MATSAPHA: King Mswati’s police and soldiers raided Mathangeni and New Village in search for weapons as political temperatures continue to rise in this tiny Kingdom.
It has been disclosed that the security officers were searching for guns amid concerns that civilians were slowly arming themselves for underground operations.
The police officers were driven in trucks from the Operational Support Services Unit(OSSU).
“They are raiding Mathangeni and New Village as we speak,” said a resident who cannot be named for ethical reasons.
When asked about the raids, Police Spokesperson Superintendent Phindile Vilakati declined to comment.
Reached for comments, Mandla Hlatjwako, the Chairperson of Letfu Sonkhe Institute for Strategic Thinking and Development said the ongoing army and police raids and invasion of people’s privacy would not solve the country’s political problems.
“The only viable solution will come through a mediated political dialogue and negotiations. The State reliance on violence and intimidation is a strategic mistake and will only succeed to destroy the moral and social fabric of the country. The rights of the people to freely participate in the election of the Government of their choice and freely participate in all the affairs of the country is an international recognised right under SADC, the AU as well as the United Nations. In our country these were taken away by force and illegally through the 1973 decree,”he said.
The Letfu Sonkhe Chairperson said State violence could only lead to counter-violence.
“The simple answer is to open talks .Violence is not a solution but a recipe for a civil war. There have been many powerful dictators around the world with more money and bigger guns, yet they were not able to remain in power against the will of their people,” said the Letfu Sonkhe Chairperson.
Police trucks during the raiding.