Swazi Observer

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COMMUNITY DEMAND RELEASE OF SUSPECTS

By NOKUZOLA THWALA AND BONGIWE DLAMINI | 2023-02-02

Schools and businesses were closed at Matsanjeni after community members marched to Lavumisa Police Station to demand the release of 10 people who were detained following the lynching of four men on Sunday evening.

The police yesterday are said to have visited the area and rounded up a few people who were alleged to have been part of the mob that tortured and burnt the four men alive at a sports ground.

The four men who died were aged between 21 and 34 years old, and were killed on suspicion of being part of a criminal gang behind a string of housebreakings and robberies in the area.

The suspected thieves were fetched from their homesteads by the mob of about 200 community members, who accused them of being behind various attacks and theft from residents in their homesteads.

The murder was strongly condemned by the Deputy Prime Minister, Themba Masuku, who described the community members’ action as evil while the National Commissioner of Police, William Dlamini, said it was unSwazi and called on all those involved to surrender to the police.

This community members, however, believe they were justified in their actions as police had failed to respond to a number of cases reported against the men.

When news started circulating in the community in the morning that some of the people had been taken by the police, they marched to the police station to demand their immediate release.

Members of kuGonco under Nkonka said the arrest was unacceptable and wondered how many people would be eventually arrested for the mob justice.

They spent over six hours outside the police station demanding answers from the police as to why they did not attend to reported cases promptly, something which they said would have prevented events leading to the deaths and arrests.

Indvuna, Gadi Siphiwe Mabuza, said the community members stood in solidarity with those who were taken by the police.

She stated that during the march to the police station, a textile firm was closed early and four schools closed as well because the pupils were affected by what was happening.

Adding, she stated that the pupils were not forced out of class but joined the march claiming that they were also affected by the series of crimes happening in the area.

She was, however, quick to note that some of the children only marched but did not reach the police station.

Affected schools were Matsanjeni, Lavumisa and Ndabazezwe Primary, and Matsanjeni High Schools.

Complaining

Mabuza said the community members were complaining and questioning where the police had sourced fuel to come and arrest people at Matsanjeni because previously, when they reported about the increasing crime rate, asking that the perpetrators be arrested, the police always complained that they did not have fuel.

She said the community argued that they called the police several times before the crimes occurred but they did not respond and if they did, it would be the next day.

“They were asking where the fuel came from when the previous excuse was that there was no diesel. We don’t condone the murders but many people were affected across all age categories and some lost their limbs because they would be chopped off if they said they didn’t have money,” she stated.

Mabuza said the community had lost faith in the police, confirming earlier reports from some community members that some shops stopped operating as a result of the spate of crime. She said other people moved out in numbers from their rented houses because of the high crime rate.

At the police station, the community members are said to have stated that they would keep vigil outside until the others were released.

Police are said to have asked that they elect people who they would convene a meeting with inside the police station, which they did.

However, after a few hours, the delegation returned to state that the police said they had not made any arrest and that they were carrying out investigations.

This was not well received by the community members.

Matsanjeni South Member of Parliament, Bomber Mamba, echoed Mabuza and stated that the pupils were not at the meeting that took hours at the police station, where the residents were demanding the release of their own.

He stated that the community had to elect representatives to meet with the police, after a standoff.

Conduct

He said the police asked that they be allowed to conduct their own investigations without interference and community members agreed to leave the police station after 5pm.

When called, Mamba stated that the community members had left the police station and were returning to their homes.

“The plan is to hold another meeting at the community kuGonco after the delegation reported back that the police won’t release the people they took into their custody pending investigations, because committing murder was a criminal offence. They were at first sceptical of going back home but they eventually agreed. Regardless of the meeting to be held now, we hope that things return to normal tomorrow (today),” he said.

On the issue of schools closing early, Mamba expressed his thoughts that head teachers were proactive as they did not know how the day would turn out. Another local, Siboniso Simelane, said it was a pity that lives had to be lost but he blamed the police for lack of response.

Simelane said many people had been terrorised in the area.

He said initially it was business, but later the accused gang would attack at night, at times three or four homes the same day and the police would be called but they would not respond.

“Since the police only work once lives have been lost, we agreed that we will do the work for them with the hope that no lives will be lost. Some of us have no fingers and some of us are now deformed and police did not do a thing but now take people into custody. We cannot live in fear in the land of our forefathers, fear inflicted by our own children, we will discipline them accordingly,” he said.

Mabuza later confirmed that the number of people who were taken into police custody were 10.

She said the police did not release them, pending investigations regardless of what the people had demanded. Acting Shiselweni Regional Education Officer, Gugu Dlamini, could not confirm the early closure of schools as she said nothing had been formally reported.

After the four men were lynched on Sunday, the community members convened another meeting at the sports ground where they deliberated on events from the previous day.

They are said to also have discussed the way forward relating to those who were allegedly identified by the murdered four and were said to be still roaming around the community.

One of the suspects was said to have been caught but was only whipped and released with a stern warning to change his ways or face the same consequences as the four.

Apparently, a lot of crime stories came out from the children who were summoned on Monday, they were released into the custody of their parents and cautioned that crime tarnished the once peaceful area. Police Information and Communication Officer, Superintendent, Phindile Vilakati, said she was aware of that matter but that no one was arrested.

Vilakati said police were at this point carrying out investigations following that a crime had been committed.

We are not murderers – community

Following the lynching of four men who were suspected to be behind a string of housebreakings and robberies at Nkonka Chiefdom, residents say this is a result of loss of trust in the country’s justice system.

The cold-blooded murder of the four men who were also members of the community happened after they were heavily assaulted by the aggrieved residents before they were burnt alive.

The community claimed that the four were responsible for a litany of crimes in the area, including housebreaking and robberies, which resulted in some members being hacked and injured.

They admitted that the decision to form the kangaroo court in which they dealt with the suspects, whom they knew to be behind the increased crime in the area was unanimous.

However, they also conceded that they were not proud of taking the four lives as they were not murders.

The residents further stated that they acted out of anger and frustration more so because they had tried to follow due process of reporting criminal activities to the police, but were never assisted.

“We had reported these people to the police numerous times and we clearly described them, but they were never arrested, hence we decided to take the law into our own hands,” said the residents.

Going forward, they stated that since they no longer had faith in the police to assist in bringing the suspects to book, they would continue doing police work, only this time, they would hand the suspects over to the police alive.

One of the residents who were attacked last Friday night, which was two days before the suspects were killed, said five men invaded his place of abode.

Four of these are said to have broken a padlock, forced the door open and entered his house while the other kept guard outside.

“The four men had not covered their faces as they said they did not care even if we identified them,” said the victim. He added that the suspects then demanded some money and Cellphone, but when he said he only had E100, they hacked him with a bush knife in the head and broke two fingers on his right hand.

Scared that he could be killed, the resident said he managed to get his hand on a kitchen knife and stabbed one of the men in the neck before bolting out of the house naked.

Robbed

Still, the resident said the suspects made away with his property, and that one of the lynched men was present when he was attacked and robbed.

On another note, the residents said they communicated their new resolve to deal with criminals while at the Lavumisa Police Station yesterday.

Meanwhile the DPM earlier stated that no one had a right to take another person’s life. He emphasised that murder was a criminal offence, which was prosecutable.

He also firmly and strongly spoke against people who take the law into their own hands. He said it was highly unacceptable.

Masuku added that mob justice system doesn’t bring solutions. Instead, he said it might turn out as unplanned should the person or people being sought be dangerous.

The DPM encouraged that when people got hold of a suspected criminal, they should hand them over to the nearest police station and the police would handle the matter further.

Offence

“We can never over emphasise that people shouldn’t take law into their own hands, murder is a prosecutable criminal offence. If they suspect people and can get hold of them, they should take them to the police instead of taking matters into their own hands. We say no to mob justice and killings,” he said.

Masuku added that what happened should not be allowed to continue, hence the firm admonition against such acts.

He said it could set a bad precedence whenever there were such allegations as people would take the law into their own hands.

“How many people will then suffer the same fate? The ‘nawe uliphoyisa’ phenomenon not only speaks to being your brother’s keeper, it also speaks to having a good relationship with police in order to collaboratively handle such matters,” he said.

National Commissioner of Police, William Tsitsibala Dlamini, was quoted calling upon all residents of Matsanjeni South who were involved in the murder of four suspects who were assaulted and burnt to death to hand themselves over to the nearest police station.

He said the mob should hand themselves over to the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) to assist with investigations as to what transpired on the fateful day, which culminated in the eventual loss of life.

“We urge everyone who was involved to hand themselves over to the police before the long arm of the law pounces on them,” Dlamini advised.

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