Soldiers
in Swaziland have once again been accused of sexually assaulting women at the
kingdom’s border posts.
The
latest accusation also says they are charging people to cross at informal
border crossings into South Africa.
The Observer on Saturday reported (9
December 2017), ‘The army troops have been accused by women of abusing their
powers by touching them inappropriately as they lay their hands on their
buttocks just to allow to cross either to South Africa or into Swaziland.
‘Some
women when being searched for illegal goods alleged that they are touched
almost everywhere by the male army officers and these informal crossings.’
The newspaper
said the inappropriate behaviour takes place ‘almost every day’ around the Ngwenya
informal crossing.
A
spokesperson for the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (the official name for the
Swaziland army) denied the allegations.
This was
the latest in a number of recent reports of Army misbehaviour at borders.
In July
2017 soldiers reportedly forced a bus-load of passengers
to strip naked after it crossed the Mhlumeni Border Gate into Mozambique. Local media reported it happens
all the time.
The Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s only
independent daily newspaper, reported they were ordered to strip ‘stark naked’
as part of a ‘routine
body search’. The newspaper said the passengers had been on vacation in Mozambique.
In June 2017 it was
reported women at the informal crossing situated next to the Mananga Border
Gate with South Africa were made to remove their underwear so soldiers could
inspect their private parts with a mirror. The Swazi Army said it happened all
the time.
Soldiers were said to be
searching for ‘illegal objects’ using a mirror similar to that used to inspect
the underside of cars.
Once the practice became
public knowledge, the Army said it
would continue to strip people and if people did not like it they should stop
crossing the border.
See also
ARMY STRIPS BUS PASSENGERS NAKED
SOLDIERS INSPECT WOMAN’S PRIVATE PARTS
ARMY UNREPENTANT ON STRIP SEARCH
No comments:
Post a Comment