The desperation by Housing Minister Major General Prince Simelane to defend King Mswati and systematically implicate heads of the armed forces in the ongoing crimes against humanity suggests that the Minister lacks understanding regarding the seriousness of the crimes committed by Mswati.
Firstly, Minister Prince Simelane must listen to the electronic evidence where the then army Commander Jeffery Shabalala stated that the King issued an order to National Commissioner William Tsintsibala Dlamini to arrest the three pro-democracy Members of Parliament(MPs) but Tsintsibala was reluctant to do so, he was striking a balance, trying to protect the King and the Nation.
Perhaps, Tsintsibala knew that arresting these MPs being Bacede Mabuza, Mthandeni Dube and Mduduzi Magawugawu Simelane would manifest into a serious political crisis and thats exactly what happened, the country is in the midst of the political unrest.
The electronic evidence further exposed how the King questioned Tsintsibala as to why he was delaying to arrest the MPs yet he long issued the order and it further reveals how Mswati ordered them to shoot citizens who were protesting during the political unrest.
This collaborative evidence suggests that the King is directly involved in the operations of the three armed forces and apart from vicarious liability, the evidence amounts to reasonable belief that Mswati committed crimes against humanity.
In his public address where he was defending his brother Mswati, Prince Simelane further stated that there was no way the King could kill his people because traditionally, the people belong to the King.
It is important to remind Prince Simelane that Mswati is not God that he can own people, he is just a coward who messed-up our country and we are calling him a King because ethically, we are obliged to do so.
It is this tendency of elevating Mswati into a godly status that polluted his mind such that he now believes the people are his own property hence he cannot be held accountable for killing them.
Furthermore, Simelane must understand that the crimes committed by the King who allegedly killed civilians merely for protesting in demand for democratic reforms cannot be erased through a mere audio circulated on social media, that was a gross violation of international law and should be dealt with by international law enforcement agencies.
At first, people thought those next to Mswati were failing to advise him but some of us who work with information on daily basis know that this King lacks wisdom.
The pro-democracy MPs were arrested by the police weeks later after the warrants of arrest were issued, this means the National Commissioner and others whom he worked with were analysing the situation trying to prevent public disorder but Mswati insisted and even threatened to fire the National Commissioner for delaying the arrests.
Now, his brother, Prince Simelane thinks he can just defend Mswati with a mere social media audio on these serious crimes against humanity while systematically implicating Tsintsibala and Tshabalala?
Army Commander, National Commissioner and the Correctional Services Commissioner General are second in command in the Governing structures of the armed forces, Mswati is the Commander-in Chief.
Therefore, if Prince Simelane is defending Mswati saying he was not directly involved in the operations of the armed forces during the unrest, as a Head of State, what did he do to ensure that those who issued the order are held accountable?.
Simelane must understand that some of us, we communicate with the children of the late King Sobhuza who are also supporting the struggle for democracy behind the scenes, we know exactly what manifested before the shooting and killing of civilians, Mswati is a prisoner in waiting.
Actually, Mswati must thank National Commissioner William Tsintsibala Dlamini who tried to protect him, should he have implemented all the King’s orders without being cautious, more than 1000 people would have died.
However, this does not mean Tsintsibala is innocent, his decision not to resign in solidarity with the people automatically turns him into a suspect because he was the Commissioner of Police at the time of the massacre hence, definitely, he will have to answer some questions from international investigators.
In conclusion, it is of paramount importance to bring to the attention of Prince Simelane that committing crimes against humanity is a serious violation of international law, Mswati cannot be cleared through a social media audio, dialogue or no dialogue, he will have to face the international criminal justice system.
Resigned Army Commander Jeffery Shabalala.