By Phephile Motau
The Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) has petitioned the South African High Commissioner to Eswatini, calling for the withdrawal of security agents in the country, among other things.
The petition was delivered on Wednesday at the SA High Commission in Mbabane. The SUDF said it understood that the current constitutional arrangement was devoid of any forms of legitimacy and popular support given that the drafting was flawed.
They said they acknowledged the role of South Africa to push for a peaceful transition in Eswatini, especially the several visits that the South African President as a head of SADC Troika made to Eswatini in 2021 and 2022 through his emissary the Foreign Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor, and ex-minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe.
“The political and security crises continue to deepen in Eswatini despite all the diplomatic endeavours by the SADC Troika, and all other organisations and leaders to intervene through diplomatic means,†the organisation said.
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They alleged that pro-democracy leaders had been the target of attacks, killings through bombing and shootings mentioning that the President of proscribed People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) Mlungisi Makhanya’s home was attacked with military grenades in an attempt to assassinate him.
They further said the national organiser of PUDEMO Penuel Malinga has been attacked and shot at his home in an attempt to assassinate him and that the Swaziland First Democratic Front (SFDF) Deputy Secretary General Muzi Mmema was kidnapped at his home and later found shot and killed.
They added that Human Rights Lawyer Maxwell Nkambule escaped an assassination attempt on his life, and finally, the internationally renowned human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko was assassinated by a skilled sniper at his home in front of his wife and children.
“The Eswatini government is on record having said they have hired what they termed ‘security experts’. One of those hired is a South African who has come out to deny having killed the human rights lawyer and openly said they have no reason to want to kill him because he was not on the list of those to be assassinated”, the statement reads.
They, therefore, called for the SA government to investigate and demand the withdrawal of the hired security experts in Eswatini, and also demand the list of those to be assassinated by the State Agents.
Read More: SADC Troika Summit told of orchestrated terrorist acts in Eswatini
They further said they should stop the selling of armoury materials to the country because many of them are allegedly bought in South Africa. They also called for the withdrawal of all the South African rented fleet of cars to the government that is allegedly used for the killings, kidnappings, and assassinations of people.
“We urge the South African government to support calls for an UN-led investigative mechanism on the killings in Eswatini, especially the assassination of human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko and activist Muzi Mmema,†the organisation said.
They urged the SA government to support the call for a SADC-led inclusive national political dialogue in Eswatini. Their protest comes as the government has denied involvement in any clandestine operations and assassinations. Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini told the SADC Troika Summit in Windhoek earlier in the week that the current situation in the country is a sponsored form of terrorism.
In his address, the Prime Minister said the country was experiencing coordinated acts of terrorism and, in particular, the killing of security forces personnel on and off duty and traditional leaders.
“This campaign masquerades as an initiative that seeks democratic reform but the bare facts show that the intent, the actions and the outcomes are anything but democratic. They are designed to undermine trust in public institutions, instill fear amongst the general populace and create general disorder,†he said.
The Prime Minister added that the actions have been accompanied by demands for the Kingdom to abandon its Constitution in favour of an interim Government presumably consisting of unelected, self-appointed leaders of a variety of political organisations.
He said this was perpetrated through the use of force, coercion and intimidation. That is currently hindering the prospects for engagement within the provisions of the Constitution.
