HIGH MASTS TO REDUCE ‘INYANDZALEYO’

MATSAPA – A resident of Kwaluseni was stabbed and left battling for her life in a brutal, but typical case of robbery at the notorious Mbhuleni Township.

To the 70 000 residents of Mbhuleni, the attack on the woman is just water under the bridge, owing to the long history of muggings, burglaries, rapes and murders that the township is famed for. The woman is however, said to have recovered from the stab wound, but she lost money and valuables to the criminals. 

A conscious decision to rid the township of these criminal ills is in the pipline, with the introduction of high masts that will bring light to all dark areas.

The initiative driven by the Inkhundla team is scheduled to be rolled out early next year, with the full participation of residents.

Violent

Member of Parliament (MP)Sibusiso Mabhanisi Dlamini said after he realised that violent crime was escalating in the area, he decided to engage the Inkhundla team and requested that they come up with a solution. The MP said screams of inyandzaleyo (shouts for help) were not uncommon in the three constituencies  because thugs take advantage of the dense population and the illogical positioning of houses.

“I met the Taiwan Ambassador Jeremy Liang and informed him of our predicament in the area. I told him that Kwaluseni is more of a hostel for the population who work at the Matsapha Industrial Site, but their safety is not guaranteed. I specifically asked if he may assist us with lighting the area and he promised to do something. On a similar note, I spoke to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. I was also similarly referred to the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development,”said Dlamini.

He said soon thereafter, officials from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy called to say they were overseeing the requests for high masts. They then advised us to form the committees to work with the ministry. “We all agreed that we will form a team of 12 people, comprising of four members from each of the three imiphakatsi which are Mhlane, Kwaluseni and Logoba,” he said.

Dlamini said his Inkhundla, during deliberations, decided that the high masts should be solar, driven to avoid electricity costs. “If we do not use solar the implication is that we have to use electricity from EEC. Now, having worked with people for a long time, I know how difficult it is to make people pay for a service that they benefit from,” he noted.

The MP said the only cost to be borne by the residents would be that of replacing the light bulbs. Dlamini said the strategy was that the residents must take full ownership of the high masts so they can guard against vandalism and report promptly in the event there was disturbance in the structures.

Dlamini said the role to be played by the community police was also enormous in order to safeguard the high masts. “The whole strategy of fighting crime will not succeed if community police are not in the matrix of strategies. This is why there are concerted efforts to expedite the Crime Prevention Bill that will make community police eligible for allowances and stipends. They have to eat, dress and live normal lives, which is why we need to properly remunerate them,” said the minister.

Cells

Dlamini said Kwaluseni also needs to have holding cells for the community police to place suspects while they wait for the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS). He said the state police were also playing a pivotal role in fighting crime, though the number of police officers was not enough to make an impact in the fight against crime.

He recalled how the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic had contributed to the increase in crime in the area. The MP’s personal observation is that during the COVID-19 lockdown, violent crimes were on the decline. Dlamini said the implication is that government must issue out more licences to liquor traders so that the sale of alcohol can be properly monitored.

Meanwhile, Indvuna Yenkhundla Jabulani Nkambule concurred with the MP that there is need to capacitate the community police in the fight against crime. “In recent weeks, there has been scarcity of fuel for government vehicles, which also affected the REPS. It was the community police that were doing all the work in the fight against crime.

He said the Inkhundla intends to revive a process by which residents of Kwaluseni were made to pay E5 per home to finance the activities of the community police. “They still need to buy rain coats, torches and batteries, so we need to support them,” Nkambule said.

A community member, Gagasi Madonsela, also said he loved the idea of high masts because it would play a key role in fighting  against crime. “Just last week, a woman was stabbed by thugs while on her way home back from work. We suspect it is the work of the K9 gang because they are the ones actively involved in muggings,” he alleged. The K9 gang is a notorious gang known in the area.

Victim

Madonsela said the victim was rushed to hospital where she was treated and discharged, but the thugs had made away with her valuables.

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said the move to install high masts at Kwaluseni was welcome because the area is one of the country’s hotspots for crime. 

She said REPS was also grateful to the work done by the community police and urged the community to report any incidents of crime as soon as possible to the Matsapha Police Station which is the nearest office.

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