POLICE POST, TWO SCHOOLS SET ALIGHT

MANZINI – Three government properties have been torched.

One of them is the Ngculwini Police Post, where charred furniture, shattered window panes and a broken door were what remained  of the post. This police post, situated about 200 metres away from Mhubhe High School, was petrol-bombed by unknown arsonists yesterday morning.  No officers were present during the incident as they leave in the evening.

The arsonists broke window panes and threw in the petrol bomb. It was gathered that inside the police post was furniture that consisted of four chairs, a desk and stationery, which were extensively damaged, including the structure which had its roofing partially detached from the walls. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed that the police post was burnt. She said the damage was valued at E100 000.

Unrest

Worth noting is that this is the fourth police post to be reduced to ashes as during the political unrest in the country, the Fairview North Police Post was burnt when the complex it was located in was gutted by fire. Also burnt was the Shewula Police Post in the Lubombo Region, which was burnt allegedly by angry pupils after one of their own was supposedly shot by the police. In addition, police recently thwarted a move by two men to petrol-bomb the recently refurbished Ngwenya Police Post, hours before it was officially opened. Furthermore, the Luve Police Post was recently burnt by unknown arsonists wherein the damage incurred was estimated at E150 000.  Also burnt was Charles Wesley High.

The incident happened after a pupil’s school backpack which contained dagga was confiscated and provoked an enraged learner to mobilising his schoolmates to torch two classes destroying furniture worth over E20 000. The school is situated within the Mayaluka compound just a stone’s thrown from Mayaluka Stadium. According to the Head teacher, Sive Fakudze, the incident happened at around 8:30pm on Monday night. Initially, two classrooms were burnt with flammable liquids as bottles were found at the scene. Lessons were suspended and police recorded statements with the school’s administration.

He said the burnt furniture, window panes and doors would cost an estimated E20 000 to repair. Fakudze said during the day while lessons were in progress, he was told that stones were thrown on some of the classrooms’ roofs, sending pupils and teaching staff into panic. The head teacher said the security guards were informed and they swiftly responded and combed the school’s premises but found that the culprits had escaped. He said the presence of Fire and Emergency Services personnel at the Ubombo Sugar Company played a vital role in ensuring that other classrooms were spared from the fire. The head teacher stated that the school’s security personnel informed him that they saw shadows but could not recognise the culprits. The head teacher said they had since called the pupil’s parents to a meeting over the incident.

“We are still shocked as it is the first time for such an incident to happen at the school. According to my opinion, the incident could be linked to what prompted government to close schools. A majority of our pupils showed keenness to learn but the current prevailing political climate prevents that from happening,” he said. Fakudze said the owner of the confiscated backpack went to the deputy’s office to ask for it before the incident happened. “He is known and we are arranging that his parents be called to a meeting to discuss the matter,” he said.

Lubombo Regional Education Officer (REO) Richard Dlamini confirmed receiving a report from the school. “I am yet to ascertain what happened as I received a call that the school was burnt by unknown arsonists,” he said. The third structure which was set alight was a newly-constructed staffroom and two classes at Emphumelelweni High School. The school, according to Maphalaleni Constituency Headman Gabangani Dlamini, was set alight by unknown arsonists on Saturday destroying the newly- onstructed staffroom. He supposed that the arsonists took advantage of the fact that the school was deserted on Saturday.

Dlamini said all items that were in the staffroom, inclusive of stationery; textbooks and furniture, were reduced to rubble. He bemoaned that the staffroom had recently been constructed through funding sourced from the Rural Development Fund (RDF).

Classrooms

He said the staffroom was semi-detached to a block of classrooms recently completed by Micro-projects. One of the classrooms, he said, was used as a storeroom for construction material. Also, impeccable sources revealed that the damage was assessed to be over E41 000. It was said the fire had disrupted lessons for Form III pupils as their stationery and textbooks were burnt. Dlamini confirmed that the school would be having its first external examinations early next year as it was still new. Initially, the riots in schools erupted after the arrest of Hosea Member of Parliament (MP) Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza together with his counterpart of Ngwempisi, Mthandeni Dube.

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