New
recruits to Swaziland’s army paid ‘hefty bribes’ for their places, according to
a newspaper report.
This
follows an outrage in April 2017 when about 40 new recruits were expelled from
the army because they had cheated on entry tests.
The Observer
on Saturday reported
(7 October 2017) that new recruits started arriving at Mbuluzi army barracks
last week to join the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF) as the army is
officially known.
The
newspaper reported sources revealed recruits paid between E40,000 and E50,000
‘just to bribe some top army officials to allow them into the army’. In Swaziland,
seven in ten people are so poor they have incomes of less than E28 per day.
The
newspaper added, ‘Such exploitations on people that merely want to put food on
the table for their families have in most forums been seen to be exacerbated by
the country’s high unemployment rate.’
A USDF
spokesperson denied bribery had taken place.
In April
2017 corruption during army recruitment was exposed by both of Swaziland’s two
daily newspapers. Again
allegations were that top army officers were bribed. Families were reported to
have sold livestock and other belongings to get their men in uniform. Those who
were said to have made the bribes were expelled.
The Swazi News reported
(29 April 2017) that corrupt practices had been known about for several years,
but this was the first time that recruits had been expelled.
The Times of Swaziland
reported that about 40 recruits were expelled when they failed
to prove they used the legal route to be recruited into the military.
The Swazi Observer reported the army said action was taken following
complaints from throughout Swaziland ‘about abnormalities which happened during
the recruitment exercises’.
In February 2017, during
the recruitment drive it was reported that several men who tried to cheat
during exercises were
tortured by army personnel. The Army was recruiting
495 additional soldiers from across the kingdom, ruled by
King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.
See also
ARMY
TORTURES RECRUITMENT CHEATS
‘ARMY
AMONG MOST CORRUPT IN WORLD’
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