By Wendy Magagula

MBABANE: The team of police officers who were commanded by King Mswati to trace the Swaziland News editor slept in the car for over four(4) days to save their traveling allowance.

Detailed information in our possession suggest that each security officer in the army and the police service normally cash E2,000.00 each per-day as an allowance to cater for accommodation and food, millions have been spent by the King and eSwatini Government on lawyers, private investigators, traditional healers and State security agents in an attempt to get the editor.

A State security officer who has been part of the team told this Swaziland News in a interview that they normally got two thousand Rands per day when crossing the border to trace the editor.

“Sometimes we are booked in Hotels plus the allowance depending on the situation but those with alternative accommodations save the allowance. We have a private investigator longuMlungu, who normally give us updates before we cross, when I told you that we were coming, it was after we had received the information and then our superiors gave us orders on how we should conduct the operation,” said a member of the State security agency who shared information to the editor.

On Sunday, a police Quantum registered GSD 319 PO arrived at the Oshoek border from South Africa with police officers who were assigned to trace the editor, the team was led by Senior Superintendent Clement Sihlongonyane.

In the car, there were blankets and sleeping mattresses , the police arrived at around 1300hours and were only allowed to cross around 4pm after a COVID-19 case was detected at the border.

Panuel Malinga, the National Organiser of the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) confirmed that he saw the police Quantum and a van at the border on Sunday.

“I saw that police Quantum and a van at the border, the Quantum was full of plain-clothed police officers, two of them were carrying cameras. The van was loaded with bags and it was tinted”,said the PUDEMO National Organizer.

Questions were sent to Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, the Police Spokesperson, however, she had not responded at the time of compiling this report.

Resigned Army Commander Jeffery Shabalala confirmed in an electronic evidence released by this Swaziland News that the army and the police were tracing the editor to kill him for writing critical articles about King Mswati.