A photograph of Swaziland Justice Minister Ndumiso Mamba at the moment he was discovered in a sex scandal with one of King Mswati III’s wives has been published in a South African newspaper today (8 August 2010).
The picture was one of two photographs that have been circulating on the Internet over the past couple of days.
According to City Press, the pictures show Mamba’s arrest at Royal Villas, a hotel at Ezulwini, just outside Mbabane, where he is said to have had regular adulterous meetings with Nothando Dube (also known as Inkhosikati LaDube), King Mswati’s 12th wife.
The newspaper reports that when police pounced, ‘in a desperate effort not to be found out Mamba cut into the base of the bed and slid in – but police ordered him out and Mamba, dressed in a brown suit, was soon taken into custody’.
City Press reports that Swaziland’s military agents had been on the trail of the adulterous pair for several months.
The newspaper, which broke the story of the sex scandal last week, says that Mamba did not resign from his cabinet post and from the Swaziland Senate as was reported earlier this week, he was forced to quit. ‘Mamba was this week handed a written letter of resignation and told to sign it, sources reveal. The spin will then be that he resigned, whereas in fact he was fired,’ the newspaper reports.
The City Press adds, ‘Mamba resigned less than two years after Mswati appointed him to both positions [Senator and Cabinet Minister]. He has created a dilemma for Mswati because they were close friends who grew up together, and he signs the royal family’s business and investment deals.
‘Some of the king’s investments and companies are believed to be in Mamba’s name.
‘“He knows too much, so Mswati has to find a way of dealing with this,” a source said on Friday. “If he flees into exile with the royal secrets, that would be a major problem for Mswati.”’
A source told City Press on Friday that Mswati (42) had called the country’s army commander from Taiwan, where he was on a 10-day state visit when the sex scandal broke, and told him that if Mamba fled the country the military chief would also have to flee.
‘He also ordered that the sex scandal be kept secret and that if it was leaked there would be trouble.
‘Mamba was kept at Big Bend Prison under heavy guard until Sunday. Mswati flew back into the country on Wednesday.
‘LaDube (22) was detained at the queen mother’s royal residence at Ludzidzini, Mbabane.
‘The king flew home in the eye of this royal sex storm and immediately gathered his most trusted lieutenants around him.
‘He ordered that an investigation be carried out to identify City Press’s sources, through a printout of phone calls made to Swaziland.
‘Lucky Lukhele, Swaziland Solidarity Network’s (SSN’s) spokesperson for the organisation’s South African chapter, said: “Mswati is deeply embarrassed by the sex scandal and is livid that it reached the South African media.”
‘He added; “This sex scandal has nothing to do with the state, but because Mswati is above the law he will use his personal crisis to drag Swaziland further into the human rights dump site.
‘“The saddest part is that Swaziland’s media are banned from even saying a word about this political crisis.”’
