Swati Newsweek Online Editor and Journalist Eugen Dube have threatened to press charges against the National Commissioner of the Royal Eswatini Police Service William Dlamini should the Police Service fail to release his working tools that were confiscated by the police when they raided his home outside Nhlangano.

This publication is in possession of a letter dated 23 April 2021 and addressed to the National Commissioner of Police William Dlamini.

In this letter, the Swati Newsweek Online Editor alleged that the police Service “raided his home without a search warrant” as they “carried a fake warrant written Eugen Dlamini”.

Dube narrated that his home was raided by a group of armed senior Police Officers from the Nhlangano Police Station on the 23rd of April 2020. He alleged that they confiscated his working tools which he has since requested the National Commissioner to release the items within 7 days or risk facing legal action as the cops failed to produce a proper search warrant.

The items that we confiscated by the police include a grey Laptop, three mobile phones (one Samsung phone and other Nokia Cell Phones) 12 notebooks and company documents.  

Dube also accused the National Commissioner of engineering the raid.

“I believe my prosecution was engineered by you as the National Commissioner, as you publicly arranged a press conference and stated that the online publication would be muzzled. It is for that reason that I request you to release my properties without any conditions as your police officers took it in my house through a fake search warrant,” alleged Dube.

Dude added that the officers who confiscated his items had promised to return them after seven days something that did not happen.

Dube also alleged that the cops that raided his home violated his rights. He outlined a number of allegations (as seen below) which have not yet been proved in a court of law.

 1. The police officers raided my house without a search warrant, they carried a fake warrant written Eugene Dlamini.

2. Cops pushed me in my house during the raid (assault).

3. They called me names “yewena mfana musa kusibambelela” (insult)

4. Cops breached COVID-19 regulations, only one cop had a face mask during the raid.

5. I was arrested without a warrant of arrest. No investigation was carried prior to my illegal arrest.

6. The six cops who were not wearing face masks interrogated me inside a small room and breached COVID-19 regulations.

7. I was forced to go with a police officer and confess to the Magistrate or face a high treason charge or sedition.

8. My working tools were taken without a court order.

9. I believe the police wanted to kill me as senior police officer Clement Sihlongonyane threatened me saying “Eugene stop criticizing the King or else we will leave you in a pool of blood when we come back to you.”

10. Police harassed me and my family. I was forced to desert my home. I had to sleep in a thick forest due to endless police harassments. I was exposed to hunger, cold and mosquitos.

11. You as the Eswatini National Commissioner of Police allegedly interfered with my court matter and discussed my court case with journalists who later wrote negative and false information about myself and my news website.

12. My rights to a fair hearing were ruined by you as the National Commissioner of Police, as you convened a press conference or ‘kangaroo court’ insinuated that I published fake information while the matter had not been heard in the court.

13. You allegedly defamed me and my website “Swati Newsweek” during your press conference.

1. Police pushed and partially broke my door during their illegal raid.
2. My freedom of expression was violated.
3. Press freedom was violated
4. The confiscation of my journalism 12 notebooks, laptop and company documents constitutes state initiated censorship.

Freedom of expression is guaranteed in the 2005 Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini. Section 24(1) stipulates that “A person has a right to freedom of expression and opinion.”