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THULANI’S WIDOW FLAGGED, TAKEN TO POLICE STATION

30/03/2024 09:08:00 Sibusiso Zwane

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MANZINI – Eyebrows were raised as slain Human Rights Lawyer Thulani Maseko’ wife, Tanele was allegedly flagged by police.

On her arrival at Ngwenya Border Gate, she found that police wanted to talk to her. In policing context, a flagged person has important information to be added to the police file and is flagged as such to make officers aware of information attached to the person. The incident, which saw people talking, took place on Tuesday evening at around 9:30pm.

Her mobile phone and travel document (passport) were taken by the police. According to a source close to the matter, Tanele was travelling with her elder sister and two children when the incident happened. They were reportedly from South Africa. According to a source, the slain lawyer’s wife was at the border gate when she discovered that she had been flagged. Immediately after getting the signal, it is understood that immigration officers alerted members of the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) of the arrival of Thulani’s widow.

Verifications

Through verifications and consultations at the border gate, impeccable sources told Eswatini News that police officers based at the border gate realised that Tanele had been indeed flagged by Manzini Police Regional Headquarters.

The Manzini Police Regional Headquarters is responsible for the investigation into the death of Thulani. He was murdered gruesomely in front of Tanele and their two children. After learning about this development, the source said Tanele messaged her lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi, at 9:41pm. She reportedly informed him that she had been flagged and she was with the police. However, according to the source, she advised her lawyer not to press the panic button.

About 30 minutes later, the source said Tanele sent another message to her lawyer, informing him that she had been put in a room. Again, he said after about another half an hour, she informed her lawyer, through a text message, that police have ordered her to switch off her cellphone. Upon receiving this message, Nhlabatsi, the lawyer, became worried to an extent that he, together with his colleague, decided to go to Ngwenya Police Station to check on her.

Dispatched

On their arrival at around midnight, they reportedly found that certain officers from the police headquarters in Mbabane had been dispatched to relay a message to those based in Ngwenya. They were informed to bring Tanele to the police headquarters. The question now is how did she reach Mbabane? Impeccable sources confided in the Eswatini News that Tanele drove to the police headquarters in her car with a female police officer in the passenger seat. A police car followed them.

When they arrived at the police headquarters, the source said they found the senior police officer who allegedly flagged her together with a group of about eight others (seven males and a female). He alleged that the police officers informed Tanele and his lawyers that they wanted to interview her in connection with the murder of her husband on January 21, 2023, at their home in KaLuhleko, Bhunya. They told them that the interview formed part of their investigation. The law enforcers reportedly told them that the unfortunate part was that Tanele was purportedly avoiding them each time they tried to reach out to her for information.

Death

“However, Tanele told them (law enforcers) that according to her knowledge, it was them (police) who were avoiding her almost every time when she approached them to ask about progress in their investigation into the death of her husband,” the source said. He said Tanele even made an example of a circumstance in which investigating officers, during the memorial service of her late husband, promised to come to her home to talk about the issue.
Furthermore, on March 1, 2023, the source said she enquired about progress, despite the fact that she was not feeling well on that day.

He said the widow pointed out that the investigators made a proposal to meet her on a certain date. However, he said Tanele also informed the police that the planned meeting with the investigators was postponed at the directive of the officers themselves who informed her that they were preoccupied with the case of Matsapha businessman Sifiso Simelane, who was brutally murdered and his body dumped at Malkerns forests.

“She alleged that this was the last time the police communicated with her,” the source said. With regard to the flagging situation, the source said the legal team suggested that since Tanele was with her children who had been stuck for about four hours, they should release them and make an appointment for another day since it was already 1:30am. After a lengthy engagement, the police eventually agreed to release her. They asked her tobe at the Manzini Police Regional Headquarters at noon on Thursday.

At Noon on the following day, the source said Tanele went to the Manzini Police Regional Headquarters accompanied by Lawyer Mzwandile Masuku and leaders of the Mass Democratic Movement who included Barnes Dlamini, the President of the Swaziland Democratic Party (SWADEPA), among others.

Intimidate

At the regional headquarters, the source said her legal team raised concern over the number of police officers who were in the room as they were about nine. He said the legal team felt the presence of so many police officers would intimidate Tanele. As such, the source said the legal team asked that there should be one or two police officers in the interview room. “They made it clear to the police that if they insist that the nine officers should interview her, they would consider the exercise as an interrogation that warranted them to be present to offer advice,” the source said.
“Their concern was that the situation suggested that the police were investigating Tanele instead of assisting her to get closure on who killed her husband.”

He also said the police officers told them that Tanele recorded a statement, which required modification since they wanted to have a watertight case. According to the source, the legal team wondered why the police flagged Tanele if their interest in her was solely a genuine interview that sought to establish facts to solidify the case. Since the police and the lawyers did not see eye to eye regarding the number of officers that should be present in the interview room, sources said the law enforcers asked for a moment to make consultations, advising Tanele to come back on Tuesday morning.

These developments were confirmed by Tanele’s legal team; Sibusiso Nhlabatsi and Mzwandile Masuku who are human rights lawyers. It is worth highlighting that while Tanele was in the regional headquarters on Thursday, political activists and members of the civil society organisation picketed at the gate.