By Zweli Martin Dlamini

NOKWANE:Lieutenant General Mashikilisane Fakudze, the eSwatini Army Commander told King Mswati, an absolute Monarch,that soldiers are ready for another political unrest.

The sentiments by the Army Commander come after dozens of protesting unarmed civilians were shot and killed by the army and the police during the recent political unrest, merely for demanding democratic reforms.

Eswatini is a tiny Kingdom situated in Southern Africa where political activism and expressing a different political view, is regarded as terrorism by the Government and authorities.

The Army Commander was speaking during the Army Day last week that was attended by among others, former South African President Jacob Zuma and ex-Botswana President Lieutenant General Ian Khama.

Worth-noting, the soldiers demonstrated through what appeared to be a drama play, how they will attack unarmed innocent civilians with State military weapons.

But the drama by the soldiers recapped sad memories of an attack by the police military wing known as the Operational Support Services Unit(OSSU) on teachers where a tear-gas was fired inside a bus along the Oshoek-Mbabane highway, the incident happened at Nkoyoyo in the outskirts of the capital city-Mbabane, about five hundred(500) meters away from King Mswati’s Palace.

“We are ready for another political unrest Your Majesty”, said the Army Commander when addressing the King.

Reached for comments by this Swaziland News on Sunday, Lot Vilakati, the Secretary General(SG) of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers(SNAT said, the demonstration by the soldiers recapped sad memories of what happened on or around the 20th October 2021, where the police fired a tear-gas inside a bus.

After firing the tear-gas, the police waited outside, shooting the teachers with alleged live rounds of ammunition and rubber bullets.

Vilakati said after watching the demonstration by the soldiers during the Army Day as teachers, they were shocked to learn that, the shooting was actually part of the security forces training.

“We were actually shocked to learn that this is actually part of their training.What is more painful is that, even the Human Rights Commission refused to compile a report about what happened when the security forces fired a tear-gas inside a bus and subsequently shot teachers who were trying to flee, teachers are still traumatized. Some teachers are still walking with bullets inside their bodies because they don’t have money for medical treatment.So, we were very touched upon watching that demonstration of the bus shooting incident”, said the SNAT Secretary General(SG).