THABANI’S FAMILY REQUESTED POLICE PROTECTION

LOBAMBA –Government says the late Thabani Nkomonye’s family wrote to it, asking for police protection during their son’s memorial service.  

This was shared by Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku in his ministerial statement during the urgent sitting with MPs in the House of Assembly yesterday. Worth noting is that during Nkomonye’s memorial service which was held at St Paul’s last Friday, police officers reportedly arrived and fired teargas at the mourners. There was public uproar that followed, where locals questioned why police allegedly disturbed the proceedings. However, the acting PM stated that it was Nkomonye’s family that requested for police protection. Masuku recalled that the country had witnessed events of grave concern following the death of Nkomonye, whose death had led to allegations of improper conduct levelled against the police. Masuku stated that government took these allegations seriously as it had a duty to fully protect the lives of all emaSwati, a right it held sacrosanct.

Unfortunate

“The events of the memorial service are quite unfortunate as they came at a time when the family had written to government specifically asking for police protection as they wanted to keep such a solemn occasion peaceful without violence of any kind,” said Masuku. He said it was unfortunate that this event was eventually turned into a violent scene, hurting the family who were in grief and attracting people who were not related to the family as well. Masuku appealed to Mavimbela that all parliamentarians used appropriate forums when addressing concerns of national interest as government sought to foster the spirit of unity while pursuing the truth.

Masuku stated that government had also engaged the Nkomonye family to pass its condolences and pledged its support and counselling in their common pursuit to get to the bottom of the matter. “I have personally spoken to Thabani’s father to convey the same and we are in agreement that we all want the truth to reveal itself to ensure that action is taken against any offenders, if there are any, and for the family to find closure,” Masuku said.

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