By Zweli Martin Dlamini

It has been consistently mentioned that in terms of the  Swazi Law and Custom, the dead are respected but the Tinkhundla regime normally deploys a battalion of heavily armed police officers to funerals of political activists to harass their relatives and further spy on Speakers.

This means relatives of those who hold a different political view in this country endure the pain of losing their loved ones and further be subjected to trauma by the political system that hypocritically preaches peace and respect for the dead.

Fortunately, we are all equal in the eyes of God and death can strike anytime within the corridors of the Tinkhundla and the progressive movement, Deputy Commissioner Sam Mthembu who allegedly killed PUDEMO member Sipho Jele, tortured many human rights defenders and independent journalists was buried without any disturbance from security agents because he was a 'hitman' of the system.

I am writing this article to assist citizens of this country to understand better the operations of this government that preaches peace while on the other hand, children disappear for alleged rituals, political activists are allegedly poisoned and killed with police officers deployed to disturb their funerals and harass innocent people.

As mentioned, we must be grateful as citizens of this country that death knows no boundaries, it could have been a worse experience if those with money and power were given an option to pay some  ‘bail’ to avoid death, Mthembu will still be killing people even today.

Mthembu who tortured and killed many political activists including independent journalists was described as a top detective by the State media, nothing was being mentioned about the citizens he allegedly killed and their families who were subjected to torture merely because one of their own holds a different political view and this means in this country we have people whose souls are regarded to be more important than those of the poor citizens.

I will never celebrate death like Prince Majaha who celebrated the death of the Swaziland Democratic Party (SWADEPA) President Jan Sithole, but I recall telling senior police officers including Sam Mthembu who were commanded to torture me that all of them would die one day. This was after they boasted, saying they could just kill me and nothing would be done to them, forgetting that King Mswati and his children had no power to save them from  death, as you read this, Mthembu's body is decaying in his grave. 

Before, he died, Mthembu thought he had all the powers to end people's lives without being arrested on this earth but as you read this, his soul might be under 'arrest' waiting for the judgement day. 

Now that Mthembu is dead, he cannot do anything including protecting his children, this should be a lesson to all police officers who are deployed to harass relatives of political activists while they are in mourning  that one day they will die and live their own families behind, they wouldn't wish this to happen to their own children and relatives. 

As human beings who are privileged to breath and be alive today, we must know that none of us have a permanent residence here on earth, even police officers who claim they can kill anyone with impunity will die one day, as mentioned above, a good example is Sam Mthembu whose body is decaying now.

We must understand that as human beings, we will always differ in political opinions but that doesn’t mean we are enemies, deploying police officers in funerals of political activists is a declaration of war against the citizens, it’s unfortunate that this is done by people who will die one day and they expect to be buried with dignity.