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‘COMMANDER’ FACES MURDER, TERRORISM CHARGES

03/06/2023 06:08:00 Joseph Zulu

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MBABANE – National Commissioner (NATCOM) of Police William Dlamini has alleged that the commander of the SISF was arrested by police on Eswatini territory.

In an interview last night, Dlamini said police arrested Thabo Kunene, the alleged commander of the Swaziland International Solidarity Forces (SISF) after he had crossed the border separating the two countries - South Africa and Eswatini. In fact, he insisted that he entered the country from South Africa illegally. Police said they were carrying out an operation adjacent to the borderline, through which Kunene entered the country. The natcom of police declined to disclose the precise location where the former top police officer was apprehended.

He was arrested on Thursday alongside another suspect who was not mentioned in the press statement issued by police yesterday. However, on Wednesday, the Swaziland News posted a video on Facebook, which showed Kunene’s apprehension and grilling by a businessman, who claimed he was caught and flogged for attempting to steal his firearm. In the video, he appeared to have been restrained using cable ties around his hands.
Under normal circumstances, the Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, issues statements to the media of any arrests. It must be said though that she issues those statements on behalf of the national commissioner.

Statement

The natcom issued a 236-word press statement, informing the nation of the arrest of the man he referred to as the so called ‘Commander’. It was reported yesterday that Kunene was wanted by the police as they had obtained a provisional warrant of arrest. In the statement, the NATCOM confirmed the arrest. He confirmed that the news circulating on social media and other news platforms about the arrest of Kunene who is alleged to be the ‘commander’of the so-called ‘Swaziland International Solidarity Forces was true.
The NATCOM described SISF as an entity that was suspected to be behind heinous criminal and terrorism-related cases that had occurred in the recent past.
“Through this statement, we are confirming that indeed Thabo Kunene and another suspect have been arrested and they are currently detained and assisting the police with their investigations of crimes ranging from murder, attempted murder and other serious offences,” stated the NATCOM.
He then thanked members of the public for the support. He said members of the public were fully behind the police as they supported the police through dissemination of vital information that had a potential to lead to the arrest of the suspects. “This cooperation will continue to prevail,” he said.

Retaliatory

Further, the NATCOM urged the members of the public to exercise restraint and avoid taking retaliatory action, urging them to allow the law to take its course as expected. The Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Vilakati was asked to give details on the specific charges but she declined to disclose them, preferring to stick to statement released by NATCOM. Neither the NATCOM nor Vilakati could also reveal which part of the country the ‘commander, was arrested.

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that Vilakati is also a former police officer who was attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). He was known for breaking some of the complex cases, including the infamous E2 million robbery at the then Vukuzenzele Supermarket in Siteki. Kunene served the police service for 32 years. He took deferred retirement. He made his name while working in Siteki, where he was one of the most sought after detectives, who had a nose for tracking down dangerous criminals.

In a video that was released on March 10, 2023, Kunene blamed the political unrest of June 2021. He said it was this incident that made him join the solidarity forces with others whose identities he did not disclose. In the video, he stated that he did not join the underground forces because he was happy to do so, but the prevailing situation compelled him to fight for what he described as the liberation of emaSwati. He said he was fighting for emaSwati. At that time, in a video clip, he warned that there were people who thought that his team had collapsed, misleading them in the process as they were active on the ground.