Some political parties in Eswatini have welcomed the resignation of the commander of Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force, General Jeffery Shabalala.
It is alleged that Shabalala was forced to resign following a leaked audio where he accused King Mswati the third of wrongdoing.
An acting commander has since been appointed by the King.
Shabalala’s resignation comes amid calls for electoral reforms by some residents of Eswatini. Shabalala is among those who are accused of instructing soldiers to shoot and kill pro-democracy protesters.
He resigned early this week, after audio that was leaked where he was allegedly recorded talking about secrets involving King Mswati the third. King Mswati has now appointed Lieutenant General- Mashikilisana Fakudze as the acting commander of the army.
President of the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress, Sibongile Mazibuko, believes that the former army commander- Shabalala, has a lot to answer.
“We know that people were burnt alive, people have been killed on the street. People were shot next to the palace for ritual purposes. We know that the police officers were shooting people willy-nilly. He knows all those things, secrets and he knows each and every human being who was murdered either for ritual purposes or for political reasons. He is the one who implemented the orders. As the leaked information says that he said in the audio that some of these instructions from the king, he pretended to be doing and he didn’t do. We are expecting the one who is in an acting capacity Major-General Fakudze to be even worse. We are expecting more Swazis to be roasted and fried.”
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Spokesperson for Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force, Tengetile Khumalo has dismissed allegations that Shabalala was forced to resign.
“The resignation was as a result of his willingness and it came from him. He was not forced by anyone. He cited the fact that given the recent event which has developed in the social media particularly, he cited the fact that they put him as the army commander of the defence force in a very dangerous position. I do not think I would want to dwell much on what the social media says because anyone writes anything on social media and anyone says anything on social media.”
Khumalo has also dismissed allegations that the soldiers are harassing citizens. She has called on those who have evidence to open cases with the police.
