DUO TASKED WITH RECRUITING FOR TRAINING IN SA - POLICE

MBABANE – The police say the two men who were allegedly found with explosives and other items were tasked with recruiting people for training in South Africa to overthrow government.

This is according to police investigations and it is contained in the indictment of Musa Clement Kunene and Msindiso Musa Ntshalintshali, who have been charged for allegedly contravening the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008. They were allegedly found in possession of two grenades, 20 live rounds of ammunition and an Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) pair of trousers. Kunene and Ntshalintshali were arrested by members of the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) on November 8, 2022 at Mbhuleni, Matsapha.  

Recruiting

According to the composite summary of evidence against the duo, Kunene and a man who is now a witness (identity not disclosed), were the ones tasked with recruiting people from the country for training to overthrow the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini. In their investigations, the police said they found that one of the requirements for recruitment was to commit a criminal offence against government and obtain evidence of same through photographs and videos. It was brought to the attention of the court that during the terrorist attacks, members of the REPS got information that certain people were suspected to be in possession of explosives.

The prosecution, in the summary of evidence, stated that the country was presently experiencing a civil unrest. This, according to the Crown, resulted in the burning of structures, vehicles and loss of lives through terrorist attacks on personal property, government structures and police stations, among others, around the country. The court was informed that investigations by the police revealed that Ntshalintshali and the man who was now a witness, held numerous discussions on different dates regarding the alleged plan to overthrow the current government.

It is alleged that Ntshalintshali mentioned that he would have long overthrown the present government but did not have weapons to accomplish the mission. These are allegations whose veracity is yet to be tested in court. The prosecution submitted that the witness allegedly disclosed to Ntshalintshali that he had weapons in the form of explosives and live rounds of ammunition.The witness, as per the Crown, handed over the two grenades and 20 live rounds of ammunition to Ntshalintshali. It was further the Crown’s evidence that Ntshalintshali and Kunene held a number of meetings to allegedly plan how they could overthrow the current government.

Explosives

According to the prosecution, members of the Bomb Squad from the Operational Support Services Unit (OSSU) secured the explosives and took them as exhibits for the case against the accused persons. Meanwhile, the Chief Justice (CJ), Bheki Maphalala, has granted an order for the enrolment of the matter, which means the accused persons would be accorded a speedy trial. This was after the Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Lomvula Hlophe, moved an application in terms of Section 88 bis of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act. This is the section wherein the prosecution seeks an order for the enrolment of a criminal matter at the High Court.

The REPS, on the other hand, has obtained an order to seize the items that were purportedly found in the duo’s possession. Detective Assistant Inspector Justice Motsa, who is the principal investigator of the matter, informed the court that the accused persons allegedly committed a terrorist act in that they were found in possession of two grenades (explosives) and 20 live rounds of ammunition. Motsa informed the court that the aforementioned items were intended to cause death or bodily harm, to cause serious damage of property and to endanger the lives of other people. He narrated to the court how he conducted investigations leading to the arrest of Kunene and Ntshalintshali. He then applied for the detention of the items in terms of Section 23(1) of the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008.  The investigator told the court that the exhibits would be used during the trial of the pair. In the indictment, it was stated that the names of the witnesses were withheld for security reasons.

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