Mandla Dlamini & Comfort Ndzinisa: The Unthinkable (Documentary) - The Bloodiest Week in Swaziland

Blossom of Thought

Armed forces in eSwatini continue to brutalize and kill emaSwati who are calling for a democratic dispensation in the country. During recent protests, police and the military fired live ammunition, killing over 80 unarmed civilians, while hundreds of others sustained major injuries and were left permanently disabled or in need of continued medical care. Most of their stories have not been reported due to the regime’s silencing tactics which include the state capture of the media, internet shut down in the height of civil unrest, as well as continued targeted harassment and intimidation of ordinary citizens. The atrocities committed by the monarchy’s police and military are now being exposed in a new documentary called “The Unthinkable”, where some of the Swazis who have been gravely affected tell their stories. We are joined by the executive producer of the film Comfort Ndzinisa, as well as Mandla Dlamini, who is the convenor of the eSwatini Solidarity Fund. The documentary titled “The Unthinkable: The bloodiest week in Africa’s last absolute monarch” premiers at 6 pm GMT+2 on Sunday, 3 October 2021 on the SWAZILAND NEWS Facebook page.

Highlights

Þ Comfort explains how the unbelievable nature of the victims’ circumstances inspired the title of the documentary.

Þ Mandla clarifies Comfort’s critical role in the documentary inception and the importance of hearing firsthand stories from the survivors beyond looking at the statistics.

Þ Comfort explains how his personal experience with his sister’s murder and being failed by the justice system motivated him to create this documentary.

Þ Comfort talks about how making the documentary and seeing the aftermath of the massacre conscientized him politically, and encouraged him to play a role in making others understand the extent of what the people are through.

Þ Mandla describes how the solidarity fund has evolved beyond humanitarian efforts, into being an accessible platform for people to contribute to the emancipation of the Swazi people.

Þ In terms of reporting by the media, Comfort speaks of time being a major limitation in terms of how much he could document. He explains the difficulty in extracting information from the victims who still fear further victimization. He insists on the need to revisit the events of that fateful week of killings and believes we do not have a clear picture of the extent of the tragedies.

Þ On how far the solidarity fund has gone in reaching the victims of the massacre, Mandla says “not far enough” in terms of the scale of the damage. Support is needed from Swazis and the international community.

Þ Mandla appeals to public to commit to sustained contributions; monetary and otherwise, as once-off donations are not enough to address the needs of those affected on the ground.

Þ The solidarity fund is being steered by a group of Swazi volunteers, and mainly funded by other Swazis in the country and the diaspora, as well as partnerships with other international humanitarian groups such as COSPE.

Þ Comfort explains how his personal motivation is enough to keep doing the work without any monetary benefit. Mandla shares similar sentiments of personal conviction driving him and the eSwatini Solidarity Fund team

Þ Mandla: The documentary airs on Sunday the 3rd October 2021, 6 pm GMT+2 on the Swaziland News Facebook page. The eSwatini Solidarity Fund is coupling the premier with a feedback session and fundraising activity for the fund.

Þ Comfort and Mandla conclude by appealing to the public to recognize that victims of the massacre are also those that have been left behind after the death or incapacitation of a breadwinner.

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