BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Government is pleading for cooperation as the police are still investigating the cause of the senseless killing of Human Rights Activist Thulani Maseko.
Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo pleaded to all concerned individuals and organisations to cooperate with the police, as they continued to get to the bottom of the assassination of the renowned Human Rights Lawyer.
In a statement sent today to this publication, Nxumalo blamed certain people whom ha said accused Government of harassing certain individuals when police were doing the investigations. Nxumalo said there was some sense of naivety to those individuals who were now saying police were harassing some people called for questioning by the law enforcers.
“These groups have been calling for the intensification of the investigative processes into the senseless murder of Thulani Maseko and others who may have died under similar circumstances and situations during the post period of June 21 unrest,” Nxumalo said.
Nxunmalo clarified that what was termed as harassment was actually investigations through a process called ‘interviewing’ those who could have some information that could be helpful in making a breakthrough to certain cases. “Some of these people who are screaming baseless ‘harassment’ of course, have no idea what it involves to undertake an investigation,” he said.
The Government Spokesperson said he was taken aback when he read from some online media outlets, where some had written that the country should be sanctioned. He said he found it difficult to understand how Eswatini could be sanctioned for doing what was called upon by international organisations.
This comes after local media outlets reported that some individuals and organisations were not happy when Tanele Maseko, Thulani’s widow, was taken for questioning by the police on Wednesday evening (March 27, 2024), when she was from a trip outside the country.
According to reports, Tanele’s passport was allegedly confiscated by the police at Ngwenya Border Gate when she returned into the country, reportedly in the company of her children. It was confiscated because she had been flagged at the border, alerting the officers that the passport should be taken from her upon arrival. The purpose of the confiscation of the passport was said to have been done for the purposes of forcing her to appear before the police to answer to some of the questions they had for her.
Reports stated that she was driven to Manzini Regional Headquarters, after informing her lawyer of what had happened. After reaching Manzini, she was also driven to the police headquarters, where Tanele is said to have been questioned on why she was avoiding the police.
However, Tanele is said to have responded by saying it was the police that avoided her by telling her that they were preoccupied by the matter surrounding the murder of Matsapha Businessman Sifiso Simelane. She was reported to have been released at 1am from Mbabane and ordered to report at Manzini Police Headquarters the following day at noon. When she reported there, she was accompanied by her lawyers and other political activists, who raised concerns that Tanele should not be intimidated, as she was supposed to help police with crucial information that could lead to breakthrough in the case.
On the following day (Thursday, March 28, 2024), the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) issued a statement. Acting National Commissioner Lydia Dlamini stated in that statement that they had to take such steps because whenever Tanele was called, she did not cooperate, yet she was able to address international gatherings on the same matter.
