Violence and allegations of
corruption and malpractice in Swaziland’s election have been reported from
across the kingdom.
There were chaotic scenes
in polling centres on Friday (21 September 2018), the APA news agency reported .
Outbursts of violence started as early as noontime and intensified in the
evening when the counting of votes was about to resume.
APA reported, ‘In some
areas protesters who were not satisfied with certain procedures blocked
vehicles transporting ballot papers to counting stations, resulting to delays
in starting the counting process.
‘The bone of contention
varied from last-minute change of counting centres to suspicions of malpractice
by some candidates or their campaigning agents.’
APA reported at Manzini
North, Manzini South, Sigwe and Ekupheleni centres the police had to request
for backup from the Operational Services Support Unit (OSSU) after vehicles
from the Elections an Boundaries Commission (EBC) were forced to turn back to
polling stations for safety after roads leading to counting centres were
blocked with stones and tree trunks by protesting crowds.
At Malindza in the Lubombo
region, an intoxicated member of the army drove over a male voter and further
crashed onto two cars that were parked within the polling station premises, APA
reported.
Police
fired gunshots in the air and grenades and rubber bullets as voters at Sigwe protested against completed
ballot papers being taken away from a polling centre.
Social media platforms have
been awash with accounts of vote buying and bribery, naming names and making
detailed allegations. Mainstream media which are heavily censored have been
more discreet following the vote in Swaziland (recently
renamed Eswatini by absolute monarch King Mswati III.)
The Observer on Saturday reported police were called to the Manzini
South constituency where one of the candidates for the House of Assembly ‘was
accused of literally buying votes’ at the Divine Ministries auditorium, near St
Michaels School.
It did not name the
candidate. It reported one of the candidates had been tipped off that voters
were being given E100 each to vote. In Swaziland seven in ten people are so
poor they have incomes less than E30 a day. The newspaper reported that voters
who had taken the money fled when police ‘stormed the auditorium’.
Agents for candidates were also
reported to be giving away E20 notes at both Nkhanini and Sitjeni polling
stations in Lobamba.
Gospel artist Mduduzi Simelane, the leader of
Emagawugawu gospel group, won the election at Siphofaneni Inkhundla, but only
after allegations of vote rigging at the so-called special election held on
Tuesday for members of state forces and people who would be working at the
election, according to the Swaziland News
Facebook page.
The police riot squad was
called to Makholweni polling station in Manzini North after a defeated
candidate alleged a witchdoctor was present and was using muti (‘magic
potions’) to influence people to vote for a particular candidate. He was also
said to have illegally voted himself, the Observer
on Saturday reported.
Some journalists were
reportedly barred from entering voting counting centres and told they must sign
a declaration of secrecy form, the News
on Africa website reported.
It reported the declaration
would prevent them from publishing or disclosing information gathered during
the vote counting process.
It reported that according
to state-controlled radio, Mhlume polling station was one of the polling
stations involved. EBC Chairperson Chief Gija Dlamini confirmed the
restriction.
News on Africa reported, ‘He explained that this was done to protect things that can
happen during the counting of votes, things that are not supposed to be
publicized. When asked to make an example of those things, Chief Gija made an
example of a crying candidate or a conflict between two candidates which is
something that a journalist can find to be newsworthy and report about it.’
The Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) reported
that police closed bars, entertainment events and
church services during the afternoon of election day in the Kwaluseni
constituency of the Manzini region where earlier in the week police
had twice violently attacked workers demonstrating for pay
increases. SUDF said police were trying to force
people to go and vote.
The front page of the Swazi News, 22 September 2018
See also
Swaziland
Police Fire Gunshots, Set Off Grenades and Rubber Bullets as Voters Protest During Election
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