King Mswati Allegedly Flees to Johannesburg Amid Protests in Swaziland
- King Mswati has allegedly fled Swaziland after protests for democracy broke out in the country recently
- The Communist Party of eSwatini apparently believes that he is hiding out in Sandton, Johannesburg
- Reports say that protests have turned violent with protestors burning down businesses owned by King Mswati
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The Communist Party of eSwatini confirmed that King Mswati III fled his country of Swaziland on Tuesday. The party alleges that he is hiding out in Johannesburg. According to EWN, King Mswati fled amid pro-democracy protests that have swept the kingdom.
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“It was discovered that the special jet for King Mswati left around 10:30pm last night but we have discovered that had left earlier. He’s been hiding in Johannesburg, in the Sandton area.”
According to SABC News, a number of unconfirmed reports have emerged that protestors went on a rampage and set businesses on fire in Matsapha, said to belong to King Mswati.
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A member of the Communist Party of eSwatini, Thokozani Kunene, said protest action would continue in the country until King Mswati steps aside and bows down to democracy.
Kunene said that the army and police have been deployed to target protestors. He added that there were chaotic scenes takingplace. Several people were injured and one person is believed to have died.
He further said that armed choppers threw tear gas at protestors and were supported by the police, who opened fire.
Push for postponement of by-elections at Electoral Court, IEC announces
Briefly News recently reported that the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has said it will urgently approach the Electoral Court to postpone eight by-elections scheduled for Wednesday, 30 June. This follows the implementation of Alert Level 4 lockdown restrictions across South Africa.
In a statement on Monday, the IEC said it took the decision to seek the court’s approval to postpone the by-elections at an emergency meeting.
The meeting was convened after the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa of additional measures to help curb the alarming infection rate being observed amid the country's third wave of the pandemic.
SABC News reported that the developments come as the Moseneke Inquiry began its work on Monday, as the inquiry considers whether the elections should indeed go ahead.
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Source: Briefly News
