… Following the shooting of two police
BY EPN REPORTER
MBABANE- This is not the Eswatini that we know.
Some civilians have expressed their ill-feelings towards the on-going shootings of police and arson attacks, stating that it was running the country to the ground.
The debate, which was mainly on social media, brewed on Tuesday afternoon after two police were gunned down by three unknown men in a yellow Honda Fit at Grand Valley (GV) in Manzini. This happened on Tuesday.
This morning, it was reported that another security officer, serving in His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS), was kidnapped, shot and disposed off a few kilometres from Ngwenya Industrial Site.
The social media users, whose name cannot be revealed because of ethical reasons, stated that the escalating violence in the country did not address grievances that nationals had.
“Seeing police being killed every other day is now hurting. These people are bread winners, fathers, brothers and colleagues.
“Their sin is trying to serve the country and protect the nation from criminals. What is happening is now heart-breaking and should stop. This is not the Eswatini that we know,” said the social media users.
Their sentiments echoes His Excellency Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini’s address, where he stated it was sad that these police officers and several others before them, had laid down their lives while on duty protecting their fellow emaSwati while they were breadwinners in their homes and were leaving behind widows and orphans in their wake.
“This cannot benefit emaSwati in anyway as it puts further a strain to an already suffering population and economy. We, as a Nation, have been left poorer with their untimely demise.
“It is very unfortunate that there are in our midst criminals who trivialise life so much that for a few Emalangeni reward they are more than willing to take away human life. EmaSwati will not allow them to get away with it.
“I also wish to condemn in the strongest terms the irrational sustained arson attacks on Tinkhundla centres. What these criminals and their masters do not seem to understand is that Tinkhundla Government is more than just a physical structure, but it is a “political system” that is entrenched in the political fabric of emaSwati. It is not physical but cultural; it cannot be destroyed,” said His Excellency.
The Coordinating Assembly of NGOs (CANGO) has also condemned the escalating violence in the country. The CANGO express this through a statement which was released this morning on their social media platforms.
“We are concerned about the escalating violence witnessed in the country as reported by the media. CANGO urges peaceful resolution of differences as no one wins in violent confrontations.
“Furthermore, CANGO condemns the killing of security officers and the burning of property,” read the statement.
