COPS TAKEN TO TASK FOR STOPPING STRIKE

MATSAPHA - The police have got some explaining to do regarding former NATCOM Isaac Magagula’s decision to stop TUCOSWA’s protest action in regions where there was no chaos.

This is because the investigation committee, which is probing the alleged police brutality on protesters during demonstrations, wanted to know if they have justification why the former national commissioner (NATCOM) stopped the protest action of the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) in the regions where no chaotic incidents took place.

The committee said based on the police submissions, the workers’ federation hosted protest actions in the four regions; Hhohho (Mbabane City), Manzini (Manzini City), Shiselweni (Nhlangano Town) and Lubombo (Siteki Town), but incidents of violence were only recorded in Manzini.

Conceding

“This means that you (police) are conceding that in the other regions (Hhohho, Shiselweni and Lubombo), the protest action of September 18, 2018 was peaceful,” the committee said.

The committee wondered if there was any justification for the former NATCOM to stop the protest action in the aforesaid regions.
The police were represented by Assistant National Commissioner Bonisile Masuku, who is the Director of Legal Affairs and Assistant National Commissioner Mcolisi Dlamini, who is under the Administration and Corporate Affairs Department in the police service.

After the committee had posed the question, Masuku asked the Chairman of the committee, David Khumalo, who is Manzini Principal Magistrate, to give them at least 10 minutes to consult and they were granted the permission.

Later on, it was Dlamini who responded to the committee’s question and said according to their understanding, the protest action was one big activity, which was, however, hosted in different places. He said it was just a strategy of the organisers to host it in different cities and towns.
On that note, he said their understanding was that the order to stop the protest action meant that the convener, TUCOSWA, should not proceed with the industrial action.

However, he told the committee that they would expand about the subject in their closing written submissions. Thereafter, the director of legal affairs in the police service announced that they had closed their case as they had paraded all relevant witnesses. The committee alerted the police that there was a need to conduct an inspection in loco on certain sites, which it would identify.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: