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STATE NOT BEHIND SFDF MEMBER’S HOME ARSON ATTACK - BUSI

13/02/2023 08:58:00 Nhlanganiso Mkhonta and Melisa Mkhonta

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MBABANE – The Swazis First Democratic Front (SFDF) President, Busi Mayisela, says the State is not behind the arson attack at Thabiso Khumalo’s homestead.

Khumalo is the SFDF Shiselweni Branch Chairperson and his home, located at Hluthi in the Shiselweni Region, was torched by unknown people on Saturday night. Mayisela alleged that the attack came at a time when the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) had been threatening her party’s members.

Speculations

After the news of the arson attack at Khumalo’s homestead broke out, there were speculations that the State was behind the attack as it had always happened when a member of any political party was attacked. However, this time around, the leader of the affected member of SFDF has cleared the State. Mayisela had posted on her Facebook account yesterday morning that the arson attack at Khumalo’s home was not sponsored by the regime as it had always been the narrative that attacks on political party members were carried out by the State.

Shattered

In her post, Mayisela said she was shattered by the attack. She said Khumalo reported all the threats he had been receiving from the time he joined SFDF. “Unfortunately, those threats were not from the regime. Why would the regime target your house just after the successful Muzi Mmema Branch launch? I’m really trying to be diplomatic here,” wrote Mayisela. Mayisela said it was clear that it was not the regime. The Muzi Mmema Branch was launched on Saturday at the late Mmema’s home at Ntondozi.

Swazis First Democratic Front (SFDF) Shiselweni Regional Chairperson Thabiso Khumalo, whose home was petrol-bombed, suspects that the arson is politically motivated. The incident happened at Hluti next to Florence Christian High School, where Khumalo’s home is situated. Narrating events before the incident; Khumalo stated that he was from the Muzi Mmema Branch launch at Ntondozi and had left with fellow members who reside in the Shiselweni Region. He stated that he went to drop each and every one of them in their different homesteads and then headed home after 7pm.

Khumalo said he went home to collect a few items he needed, including laundry as the idea was not to spend the night at his home after having communicated with his wife that it was no longer safe for him. It was gathered that there was no one at home over the weekend as their children had visited their grandmother’s place along with their mother.

Phone

He narrated that when he arrived at the homestead, he went to the house leaving the car opened as he intended to step in and out of the house. He said he then decided to charge his cellphone and stayed a little longer as he was yet to collect all the things he was supposed to leave with. “I heard a loud bang from the window and at first I thought it was a gunshot and I ran to another room,” he narrated. Khumalo shared that he then saw flames coming from his room and quickly stepped out of the house and ran towards a neighbour’s home where he raised the alarm.

He stated that they ran back home and tried to put out the fire by pouring water on it. He said as they checked around the house, they noticed that the arsonists had also broken a few windows as they were throwing stones. Khumalo added that they also noted that his car was opened but nothing was taken. He said there was money and another cellphone in the car.

Attack

The arson attack happened just when Khumalo had returned home from hiding after the assassination of Mmema as he also received threats and had to flee. He added that he told the police about the threats and his intentions to go into hiding. He came back on January 15, 2023 because schools were about to open and he had to report to work. Khumalo said he had been lying low all along.

Khumalo said he had reasons to believe that the arsonist(s) was following him when he dropped the other people and made his way home. He also said that he believed they were targeting his life personally as there was no one home on Friday, but the arson happened just when he got back home. When asked who he thought could be behind the attack, Khumalo said he did not want to commit but he believed the attack was politically motivated. After the incident, Khumalo shared that he had to flee to neighbouring SA for his safety.

When reached for a comment Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni confirmed that the incident was reported to the police. She stated that they were still going to do further investigations into the matter. Swazis First Democratic Front (SFDF) President Busi Mayisela has made serious allegations that SWALIMO has been threatening her party’s members for some time now.

SWALIMO stands for Swaziland Liberation Movement and it was once Mayisela’s political home before she formed her own party, the SFDF. Mayisela left SWALIMO shortly after an audio, where she, together with Dr Siphetfo Dlamini, were heard speaking with one man identified as Agent 001. In the trio’s conversation, they spoke about a number of things which included criticising SWALIMO President Mduduzi ‘Gawuzela’ Simelane’s leadership style.
In an interview with this publication, Mayisela alleged that the threats issued against the members of her party started when the members left SWALIMO to join SFDF.
Torched
Mayisela alleged that her party’s member, Thabiso Khumalo, whose house was torched on Saturday night, received threats from SWALIMO as he was their member before joining SFDF. In an interview with this publication, Khumalo confirmed having received threats such that he even recorded a statement with the police and informed them of his intention to go into hiding so they could be aware in case they wanted from him.

She alleged that the late SFDF Deputy Secretary General (DSG) Muzi Mmema got threats from SWALIMO as well.
Mmema was first abducted from his home at Ntondozi by four unknown men on December 27, 2022 and he was found dead the next morning in a nearby forest. He was found with a gunshot wound in his chest. The State was accused of being behind Mmema’s death but government refuted those claims, instead asked the nation to give police a chance to investigate the matter. There have been no arrests pertaining the case yet.

Mmema was also a SWALIMO member before joining SFDF. Mayisela further alleged that Lawyer Maxwell Nkambule whose car was also shot at last year, received threats from SWALIMO. Mayisela said Nkambule got the threats after registering to attend the SFDF launch, which was held last year December in South Africa. When sought for comment, Nkambule said he would not think that his attack was based on him registering to attend the launch. He said he agreed to attend the launch even after the shooting incident.

Nkambule said he could not place the attack against him to factionalism within parties. “I represent any member irrespective of political colour. I am a lawyer,” he said. He stated that his attacks were based on his work.
In the interview, Mayisela added that another member who was not spared from the threats was Gift Dlamini, who is the current SFDF’s Secretary General. He was also a SWALIMO member before joining the new party, SFDF.
Dlamini confirmed to be in hiding because of the threats.

He told our sister newspaper, the Times SUNDAY, on January 8, that he was forced to skip the country after receiving threatening messages from a certain political leader. He said similar threats that were issued to him by the leader were repeated to the late Mmema. It was gathered that Dlamini had formally raised concerns of the bickering and threatening among members of different parties, in particular SFDF and SWALIMO members. “Our NOS Phephile got threats from SWALIMO. She was DSG2 in SWALIMO before joining SFDF,” said Mayisela.
NOS means national organising secretary and DSG means deputy secretary general.

Mayisela said there was also another SFDF member identified as Comrade Zipora, who left SWALIMO to join another political party and he also got threats from SWALIMO. “Other comrades who wanted to come to our launch were threatened, they cancelled on the last day,” said Mayisela. When sought for comment, SWALIMO Spokesperson Thantaza Silolo said Mayisela was causing unnecessary tension to the struggle.

Harming

Silolo said the SFDF president was actually trying to echo the narrative that political parties were harming each other in the mass democratic movement (MDM), when it was clear that the regime was taking advantage of the disagreements they had as the MDM.“She cannot imagine the harm she is causing to emaSwati. SWALIMO cannot threaten anybody and we have never done such a thing this low,” said Silolo. He alleged that Mayisela was still having the hangover of losing grip on SWALIMO.

“Busi cannot allow peace to reign supreme and go on with life as a president of her new party,” said Silolo.
He said SWALIMO did not support violence of any form by anybody, but they understood the concerted efforts by some at ensuring that the movement was vulgarised in every way possible so it loses its threatening membership.
He said as SWALIMO, they would not lose strength though, as they had work to do. He said emaSwati needed freedom and as SWALIMO they shall lead the way.