The Swazi army took to the streets of Manzini and was shooting at protesters from the air, the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) said on Tuesday.
There has been no other verification of the reports of shootings in the city. Activists have accused Swazi police of using excessive force and underhanded tactics to break up demonstrations. Demonstrators are calling on King Mswati III to step down and want a democratically-elected government.
SSNs Lucky Lukhele said union leaders and members of the student movement were rounded up and police were doing all they could to restrict movement in the region.
All transport operators like buses and kombis are being turned away and those people are being taken and dumped into bushes, he said. Earlier on Tuesday, a number of journalists including Eyewitness News reporters Nastasya Tay and Tshepo Lesole, were briefly detained by authorities.
COSATU BACKS PROTESTERS
Meanwhile, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has joined a growing number of calls for the Swazi king to step down.
Members of Cosatu gathered at the Oshoek border post with Swaziland in solidarity with protesters. Cosatus Patrick Craven said, An effective number of Cosatu members have been assembling at the Oshoek border post in solidarity with the people who are demonstrating in the face of massive repression by the police and the army…
SILENCE
Political analyst Sylvester Maphosa said the South African government must break its silence regarding the instability in Swaziland. Maphosa said the lack of official comment on the matter is worrying. Is it because of the role that Swazi played during the struggle or is it the same problem that we face across Africa where African leadership tends to use kids gloves to their counterparts, he said.
(Edited by Dennis Georgiannis & Lindiwe Mlandu)
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