A lawyer was left with broken
ribs after soldiers assaulted him, two women were whipped with sticks by police
and a man was hospitalised after police beat him about the head with a baton.
These are among the latest reports from Swaziland (eSwatini) of violence
against civilians by security forces during the present coronavirus lockdown.
Mbabane lawyer Sabelo
‘Mngo’ Mngomezulu said he was assaulted by soldiers and run over by a car. He
broke ribs and needed hospital treatment.
The Times of eSwatini reported soldiers
were on patrol near Msunduza Sports Ground in Mbabane on Saturday evening (11
April 2020) making sure people adhered to the lockdown A 20-day partial
lockdown of the kingdom
started on 27 March 2020 and among other things it prohibits gatherings of more
than 20 people.
It reported, ‘The armed
security forces are reported to have invaded the sports ground after having
received information that there were people who had gathered in the area and
were enjoying alcoholic beverages.’
Mngomezulu said he was at
the gate of a homestead near the sports ground talking with people when the
assault happened. They were fewer than 20 people and they were not drinking alcohol.
He said, ‘The soldiers, who
were on foot, emerged from the corner of the sports ground and started
assaulting people without uttering a word. There was a commotion which is when
I decided that it was time for me to leave as well.’
The Times added, ‘Elaborating,
Mngomezulu said as he attempted to open the passenger door in readiness to
board his vehicle, which was being driven by a friend, one of the soldiers
kicked him on the back and he lost balance and fell.’ The car accidentally ran
over him.
Mngomezulu said, ‘The
problem is that the officers never said anything, they just pounced on us in
attack mode. If they had engaged us and ordered that we leave the area, we
would have complied.’
Traffic police took him to
the Mbabane Clinic for medical attention.
Police reportedly whipped two
women because they had left their home in the informal settlement Macembeni at
Pigg’s Peak on Good Friday. The woman told the Times of eSwatini they
had gone to a neighbour to recharge their phones because there was no electricity
where they lived.
One of the women told the
newspaper a police van stopped beside them as they were walking. She said, ‘While
we were still talking to the driver, two police officers alighted from the
vehicle carrying sticks.’ She said she was surprised that they were already carrying
sticks in the vehicle, adding that they were probably looking for people to
beat up.
She said without asking any
further questions, the police officers began to whip them. She added her friend
tried to shield herself using her hand as the police officer aimed for her
upper body.
They were left with bruises
on their bodies. They reported the incident to local police.
In a separate earlier incident,
Sabelo Ginindza, aged 29, of Hilltop in Mbabane was reportedly
assaulted with a baton by a police officer on the right side
of his head after he was accused of loitering.
He was admitted to Mbabane
Government Hospital for four days after he sustained injuries which left his
right ear with a burst eardrum and partially paralysed and he now has
difficulty hearing.
Various reports have been
circulating on social media about similar assaults. Last week mainstream
newspapers in Swaziland reported an 85-year-old woman collapsed and died when
security forces raided her home because they thought she was selling alcohol.
Armed military police
officers also forced members of the public to do press-ups when they were found
at a bus rank in Manzini during the coronavirus lockdown.
Some businesses previously
claimed they were being asked to pay
bribes to police and army
in order to remain open.
Police were also reportedly
stopping people on the
streets of Mbabane and demanding proof of residence.
See also
Swaziland
armed police, army intimidate people to obey coronavirus lockdown. Woman, 85,
dies
King
puts Swaziland into partial lockdown in bid to beat coronavirus. Army and
police on standby
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