Times Of Swaziland: MTN BUSHFIRE CLEAN-UP: 28 ARRESTED

MTN BUSHFIRE CLEAN-UP: 28 ARRESTED
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BY SIBUSISO SHANGE, MELISA MSWELI AND KWANELE SIBIYA on 23/05/2019 08:40:00


MBABANE – Fun lovers could enjoy a safe MTN Bushfire Festival following a
random clean-up campaign along the Mbabane/Manzini corridor yesterday.
This resulted in about 28 people being arrested for being found with dagga and
ammunition in various areas.
According to Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent
Phindile Vilakati, the operation was done to ensure safety during the upcoming
MTN Bushfire Festival to be held at Malkerns over the weekend.
“We will continue doing the operations to ensure that the country is safe,”
stated Vilakati.
She said there were three other people who were in the country illegally who
were also arrested.
Possession
Vilakati discouraged the act of people being found in possession of illegal
substances, as she said the law would close in on them.
“This is not the only operation we will have, as our job is to ensure that
safety is at its highest level in the country, especially because we are
expecting visitors over the weekend,” added Vilakati.
She said traffic police officers were also on the roads to ensure safety.
About 12 of the offenders were arrested in Mbabane and appeared before
Magistrate Lenhle Zulu, who once again hit hard on the youth who engage in dagga
trade in the country.
Magistrate Zulu wondered why the country’s youth formed the majority of people
who appeared in court for illegal possession of dagga.
She voiced out her concerns when presiding over the cases of people who were
arrested and charged for illegal possession of dagga during the random raids in
Mbabane and the surrounding areas. Most offenders who were arrested during the
raids were aged between 18 and 34.
“I am addressing you in my capacity as a parent. It is disheartening to see
young people convicted of illegal possession of dagga. This shows that young
people like shortcuts in life. It is sad to see young people wasting their lives
with drugs,” she said.
She learnt from the mitigation of the offenders that some of them were school
leavers who had opportunities to further their studies.
Zulu asked the youth what good was it for them to be chased by the police for
illegal possession of dagga.
She made a comparison to the Mozambicans who were earning their living through
selling fruits and vegetables around town, stating that they rarely appeared in
courts for illegal possession of drugs.
Lazy
“Mozambicans always make sure that they lay their hands on something that will
help them without contravening the law. You are lazy and shy to push trolleys or
sell fruits and vegetables. It is a pity that a majority of you are not
permanent residents of the town but you came for criminal activities.