‘We will not stop until all who committed terrorist acts are caught’ — REPS
THE Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) has vowed to bring to book all those who were responsible for the terrorist acts associated with the 2021 unrest.
Businesses and government facilities were subjected to terrorist attacks from June 2021 while lives were also lost. The long arm of the continues to grip those responsible with two more suspects having been apprehended over the Easter weekend.
Initially, 28 people were on the REPS’S most wanted list and the country’s law enforcement agencies have been able to book quite a sizeable number from the list. Deputy Police Information and Communication Officer, Nosipho Mnguni disclosed to the Eswatini Sunday that there has been quite a breakthrough in the REPS’S investigations into the terrorist acts of June 2021.
The REPS reported that two more alleged terrorists were arrested bringing the number of those still on the most wanted list to 10.
“We will keep our promise as police officers and we will not rest until all those who participated in the terrorist acts are brought to book,” the deputy PICO said on Saturday.
According to the police, on the list of those who were at large, are security officers and some civilians. They are alleged to have abandoned their different occupations, homes and children after they were made aware that they were wanted in connection with terrorism offences. They are believed to be hiding outside the Kingdom of Eswatini.
The terrorist attacks left the Kingdom of Eswatini with a E4 billion repair bill. The violent scenes were first experienced at the end of June 2021 and the beginning of July when property worth an estimated E3 billion was looted or damaged.
One of the casualties at the time was a truck belonging to Shoprite which was extensively burnt, and this was to be followed by the burning of property in many parts of the country, especially at shopping complexes such as OK Foods and Buy Cash Hardware.
Other entities that suffered immensely included Bandag Tyres, OBC Butchery and Galito’s to name but a few. The business property damages resulted in 5,000 job losses. Informal traders and SMES were affected by the burning of commercial buildings, which was accompanied by the looting of goods.
Factories, parastatals, sugar mills and those small businesses could not be spared from the arson attacks. Movable assets such as trucks were burnt as well. The government infrastructure that was also targeted included Tinkhundla centres which are key in ensuring that government services are brought closer to the people.
About 20 Tinkhundla centres were burnt and rebuilding them will cost an arm and a leg. In terms of estimates, around E6 million is needed to rebuild each Tinkhundla centre and ensure that it has the proper infrastructure to offer the services expected.
Based on the number of centres affected, over E100 million is expected to be spent by the government. The tinkhundla centres that were petrol-bombed included Somntongo, Ngudzeni, Kumethula, Sandleni, Maseyisini, Matsanjeni South, Timphisini, Hosea, Ngwempisi, Ndzingeni, Mayiwane, Ntondozi, Kwaluseni, Kukhanyeni, Dvokodvweni, Siphofaneni, Lamgabhi and Zombodze Emuva.
Also affected during the political unrest was property belonging to the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) and that of police officers.
The REPS as an organisation had some of its police posts torched while officers had their homes and other property suffering the same fate.
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The property for the REPS includes four houses which were torched at the Sigodvweni Police Camp in Matsapha. The police service’s infrastructure that had been destroyed includes Kashewula, Luve, Mpaka, Ngculwini, Madlangempisi, Fairview North and Phumulamcashi police posts. Other structures that were torched were Matsapha Police Camp, Malkerns and Lubuli station commanders’ houses
While the REPS do not usually make public the cost of damage on its properties, it is believed that rebuilding the destroyed posts will need around E200 million.
Schools in different parts of the country were also not spared from the sporadic attacks as over 50 of them were vandalised while a handful of them suffered arson attacks from unknown instigators.
By the end of April last year, it was estimated that about E19 million would have to be forked out for rebuilding some of the schools where structures administration blocks and laboratories were burnt.
Meanwhile, the number of the people who are now of interest to the police is contained in court papers where the prosecution is strongly opposing the bail application of the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) student, who was arrested for alleged terrorist activities.
It is worth mentioning that the former Members of Parliament, Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube were the first ones to feel the brunt of the law against terrorism while their co-accused, Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane skipped the country and is currently on the police’s most wanted list.
It should also be noted that some of the most wanted terrorist suspects are currently out of the country while those who have already been arrested are presently incarcerated at the Sidwashini Correctional Facility.
“Eight are currently at Sidwashini Correctional facility while 14 are kept at the Manzini Remand Centre. Thabo Kunene, the infamous commander who is also an ex-police officer is kept at the Matsapha Correctional Institution,” disclosed an impeccable source.
Mayibongwe Pupu Nyawo (20) of Siphofaneni, is the 23rd person to be arrested and charged under the Suppression of Terrorism Act, for crimes that were committed during the unrest. He is accused of the same offences as Bonginkhosi ‘Bongo’ Nkambule and Menzi Bhembe, who were arrested in the past two weeks.
Nkambule is a member of the Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS). The trio is alleged to have burnt a police car at the Mbabane Government Hospital and a national flag at UNESWA Mbabane Campus, during a students’ march to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security on September 30, 2022.
So far, none of the 23 accused persons have been granted bail. Detective Collen Mazibuko, who works under the Criminal Investigations Department (Organised Crime and Counter Terrorism Unit), told the court that it would not be in the interest of justice to release Nyawo on bail.
He alleged that in the event the accused was released on bail, he would flee the country and join those who were wanted by the police. Mazibuko told the court that the overwhelming evidence, coupled with the likelihood of being convicted, as well as the heavy custodial sentence, would entice the accused to escape the jurisdiction.
“About 16 of the accused persons who participated in the terrorist acts are at large and out of the court’s jurisdiction,” submitted the investigator. He averred that in the event that Nyawo was released on bail, he was likely to join them as they seemed to have many sympathisers, who were readily available to sponsor their stay in the foreign jurisdiction.
According to the investigating officer, Nyawo could fit easily in a foreign jurisdiction, as he was still young and could be able to enrol at any university and continue with his education. It was further his contention that it would be easy for Nyawo to flee the jurisdiction as he was unemployed, without assets, but just a student.
Detective Mazibuko also averred that the accused was likely to interfere with and influence two independent Crown witnesses, who accompanied the police during point-outs.
“It is submitted that the applicant’s (Nyawo) release on bail will, therefore, endanger the lives of the witnesses, mostly because he is aware of who was present when they torched the police van. He can easily reach them directly or indirectly, through those in solidarity with overthrowing the current government,” he argued.
He implored the court not to release the applicant on bail, as he would allegedly endanger the safety of the public. The investigator pointed out that during the march, the applicant failed to heed the orders of the Hhohho Police Operations officer when he instructed them to disperse and return home. It was alleged by the investigating officer that the applicant was able to threaten to assault a police officer, who was in full uniform, before allegedly setting alight the police van.
“So clearly granting him bail will undermine or jeopardise the objectives or the proper functioning of the criminal justice system, inclusive of the bail system,” submitted the law enforcer.
He added that the allegation that the applicant was a student at UNESWA did not make him entitled to being granted bail. He said even though the applicant alleged that he would be sitting an examination, he did not take the court into his confidence by stating the exact date.
He highlighted that the applicant and his co-accused were facing charges of terrorism, arising from the civil unrest and that the objective of the same was to bring about an unlawful regime change.
“The blanket statement is a result of the fact that he was writing no test and that no examination is commencing on February 24, 2024. Such has been alleged to mislead the court,” argued the investigator.
The bail application is pending before Judge Nkosinathi Maseko and appearing for the applicant is Noncedo Ndlangamandla. The Crown is represented by Mxolisi Dlamini from the chamber of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).