CLAIMS ASPIRING MP WARDER KIDNAPPED, TAKEN TO SA

MANZINI - A warder, who is an aspiring MP managed to escape from six men who kidnapped and smuggled him to Durban, South Africa.

According to a source close to the matter, the incident took place just over a week ago and the member of His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS), Bonginkosi Dlamini, who is an aspiring Member of Parliament (MP) for Maphalaleni Constituency (Nsingweni Chiefdom), was kidnapped by six armed men near Siphofaneni, along Hhelehhele/Lavumisa Public Road.
The source said the member of the country’s State security organ was from Big Bend and he got a lift, which dropped him near Siphofaneni, after 5pm. He said while he was hitchhiking, in order to get to Manzini, a red Toyota Corolla stopped and six men jumped out of the car. He said four of them were armed with guns and there was nothing he could do as, beside the fact he was outnumbered, the kidnappers had dangerous weapons. He said while armed men pointed at him with their guns, the other two tied his hands behind his back and bundled him into the boot of the car before speeding away.

Borderline

The source said it is believed that the men used the one of the informal crossing points along the country’s borderline, in the Shiselweni Region, to cross to the neighbouring South Africa. He said when they arrived in South Africa; they locked him in a room, where he spent about three days. “While locked in the house, he survived with water, which they left for him in a small washing dish,” the source said. He said the kidnappers robbed the aspiring MPs his belongings, which included an undisclosed amount of money. He said while locked up, they demanded that he should give them money so they would let him go. However, the source said he told them that he did not have money. Thereafter, he said they demanded that he should call his family and tell them to send money for his release. He said despite telling the men that his family did not have money, they forced him to make the call.

After learning about the matter, the source said his family reported the matter to law enforcers at the Manzini Police Station. At the house, the source said the HMCS officer was guarded by four of the armed kidnappers day and night. However, he said on the third day, the warder noticed that there were only two voices outside. He said at night, while he was paying attention to their movements and what they were saying, he heard that they were planning to come inside and he hid behind the door.

Kicked

“When they opened the door, he kicked the one, who was in the front and disarmed him of his gun and fired a shot to the floor (in front of the other kidnapper) and managed to flee,” the source claimed. He said the aspiring MP learnt that he was in Durban when he sought help from one of the complexes and he eventually came back to Eswatini the following day. The aspiring MP, who was reluctant to talk about the matter, said he could not link it to elections because the kidnappers demanded money.  He said when he told them that he did not have money; they insisted that they knew that he had it.

By the time of compiling this report yesterday, Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni said the matter could not be found in their records. She highlighted that sometimes people reported without recording a statement, which then made it difficult for them to trace it. On the other hand, HMCS Public Relations Officer Senior Superintendent Gugulethu Dlamini said the officer reported the matter to his superiors upon return to the country and they advised him to report it to the police.

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