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MBABANE – The Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) led by the recently arrested Ncamiso Mabuyakhulu says they are not shaken by the development.
On Wednesday night, the party’s Deputy President Mbongeni Simelane was live on social media, delivering a message from his party regarding their president’s arrest and how they were taking it.
Mabuyakhulu was arrested together with one Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) member Philani Sihlongonyane in connection with the murder of State security officers. German Robert Dlamini, who was allegedly with them in the car when they were arrested, was able to flee the scene but he was subsequently arrested on Monday.
During their remand hearing on Monday, it was revealed that Mabuyakhulu and Sihlongonyane were facing 29 counts including alleged murder, arson attack, possession of illegal firearms and robbery. German on the other hand was slapped with illegal firearm possession charges.
They will be back in court next week Tuesday for their second remand hearing.
In the live video, Simelane stated that even if the counts were to be a million or a billion, they would still not be shaken because President Mabuyakhulu taught them how to respond to such and he also instilled revolutionary bravery in them.
Simelane said they believed in application of legal justice for offences, but as long as security forces, who allegedly killed their beloved ones in 2021 have not been prosecuted, as long as prosecution took place in the current existing courts and as long as the three arms of government were not democratic, they would never accept any prosecution.
“We fully support justice but first things must come first. We must not pick and choose when to use State resources and courts when it suits one side. Before our president can be accused of murdering the State security officers together with the other counts, the police and soldiers who allegedly killed emaSwati since June 29, 2021 and prior should be rounded up and be brought to court,” said Simelane.
He said they would not stop fighting for democracy regardless of the arrest of their president.
“Even if it means jail time, exile, daily persecution or death as long as it will end oppression, it must be done. When we get overcome by fear, we must be inspired by the bodies of our patriots in the streets in 29 June 2021,” he added.
He stated that as SWAYOCO they were then demanding; the release of Mabuyakhulu, Sihlongonyane and all other political prisoners; political exiles must be allowed to safely return to Eswatini; justice for all those killed and maimed in last year’s unrest; prosecution of security forces involved in the 2021 June massacre; unbanning of all political parties; and a political dialogue which would lead towards a negotiated settlement and republic of Eswatini.