MBABANE: National Commissioner of Police William Tsintsibala Dlamini and his police agents allegedly forced Simhle Fakudze’s mother Lindiwe to deny an earlier report by the Swaziland Democratic News online platform,that exposed a plot by the police to secretly bury a police recruit linked to the pro-democracy movement.
An investigation by this Swaziland News uncovered that indeed the police were preparing to secretly bury the police recruit on Friday night or earlier in the afternoon.
The family was under siege being threatened by the police.
It has been disclosed that by 13:45 on Friday, a group of police officers were camping at Dups Funeral in Manzini while other officers were preparing the grave site.
A questionnaire was sent to William Dlamini, the National Commissioner of Police,however, he had not responded at the time of compiling this report.
In an earlier interview, Lindiwe Fakudze the mother to the deceased refuted and labelled as ‘false’ a report by the Democratic News suggesting that her daughter might be secretly buried by the police before the announced funeral date, she said the funeral will take place on Saturday as planned.
“Preparations for my daughter’s funeral on Saturday are underway,” said the mother when speaking to journalist Sicelo Mhlanga earlier on Friday.
But a follow investigation by this Swaziland News uncovered that the tip-off published by the Democratic News platform was true and accurate as the police were secretly preparing the grave site to bury Fakudze on Friday afternoon while pushing the mother to deny the allegations.
An audio between two police officers sent to this Swaziland News exposes that the police were indeed preparing for the funeral.
“We are about to start now, we will bury her like a police officer not a comrade. It’s good that reports online are suggesting that she will be buried on Saturday. Abasale kanjalo batawuva sekuphelile,” said the police officer in the audio when speaking to another officer in an conversation recorded around 2:45pm on Friday.
It has been revealed that the police told the mother that she won’t get some benefits for her daughter if she doesn’t assist in ensuring that members of political parties are prevented from attending the funeral.
”This is just meant to create confusion, the body is now is possession of the police. They will analyze the situation, if the reports succeed in ensuring that political parties are prevented, they will bury her tomorrow as planned. But if the situation suggests that they must bury her tonight, they will do so, they are just waiting for an order from the National Commissioner. We are against this but the mother is supporting the police because they promised her some benefits,”said the family member.
Preparations at the grave site.