By Wendy Magagula

HOSEA: Tinhle Alwande Dlamini(16) of Hosea who was pregnant has suffered a miscarriage after being assaulted by King Mswati’s police.

This comes after the King unleashed police officers to terrorize residents of Hosea this week who were planning to attend a court case for their arrested pro-democracy Member of Parliament(MP) Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza.

Speaking to this Swaziland News, Tinhle’s mother Thobile Maziya-Dlamini confirmed that her daughter was assaulted by the police.

“They came here and assaulted her together with a woman who was just passing by our home, Tinhle was pregnant and has suffered a miscarriage, she is at Hlathikhulu hospital” ,said Tinhle’s mother.

The mother to the miscarriaged woman had appealed for assistance while speaking to this Swaziland News live on Facebook, however, at the time of compiling this report, she told this publication that she received the assistance shortly after the interview.

“I received a lot of calls after the interview, as we speak I’m going to the hospital to check on Tinhle, we are now sorted. Some of the people who offered the support are already with her at the hospital and I’m  also going there”, she said.

Richard Vilane, the Hosea Indvuna YeNkhundla confirmed the assault of the woman, he described it as very unfortunate.

“It’s unfortunate because as I’m speaking to you, I’m in hiding and can’t offer much support to the victims because I’m also a target”, he said.

Eswatini is in the midst of a political crisis after the King unleashed soldiers and the police to shoot and kill dozens of civilians who were demanding democratic reforms. In an electronic evidence released by this Swaziland News, resigned Army Commander Jeffery Shabalala said Mswati described protesting as kwedzelela(showing disobedience towards his authority).

The King subsequently unleashed the police and soldiers to terrorize citizens at Hosea, Lomahasha and other rural areas, sources revealed that women were being raped in the process.

Colani Hlatswako, the One Billion Rising Africa Coordinator called for an investigation into the harassment of women including the rape allegations in the midst of the political crisis.

However, Government Spokesperson Sabelo Dlamini when speaking to Ligwalagwala FM denied that women were being raped saying the police do not have an official report of a woman who was raped by security forces.

“For now we don’t have reports from the police suggesting that there were women who were raped by the security officers”, he said.