MBABANE: As children continue to disappear in the country for alleged ritual purposes, information has emerged how police intimidated relatives and citizens of the victims instead of investigating the cases.
Speaking to this Swaziland News, Sibongile Mazibuko, a resident of Sidvwashini and President of Ngwane National Liberatory Congress(NNLC) said as residents they were once threatened by Senator Isaac Magagula, the then National Commissioner of Police for demanding justice for Qiniso Mhlanga, a twelve(12) year-old child whose body was found with missing body parts in a forest at Nkoyoyo.
“After the child went missing, police were staggering to investigate and as residents we then conducted our own investigation searching for the child. The body of the child was then found by a boy of the area in a forest with missing parts and when we reported to the police, they did nothing.Lokwenteka lamaphoyisa abita lomfana lowatfola lesidvumbu ambuta kutsi uze ubona lesidvumbu njena bekayofunani lapha ehlatsini, he was seriously interrogated by the police(meaning: What happened thereafter, police interrogated the boy who found the body questioning him why he went to the forest. Isaac Magagula went as far as intimidating us as residents, saying he was aware that we wanted to organise a protest to demand justice for the ritually murdered child. What the police did at Nyanyali by targeting the residents and the mother of one of the missing children instead of investigating the matter, is exactly what they did to us here at Sidvwashini”, said the NNLC President.
Mazibuko said instead of investigating the alleged ritual murder, Isaac Magagula would consistently send police spies to monitor them during community meetings to ascertain if they were discussing anything relating to the ritual murder of the child.
A questionnaire was sent to Senator Isaac Magagula, however, he had not responded at the time of compiling this report.
It has been reported that two children went missing at Nyanyali, Buseleni under Nkwene Inkhundla during the recently held Incwala ritual ceremony.
Police allegedly sabotaged the investigation, assisted the prime suspect to escape to South Africa, they later assaulted and tortured the mother of one the kids Ayanda Dlamini at Hlathikhulu Police Station before throwing her behind bars for demanding her child. Dlamini was accused by the police of being part of the group of residents who staged a protest and later burnt the home of the suspect, she was released on Thursday on free bail by the Nhlangano Magistrate Court.
Speaking to this Swaziland News Nonhlanhla Dlamini, the Spokesperson of the newly formed Liphimbo LaboMake said while they welcomed the release of the persecuted Nyanyali woman, Ayanda Dlamini on free bail, as women rights organisations they wanted to know the whereabouts of the missing children. Dlamini thanked women rights organisations and individuals who supported the campaign to release Ayanda Dlamini whom she said was being persecuted despite that she was in pain after her child went missing.
“We are now living in a country where we don’t know what might happen to us tomorrow hence the importance of supporting one another in such situations, what happened to Ayanda could happen to all of us” said the Liphimbo LaboMake Spokesperson.
Former National Commissioner Isaac Magagula