In Eswatini, parliamentary elections are held every five years but there is no legislative framework enabling political parties to participate. By calling for the boycott and sabotage of the parliamentary elections slated for September 2023, it is understood that the Swaziland Multi-Stakeholder Forum and particularly Maseko were seen as a security threat by Eswatini authorities.

It has been six months since prominent Eswatini human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko was gunned down in cold blood in front of his family. The killers remain unknown and the motive for his murder remains a subject of speculation.

Political activists and the broader civil society are adamant that Maseko was assassinated by state agents for his activism and human rights work. However, the government has repeatedly denied any involvement in Maseko's killing.

In a statement released a day after Maseko was murdered, Eswatini government spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo said security forces were "already at work looking for the killers". But since then neither the government nor the police have given updates on the progress of their investigations.

Consequently, the failure of the police and the government to take the nation into their confidence with regards to progress of their investigations has given rise to hypotheses about the motives for Maseko's murder.

While some in the legal fraternity believe it could have been part of what increasingly seems like a concerted crackdown by the state on human rights lawyers, some political activists believe the motive might be found in a document published by the Swaziland Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF) in December 2022....

The name of the writer has been withheld as their life could be in danger should they be identified. The identity of the author is known by the Editor of Maverick Citizen.