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The brutality meted out by the royal police of Swaziland on Manzini residents on Saturday (1 August 2020) is one of the well-known tactics employed by the regime to silence the people and instil perpetual fear on them. The people will not stand by and be victims forever; in time they will be emboldened to fight back, but that will need decisive unity among the oppressed.

The feeble reason the police give for the unwarranted attacks, that the residents broke Covid-19 lockdown rules, does not tally with the fact that they brutalised the residents upon reaching where they were sitting and without any intention to conduct any investigation or effect lawful arrest. Instead, Mswati’s police commanded the residents to take off their hats, insulted them and went on to kick, slap and harass the residents, including kicking old women who attempted to reason with the police. Under the direction of Chief Gija, as the police claimed, the police were merely ensuring that the well-known tinkhundla rule-by-fear approach was well implemented.

Since the implementation of lockdown regulations in Swaziland, the police intensified their war against the people, with the full knowledge that there will be no repercussions for such. In June, the police shot at children who were playing football and a 15-year old boy was badly injured in the process. Even before the pandemic, the royal police were known to use extrajudicial means in their interaction with the people. As a result, many people have been tortured, arbitrarily detained, and killed without any consequences falling upon Mswati’s police. The people of Swaziland generally do not have recourse to the courts for violation of their rights by state agencies, particularly by the police, since the police primarily serve the absolute monarchy, in place since the outlawing of political parties in 1973.

The Communist Party of Swaziland calls upon the people of Swaziland to stand together against Covid-19 as well as against the ruling autocracy which continues to oppress them. The police are nothing but an agent of the ruling regime for the continuous suppression of the people. The people have been left with no choice but to employ whatever revolutionary means necessary to defend themselves while they continue to arm each other against Covid-19. Our cadres and all human rights activists also have a duty to practically assist community members in defending themselves as part of solidarity efforts.

Issued by the Communist Party of Swaziland