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Mswati’s police claim to have lost the docket relating to Comrade Bafanabakhe Sacolo and Comrade Sethu Nkambule who were arrested on 21 May 2021.

Since they have no case against the comrades, the royal police are now desperate to secretly withdraw the case against them in bid to save the ruling regime from embarrassment. 

Comrade Bafanabakhe and Comrade Sethu were charged with malicious damage to property, in which the royal police claimed they had vandalised and burnt a police station in Manzini during the #JusticceForThabani campaign.

Bafanabakhe Sacolo was the Secretary General of the Swaziland National Union of Students and a student at the University of Swaziland at the time of arrest, while Sethu Nkambule is a student at the Limkokwing University.

After enduring about 10 months of regularly reporting to the police station as per bail conditions, enduring financial losses due to long travels, regularly attending court cases, suffering academically, enduring police surveillance, among others, the police have discovered that they have no case against the two comrades.

Commenting shortly after the police’s disclosure in Manzini today, Comrade Bafanabakhe Sacolo said, “The police have been claiming over the months that they are waiting for footage to prove the case. Our case has been postponed repeatedly. This is in addition to spending six days in police cells and maximum prison in Matsapha following arrest. After all this, the police claim they have lost the docket. It is clear that they never had a case against us.”

Comrade Sethu Nkambule stated that despite the losses they have suffered due to the long case, they are still relentless on the call for democracy. He demonstrated the financial and psychological challenges the case has brought upon them.

The CPS calls for unity of all the democratic forces to intensify the struggle for freedom in our country under the “Democracy Now” campaign.

Issued by Communist Party of Swaziland