ENOUGH NOW, WE PLEAD FOR FORGIVENESS - POLICE

MANZINI - Sicela lucolo, sesikhale kakhulu (We are pleading for forgiveness; we have been in sorrow for too long)!

This is what junior police officers said to the nation during the joint memorial service of the two law enforcers; Sifiso Mthembu and Menzi Dlamini, who were assassinated by unknown people in broad daylight while carrying out their duties behind the Grand Valley (GV) complex, Woodmasters in Manzini on Tuesday. During the incident, the killers also took an R4 assault rifle from the law enforcers. Their memorial service was held at Zakhele Free Evangelical Church yesterday.

The officers said this through the voice of Nkosinathi ‘Stopper’ Simelane, a police officer who is based at the Manzini Police Station, who spoke on behalf of the friends of the deceased law enforcers. Simelane said the deceased officers were not just friends to most of them, but they were also colleagues and brothers. He said the Manzini Police Station and the police camp at Zakhele was like their home. Simelane said Mthembu used to call him mkhaya (meaning they were from the same community), while Dlamini referred to him as sibali (brother-in-law).

Plans

He said on the day of the incident, he went to the scene and when he saw their bodies lying on pools of blood on the group, he broke down. He said Mthembu and Dlamini had good plans about their lives. “Both of them were building homes, which is one of the things they had in their plans for the lives,” the officer said. In fact, he said they (deceased officers) usually encouraged them to work towards developing their lives as officers. On behalf of friends and colleagues of Mthembu and Dlamini, Simelane sent condolences to both families and added that as associates, they were also affected. He said the deceased persons loved them and he made an example of Mthembu by saying he knew the homes of most of the officers at Manzini Police Station. He said this was because a police officer from Lavumisa could call him for help and he would take his car and drive down to the Shiselweni Region. After that, he said as officers, they were praying to the Lord, the living God to raise his glorious hand over them because they had lost too many colleagues, who died because of the violent attacks.

Violent

“We have been having funeral after another in the police service due to the violent attacks,” Simelane added. In that regard, he said as officers, they loved the nation unconditionally and testament to that was that they treated them the same. He said they provide policing services equally to all emaSwati as they never discriminate anyone. “Please forgive us. We are sorry. Sicela lucolo, sesikhale kakhulu (We are begging for forgiveness; we have been in sorrow for too long). We are your brothers, sisters and relatives,” Simelane said. On another note, another officer, who spoke on behalf of the Dlamini family (of Menzi), said when they left home for work,

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