This month students in eSwatini demonstrated outside the country’s capital to demand action, alleging that a young man was killed by the police.
Thabani Nkomonye’s body was found outside one of the country’s major cities – Manzini.
Police say he was a victim of a car accident, but students allege he is the latest victim of police brutality.
It’s not the first demonstration and students have organised, and they’ve been campaigning against the hashtag: #JusticeforThabani.
The head of the Swaziland Student’s Union, Colani Khulekani Maseko, told Africa Daily that they want to put an end to police brutality and that “this system of government has failed the ordinary people of Swaziland”.
eSwatini is an absolute monarchy. There are elections, but King Mswati – who is known as Ngweyama or The Lion — holds huge influence over most decisions.
Mr Maseko told us that he doesn’t call his country eSwatini because it’s a symbol of a political system that doesn’t work.
In a written statement to us, the government said it had “commissioned a judicial inquest to investigate the allegations levelled against the police and to determine the circumstances that led to the death of Thabani Nkomonye”.
The government said it “does not condone police violence where it is confirmed” and urged protesters to engage in peaceful demonstrations.
In today’s Africa Daily podcast, I’ve been looking at why the students of eSwatini are so angry.
Source: BBC
