Times Of Swaziland: Govt to look into protecting albinos - PM

Govt to look into protecting albinos - PM
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BY MUSA SIMELANE on 21/06/2013 04:14:00


LOBAMBA – Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini assured senators that government
would look into protecting people with albinism.
He said this from the backdrop of the heinous murder of an 11-year-old girl with
albinism almost a year ago in the Manzini region, and also recent South African
media reports that Swazis relied on ritual killings of people with albinism to
succeed in parliamentary elections.
This was the background cited by Senator David Matse, the mover of the motion
where the PM had to compile a report detailing the measures that have been put
together to protect people with albinism following shocking crimes perpetuated
against them in the country. This report is expected to be presented within the
next 21 days.
Killing
The senator felt that even though it was about a year since the killing of the
girl, it appeared that government had not done much about it beyond condemning
the crime itself. The police had not arrested the perpetrator and therefore an
impression that one can commit such a crime and remain scot-free.
“In an African country there were 63 cases of albino killing and after two
years only one conviction. In another there were 14 cases and after two years 12
cases made it to court. So some justice systems are slow and some fast,”
submitted Matse.
He even provided the PM with various options that government could use to ensure
the protection of people with albinism. These included cracking down on those
who practised witchcraft, sealing albinos’ graves to avoid illegal exhumation,
educational campaigns to dispel myths and even appointing an albino into
Parliament for people to gain more confidence in them.
Meanwhile the PM recognised the importance of the matter and said ever since
government cautioned about albino killings it had been quiet.
Tampering
“No one has been caught yet, but the police files have not been closed. We
will look at the suggestions made although the one about grave sealing with
cement may require existing evidence that there was tampering of a grave of a
person with albinism,” said Dlamini.
He emphasised that ritual killing of people with albinism or any other did not
work in assuring one a place in Parliament. He said the report required by the
Senate would be prepared.
Meanwhile, Musa Hlophe from the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic
Organisations said albinos should not be given special protection as that would
be discriminating them.
“Instead, there should be public campaigns demystifying that albino or any
other ritual killing cannot make one rich or win elections. There is just no
special luck in ritual killing,” said Hlophe.