally, as well as regionally to hunt down these terrorists and bring them to book, while exposing their enablers.

He strongly condemned the senseless killing of State security officers, as well as the sporadic arson and terrorist attacks on public and private property, perpetuated by unknown criminals hiding behind veiled motives.  He noted that the safety of emaSwati across all four regions was now under threat as this group of criminals continued to wage a senseless assault on the people. The PM noted that this spate of crimes and its effects had now reached a level in which it had, and would, affect the lives of all emaSwati in one way or another.

He said it was no doubt that this was not through the consent of emaSwati. He said it, therefore, begged the question as to who was it for and what did that person or persons stand to benefit from it? He said the people who were behind the attacks were those who claimed to be fighting for freedom, but then the question was from whom they wanted that freedom and who was oppressing them.  He said as government, they were aware that the terrorists were sponsored by foreign companies and other countries known to them. “Batfola tinsambansamba emaveni lesiwatiko nekuwati nasetinhlanganweni lesitatiko nemagama ato,” said the PM in vernacular. This could be loosely translated as; “They are getting lump sums from known countries and organisations we even know their names.”

He said in most cases, those who were receiving the funds would then hire the poor emaSwati to conduct their dirty works. He said one then wondered what those sponsors were aiming to gain from the country, by sponsoring the terrorist attacks in Eswatini.  He said it was clear, therefore, that these attacks were not just on government or any individual company, but on all emaSwati.

He said those behind these evil acts were terrorists, hell-bent on condemning people to a state of fear and never-ending cycle of poverty. The PM further expressed that there could be no justification of such attacks, particularly when the country already had a clear laid down pathway towards reconciling differences and building a better Eswatini together.  He stated that it was clear to all now that the people behind these attacks were not for the betterment of emaSwati or a better Eswatini, but selfishly pushing their terrorist agendas. He further thanked the security personnel and all emaSwati who have worked bravely and tirelessly to protect the people and the country from these cruel individuals.

 Embrace

He urged all emaSwati to embrace the call to protect their country and their livelihoods. He said all peace-loving emaSwati should stay clear of activities that had the potential to escalate into conflict. The PM urged the nation to stay strong as the police and the army was there to protect them and hopefully the nation would cooperate. He said he was hoping that the nation would cooporate and help the government track down the criminals as they were already doing that.  

Dlamini said from now on, police would go out armed and in large numbers when responding to incidents. He said this when responding to questions from the media, on what would government do to ensure that police officers continued responding to incidents, and at the same time ensure their safety. The PM said from now on, police officers would not go out in pairs, as it had been happening. He said they would also be provided with the necessary protective gear, as some of them had complained about the lack of same. Dlamini emphasised that police would continue responding to incidents as there were still emaSwati who genuinely needed their service

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