Police allege PUDEMO president coordinated 2021 unrest by phone
Mlungisi Makhanya and Zweli Martin Dlamini allegedly directed ground activities and received stolen firearms during the 2021-2023 unrest, according to court papers.
Eswatini police allege that Mlungisi Makhanya, president of the proscribed People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), and Swaziland News Editor Zweli Martin Dlamini coordinated the 2021/22 unrest via phone calls. Assistant Superintendent Bhekani Shiba stated in court papers that stolen firearms were surrendered to Makhanya. These allegations are part of an application for the extradition of Ntokozo Kenneth Vilakati, also known as ‘Putin’, who is reportedly arrested in South Africa.
Shiba, the investigating officer, claims Makhanya and Dlamini gave instructions to individuals on the ground, linking them to the activities of a group called the ‘underground solidarity forces’. The investigator alleges Vilakati acted on orders from this group’s commander, Thabo Kunene, and others, including Makhanya. The police account connects the group to alleged offences across Eswatini’s four regions between 2021 and 2023.
The court papers detail alleged operations involving Vilakati, including incidents at Dumako, the homestead of the late Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala, and properties near Pigg’s Peak. These include alleged cattle killings, house burnings, and the burning of a truck and forest belonging to Rockland Company. The Central Transport Administration block and Pigg’s Peak Magistrates Court were allegedly burnt the following morning.
Why it mattersThe allegations in court papers directly implicate the president of a proscribed political movement and a news editor in coordinating unrest and receiving stolen firearms.