The nation was shocked to know that a woman was shot dead during a security operation. I will not dwell on the details of this incident because a lot has been written about it. I would first send my condolences to Silindile’s family, especially her children, relatives, friends and the community at large on her untimely demise. It is only God, Almighty, who has the capacity to comfort the family.
I would like to appreciate MP Welcome Dlamini, who raised this matter in Parliament. This showed that he truly represents emaSwati because Silindile was not from his constituency, but was bold enough to raise it. It was also pleasing that the army and police leadership visited the family as per our siSwati custom, ‘kuyolila’. Also worth noting is that the prime minister also issued a statement about this incident to demonstrate that the government was not necessarily ignoring such a painful incident.
It is gratifying to note that emaSwati have been united in grief, in spite of their political differences. The generous donations that the family received and the high turnout of emaSwati to bid Silindile farewell were indeed a clear indication that emaSwati still view each other as keepers.
It is, however, disturbing that the Church of Christ has been loud in her silence. This is because we never heard the Church bodies issuing statements about the incident. Of course, we were not expecting them to take sides, but ‘nje kulila’ and making a call for impartial investigation would have demonstrated that the Church cares also about the social conditions of emaSwati. In fact, the Church is ideally the conscience of the nation. However, it seems in our country the Church does not align itself with the wounded, like that Samaritan in the Bible. God help us raise men of God who will be true representatives of Christ on Earth.
It is worth noting that the funeral was peaceful because the police were there only to maintain law and order. Even those who wore their political regalia were not intimidated, because after all, ‘singemaSwati’, in our differences.
We call for an impartial investigation into this incident to allow the family to have closure. We need as a country to guard against impunity because it will have far-reaching effects if those who are paid with hard-earned taxpayers’ money, including the tools they use, turn against citizens and there is no accountability.
As our Eswatini is a Christian country, let us reflect on what the scripture says about Justice. In Amos 5:24, the Bible says: “Let Justice roll like a river.” Amos issued this statement because he observed in verse 12 that the innocent and the poor were oppressed by a corrupt justice system. God was saying, according to one interpreting this Scripture, “they were damming the river up and creating a desert of justice’. This action irritated, God who protects the vulnerable. In Proverbs 31:14, the Bible says: “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt to their maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honours God.” Proverbs 31:3 says: “To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
I would like to note that the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini, promulgated in 2005, guarantees fundamental rights and freedoms, including the right to life in Section 15. However, this right is subject to specific exceptions, while the Constitution protects the right to life, reports indicate challenges in its implementation, particularly regarding excessive force by security forces.
The Constitution states in Chapter IV that the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the individual enshrined in this Chapter are hereby declared and guaranteed, namely:
Respect for life, liberty, right to fair hearing, equality before the law and equal protection of the law
Freedom of conscience, of expression and of peaceful assembly and association and of movement
Protection of the privacy of the home and other property rights of the individual
Protection from deprivation of property without compensation
Protection from inhuman or degrading treatment, slavery and forced labour, arbitrary search and entry and
Respect for the rights of the family, women, children, workers and persons with disabilities.
This is indeed one incident where a life has been needlessly lost, yet the victim posed no danger to the security forces nor the public in general. It is in this context that we call upon government to facilitate an impartial inquest so that the nation may know what really happened. This will also assist the security personnel to use force in accordance with the dictates of the law.
May the Human Rights and Administration Commission, which is empowered by the Constitution, also fully investigate this incident and publish its report.
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