TOURIST'S DEATH: GOVT APOLOGISES FOR INACCURATE INFORMATION

MANZINI – Blunder!

This is one of the words that best describe government’s actions in relation to information it released to the nation regarding the death of the male tourist from Switzerland, who was travelling with his fiancée and got involved in a road traffic accident on Tuesday evening around Forbes Reef, Hawane in the Hhohho Region. The accident involved a rented white Toyota Urban Cruiser, which had foreign (South African) registration numbers and an Isuzu bus, which belongs to the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS).

Visiting

The visiting couple was travelling in a rented car while the bus was reportedly servicing people who were travelling between Mbabane, Motshane and Pigg’s Peak. The bus was one of the vehicles which were provided by the country’s government to transport people to their destinations as public transport vehicles were not available on Tuesday and Wednesday. This was due to the two-day public transport shutdown. The government buses and kombies were driven by members of the State security organs.

Collision

After the accident, our sister publication, The Times of Eswatini, reported that the Swiss man was in a critical condition following the head-on collision with the government bus and personnel from the Eswatini National Fire and Emergency Services (ENFES), who were called to the scene; found that the tourist was trapped inside the vehicle.

Thereafter, the couple was reportedly rushed to one of the health facilities around Ezulwini in the Hhohho Region, where the man was admitted and later died - on Thursday. However, after the news that the Swiss man had died started circulating on various social media platforms (on Thursday), government, through the Spokesperson, Alpheous Nxumalo, issued a press statement which refuted the reports suggesting that the visiting tourist was no more.

Insinuating

In the press statement, which was broadcast and publicised in the country’s mainstream media, the government spokesperson said the social media reports insinuating that the tourist had since died were misleading and disingenuous in many respects. “Government wishes to inform the nation that the tourist who was involved in the accident is alive and in a relatively stable condition,” read part of the press statement.

Nxumalo added that the tourist’s family had already chartered a private plane that would airlift the patient to his home country for further medical attention. He said this was supposed to happen yesterday. After that, the government spokesperson then advised the nation not to be misled by the social media rumour mongers who were allegedly disseminating false information for their own ulterior motives and objectives.

Correcting

However, yesterday morning the government spokesperson issued another press statement where he was correcting the information he circulated through the one which he had released on the previous day. In yesterday’s press release, he said following the statement which government released to the nation on Thursday December 15, 2022 and based on earlier reports concerning the condition of the tourist who was involved in a head-on coalition with one of the government buses; an impression was created to the effect that the visitor in question was ‘relatively stable in hospital and awaiting to be airlifted to his home country’.

He said upon receiving new and updated information, as government wish to first, pass condolences to the family, relatives, friends and to the passengers and drivers who were in that particular vehicle for the passing on of the concerned tourist. “Government also withdraws and apologises to the nation at large, for the dissemination of inaccurate information. We take full responsibility for such and going forward, the office of government press promises to be more vigilant and more probing of information given to it by other departments and organs of the State,” the government spokesperson said in the statement.

Deceased

When he was called later on yesterday, where he was asked if as government they had communicated with the deceased’s family, especially to inform them about the sad news. However, Nxumalo said as government, they have issued a press statement about the matter and that was all they could say regarding the matter. It is worth noting that after the government spokesperson had released the press statement, which he used to withdraw the one he had issued on Thursday, social media was abuzz.

Some people accused the administration of being arrogant, while others were of the view that they did not see tourists flocking to the Kingdom of Eswatini as it used to happen in the yester years. On the other hand, others were sending their heartfelt condolences to the deceased tourist.

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