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COPS DEPLOYED AFTER MINISTER REPORTS DEATH THREATS

21/06/2021 08:50:00 BY NTOMBI MHLONGO

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MBABANE – A Cabinet minister has had to seek protection from the police after allegedly receiving death threats.

It has been alleged that the minister, who cannot be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, received death threats through phone calls from numbers he did not know. The minister is also a Member of Parliament (MP) but his constituency and region will not be named. As a result of the alleged threats, the minister’s homestead is under close protection until the delivery of a proposed petition to his constituency. The minister is said to have engaged the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) two weeks ago and they quickly sprang into action to determine the extent of the threats. After reporting the matter at a police station under his region, the regional commissioner then assigned a police officer to convene a meeting with the minister to ascertain the extent of the threats.

The meeting, this publication gathered, took place on June 4, 2021 at the police station where the matter was reported. It has been gathered that during the meeting, it was discussed that the threats were allegedly from individuals he knew, one of them being a former MP from his constituency. The minister is said to have mentioned that the threats were also coming from individuals he competed with during the national elections. Furthermore, it was discussed that the threats were allegedly coming from organisers of a proposed protest march to deliver a petition to the minister’s constituency. As a way forward, the minister is said to have requested assistance from the REPS through regular patrols at his place of residence. A source close to the matter stated that the REPS agreed to ensure the safety of the minister.

Patrols

“For the past few days, security has been provided at the minister’s home. Officers from two police stations have been given the task to conduct regular patrols,” said the source. The name of the place where the minister’s homestead is situated is known to this publication but has been withheld for security reasons. It was also gathered that the police also visited the minister’s homestead and the aim was to ascertain security structures in place and determine how they could be beefed up. Regarding the proposed march to deliver the petition, the minister was given assurance of police presence. When called yesterday, he confirmed having reported the alleged threats to the police. “I think these were people who were trying to push me into a corner yet we are not fighting here. But as you know, sometimes you have to take serious even the smallest signs,” he said.

The minister mentioned that he was advised to report the threats to the police and not take them lightly. Asked on the nature of the alleged threats, the minister said he received messages from the unknown people who said they were coming for him.