BACKGROUND ACCORDING TO TANELE MASEKO:

Oor around March 27, 2024, at or around 9:30pm, I entered the Ngwenya Border Gate seeking to gain entry into Eswatini from the Republic of South Africa. The immigration officer assisting me informed me that my passport had been identified as belonging to an individual who is currently placed on the list of wanted persons in Eswatini. My passport was confiscated, and I was immediately detained by members of the Royal Eswatini Police Service stationed at the border. At all material times, I was with my two minor children aged seven and 12 years, who were present when my husband was assassinated, and my elder sister Ncinci Thwala, all of whom waited in the car for my release as I was the only driver available. It is safe to, therefore, conclude that they were also under constructive detention at all times during my detention and the police were aware but they were not bothered. Towards midnight, I was made to drive to the Police Headquarters in Mbabane with a police officer assigned to sit in the passenger seat while the children and my sister were seated at the back. Upon reaching the Police Headquarters in Mbabane, I found a group of police officers led by Clement Sihlongonyane. I recognised another officer named Junior, with whom I had been in regular contact following the death of my husband. There was a total of 10 police officers there, consisting of eight males and two females. The police stated that I have been ‘evading’ their attempts to contact me in preparation for an interview. I asserted and still assert with humility that this statement is untrue. The police then seized my cellphone without my consent and placed it in a plastic bag after recording the relevant details in relation to the identity of the device. The forcible seizure happened despite my opposition on the basis that it had been taken from me without a warrant and/or court order. The interaction with the police took place in the presence of my attorneys, and there were back and forth arguments centred on confiscation of my passport and cellphone, and the issue of whether my lawyers needed to be present in the interview room when the police were going to be interviewing me. There was an impasse as the police insisted on retaining the cellphone and that they did not want my lawyers inside the interview room. With the impasse, it was resolved that I would report to the Manzini Regional Headquarters for an interview on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at noon. I was released from the Mbabane Headquarters at 1:40am.