SA diplomacy head: ‘We will not tolerate insults from Eswatini govt’

Head of Public Diplomacy Clayson Monyela says South Africa will not tolerate insults from the Eswatini government after former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Secretary General Godrich Gardee claimed that King Mswati III killed his daughter Hillary.

Monyela was responding to a comment by Eswatini Government spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo on SAFM on Tuesday.

ALSO READ: ‘King Mswati killed my daughter’, says Godrich Gardee

Nxumalo hurled insults at South Africa over Gardee’s claims while at the same time threatening that the reports accusing King Mswati III of murder were un-journalistic and unethical.

“There are suspects that are appearing in court as a result of this criminal matter of Mr Gardee’s daughter. SA is infested with a cancer of criminality from head to toe.”

Monyela says South Africa will respond to the Eswatini government insults.

“We’ll use diplomatic channels to seek an explanation from the Kingdom of Eswatini regarding this unfortunate statement by their spokesperson. No country is immune from crime. That’s why we all have criminal justice systems. We won’t tolerate insults.”

In June, the Eswatini government tweeted that “it will not sit back and watch as terrorists intimidate emaSwati, and assured the nation that the “government will not hesitate to respond with the necessary force to protect our National security as a sovereign state.”

In a series of tweets on Monday, Gardee claims King Mswati III is responsible for the death of his daughter, Hillary.

He says on 12 April 2022, four borders were closed and each for more than 6 hours.

“There was no income for Eswatini Government. King Mswati killed Hillary. The King was angry, and he unleashed his foreign intelligence service with a robbery decoy and killed Hillary Gardee.”

Hillary went missing at the Nelspruit Plaza on 29 April.

The 28-year-old’s body was found on 3 May in a timber plantation about 40km outside Mbombela.

Three people have been arrested for her murder.

Philemon Lukhele, Sipho Lawrence Mkhatshwa and Albert Mduduzi Gama are facing charges of murder, rape, conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping and possession of illegal firearms.

ALSO READ: Eswatini government hits back at King Mswati murder allegations