Times Of Swaziland: FIRED SOLDIERS THREATEN SOBANTU FIRED SOLDIERS THREATEN SOBANTU ================================================================================ BY PHIWASE PHUNGWAYO on 15/04/2019 09:12:00 MBABANE – Soldiers who were dismissed during the tenure of Sobantu Dlamini as army commander are harbouring resentment against him. So serious is the situation that the about 15 soldiers have resolved to attack the former army commander at his place of abode at Nkhaba. The former soldiers were dismissed from the army for different transgressions which mostly include misconduct. The livid former combatants are accusing Dlamini of having dismissed them from work despite that there were court orders directing him to reinstate them. Attack According to one of the ex-soldiers Madoda Dlamini, who is the brains behind the attack, all they wanted from Sobantu was for him to explain why he allegedly failed to respect court orders. He disclosed that they were prepared to be arrested for their actions and that they would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that Dlamini felt the pain they also felt. According to the laws of the country, it is a criminal offence to issue threats against any person or his property. The interview was conducted before the redeployment of the army commander to being a member of Ludzidzini Council. When informed on the latest development, the former combatants said they were not deterred as the redeployment did not change the fact that he (Sobantu) was the one who took the decision to dismiss them from work. “Being redeployed does not exonerate him. He must be arrested for having defied a litany of court orders directing him to reinstate us,” said the livid Madoda. Madoda is the soldier who once hogged headlines in 2012, when he took the army to court after alleging that he was being threatened in the army. He was branded a rebel by army authorities for his controversies and his ability to challenge his authorities. He challenged the UEDF that he was constructively dismissed from the army and sought an order directing the UEDF to pay him E326 253 as his terminal benefits. He alleged that the army constructively and unfairly terminated his services as a soldier. During the interview, Madoda continued to state that they were giving the former army boss a chance to clear their names and reinstate them or they would be left with no alternative but to take the law into their own hands. He said; “We will stage a civil war at his home.” He further mentioned that as citizens of Eswatini, they were not satisfied with the country’s justice system. Law The former soldier alleged that the former UEDF commander had portrayed himself to be above the law by the mere fact that he allegedly did not comply with the law by reinstating them. For this reason, the former soldier said they were going to take the law into their own hands by staging an attack at the former commander’s home.