By Zweli Martin Dlamini

Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo’s decision to issue a press statement under State letterheads and attack assassinated lawyer Thulani Rudolf Maseko’s widow Tanele Maseko, clearly demonstrates the highest desperation by this cruel and oppressive regime to clean the blood of the innocent lawyer on Mswati’s hands.

This comes after a video of the widow emerged where she was addressing the Magnitsky Human Rights Awards, an annual event that is held in London every November.

In her powerful speech, the politically inclined widow to the late highly regarded human rights lawyer stated categorically that, her husband was killed by King Mswati.

Firstly, in the press statement,the Government Spokesperson is accusing Tanele Maseko of not behaving or conducting herself like a widow seeking justice for her husband while in the country adding that, she is on a global charade to source money or cash using the death of her husband.

Well, I’ve been reading the statement trying to understand its context and I’m failing to understand if it’s proper in our Eswatini Culture for a whole government institution to attack a widow merely for seeking justice for her husband who was brutally killed in front of her.

Government Spokesperson must explain if there’s a written code of conduct regulating the behavior of widows whose husbands were assassinated within their homes by King Mswati or Government merely for demanding democratic reforms.

So Alpheous is trying to tell us that, a grieving widow who was traumatized after witnessing the shooting of her husband and had to pick-up his brain mass must be told by this regime how to behave and express herself before the international community?.

It is actually this dictatorship tendency by this cruel regime that promotes oppression in this country, in context,Alpheous Nxumalo or Government is expecting a grieving widow to demonstrate respect to a regime that kills those with dissenting views “ngoba kaNgwane noma uhlukubetwa, kubulalwe nesihlobo sakho konkhe kukhulunywa ngenhlonipho.Futsi uMfelokati akakhulumi kanjena”, what a shame!.

Tanele Maseko has proven to be a brave and eloquent speaker, no amount of government press statements will discourage her from seeking justice for her husband who was allegedly killed by dictator King Mswati.

It is very disturbing to note that, in all these Government press statements issued after the assassination of lawyer Thulani Rudolf Maseko,we are not receiving answers from the State who killed Thulani Maseko if Government is disputing that it’s King Mswati and his mercenaries.

The death of lawyer Thulani Rudolf Maseko attracted the attention of the international community,what is preventing Government from gathering convincing evidence and seek international support to apprehend the suspects if the alleged killers are hiding in other countries?.

Why is the assassination addressed through Government press statements instead of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act?

The reason is simple, there’s no evidence that could be used to identify a ‘scapegoat’ in the killing of Thulani Maseko except for the State sponsored theories, if Government is aware of the killers,what is preventing the arrest,a year after the assassination?

This is a criminal matter not a Public Relations issue,if Government is disputing that Thulani Rudolf Maseko was killed by Mswati, it’s the duty of the State to produce the killers, Government is tasked with ensuring the safety of all citizens hence we will continue to demand justice for Thulani Rudolf Maseko from the State including Mswati who threatened citizens with dissenting views.

It is also important for Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo to understand that,Tanele Maseko is an eye witness who was in the house when the assassination occurred and in terms of the law of evidence, you cannot simply dispute her version with theories,she witnessed the shooting!

Mswati must be held accountable for the death of lawyer Thulani Rudolf Maseko, we don’t expect Government to dictate to the widow how she must behave, we are demanding justice for human rights lawyer Thulani Rudolf Maseko.

In conclusion,it is important to remind Government Spokesperson that Government is a public institution,we don’t expect the State to be seen reducing itself to attack a widow in defense of a dictator.

It’s wrong to publish a press statement in letterheads belonging to the State, just to attack Thulani Rudolf Maseko’s wife merely for demanding justice for her husband.

The name of King Mswati will always feature whenever the assassination of the highly regarded human rights lawyer is discussed,he issued threats against those calling for democracy and a few hours later, Thulani Rudolf was killed.