SOLDIERS DEPLOYED IN MANZINI DAY OF CHAOS: PUBLIC TRANSPORT WORKERS’ PROTEST TURNS CHAOTIC

MANZINI – Some parts of Manzini, mainly around the bus rank, came to a standstill yesterday morning.

It all started at around 9am when some public transport workers blocked the roads to and from the Manzini Bus Rank in protest against the continued incarceration of five of their members, including the President of the Eswatini Kombi and Buses Allied Workers Union (EKABAWU), Mcolisi Fakudze. The incarcerated public transport workers were; Mashumi Shabangu (38) of Matsapha, Mandla Malindzisa (37) of Fairview and Siyabonga Nhleko (36) of New Village. The others were Mcolisi Fakudze (32) of Ngwane Park and Nicholus Dludlu (35) of Nsingizini.

Charged

They were charged with the offence of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, in that on November 2, 2022 at Manzini City Centre, they allegedly assaulted Abdullah Aziz Kolia with a knobkerrie and sjambock several times all over the body. They are said to have also assaulted him with fists and kicks in the face with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.After blocking the roads with stones and garbage, the public transport workers sent about 20 of their colleagues to give moral support to their incarcerated colleagues, so that they could also give them an update regarding their bail application.

Clarified

During their appearance in court, their Lawyer Thembumenzi Bhembe, clarified to the court that at first, he was informed that the court had denied the accused persons bail and he went to the High Court. However, he submitted that at the High Court, he was informed that the accused persons were not denied bail, but it was deferred as the complainant was in a critical condition in hospital. In response to that, the presiding judicial officer, Magistrate Philisiwe Simelane, said during their first appearance, she took her time and addressed them in siSwati, thus she did not understand where the misunderstanding was.

Thereafter, the lawyer applied that he court grant them bail. He submitted that the accused persons were emaSwati and they were not a flight risk. He added that all of them had between one and three children, who solely depended on them, together with their spouses. He argued that their continued incarceration would affect their children and spouses. Again, the lawyer informed the court that the assault incident took place on November 2, 2022 and from there, the accused persons had been going to the police station on their own as they were called by the law enforcers for investigations. After that, he submitted that they were charged and warned to appear in court, which they duly did on November 8, 2022.

“By this, they showed that they are not flight risk and that they will attend their trial. Also, the police showed that they trusted them that they cannot run away from the court as they did not lock them up after charging them, instead they warned them to come to court,” the lawyer submitted.
In that regard, the legal practitioner asked the court to consider releasing them on their recognisance as they had displayed that they were willing to attend trial.  He applied that bail should not exceed E2 000. In response, the court asked him to make an offer and he applied that may their bail be fixed at E1 500 for each.

Discharged

On the other hand, the Crown said bail was not opposed and that the complainant had been discharged from hospital as he was no longer in a critical condition.  However, he submitted that the court should consider that the purpose of bail was to ensure that the accused persons attended their trial. In that regard, the Crown submitted that the proposed E1 500 bail for each was small to ensure that they attended their trial. “Considering the seriousness of the offence, may the court consider granting bail not less than E5 000,” the Crown submitted. Thereafter, the court fixed their bail at E6 000 for each and their trial set for December 14, 2022.  

After the court had announced the bail amount, the about 20 public transport workers, who were in attendance, expressed their dissatisfaction. They asked each other where the accused persons would get that money from since they were working in the public transport industry and their salaries were less than E6 000. Their noise forced the court to stop operations until all of them had left the courtroom. Thereafter, they went to Manzini Bus Rank, near Mozambique Hotel, where their colleagues were singing and dancing to political songs, while waiting for feedback about the matter. After informing them that the court had fixed the accused persons bail at E6 000 each, the protesting public transport workers agreed that they should march to the magistrates court to voice out their discontent.

However, as they embarked on the protest march, some of them remained behind and they were pelted with stones, while being ordered to join the march, which they duly did. When they reached the Four-Way Stop, which has a road that leads to the magistrates court, they toyi-toyed and started burning some of the plastic barriers used by Stefanutti Stocks Construction and Engineering Company to block some of the roads, which it is refurbishing.  

Transport

They said the vehicle which would transport their incarcerated colleagues to the police station or remand centre, would not be allowed to pass there. As they toyi-toyed, they pelted onlookers with stones, asking them what they were looking at and warned them against taking pictures or videos of their protest.

Meanwhile, police officers under the para-military wing of the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) – Operational Support Services Unit (OSSU) – arrived at around 11am near the Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF). This is where some of the public transport workers  had gathered, at the Four-Way Stop of Mahleka and Martins Streets, wherein the latter leads to the Manzini Magistrates Court where the case of their colleagues had just been completed.

The over 300 public transport workers were singing and blocking traffic from the Manzini Magistrates Court. They also started burning some of the plastic barriers used to block Mahleka Street. The stretch of the street from the Four-Way Stop up to where it links with Masalesikhundleni Street is under construction and is barricaded from public usage with stones and cast-in-place concrete blocks. The public transport workers used the concrete blocks to also barricade the road.

Challenged

When the OSSU officers arrived, the public transport workers challenged them to come over where they were; but the officers, who were travelling in a Toyota Landcruiser and Toyota Hilux GD 6 double cab, delayed for about 20 minutes until they were joined by a Casspir. Thereon, the OSSU officers alighted from the vehicles and ran towards the public transport workers while also the vehicles sped towards them. When this was happening, the public transport workers ran towards the bus rank.

The OSSU officers and police officers from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) extinguished the fire and thereafter pursued the public transport workers who were standing at the corner of Mahleka Street and Meintjies Streets. Subsequently, they cleared the rubble and stones along Louw Street before returning to the bus rank. At this point, the bus rank was void of life as there were no commuters or public service vehicles. A few people were walking by while most shops in close proximity to the bus rank were closed for the better part of the day.

Police post, Build It torched, army deployed

MANZINI – Soldiers were roped in after the Manzini Bus Rank Police Post and Build-It Hardware were set alight by protesters yesterday.

This happened during a protest action by some public transport workers, who were demanding that five of their colleagues be released from custody. The protesters first pelted windowpanes of buildings along Mahleka Street before entering the Manzini Bus Rank, where some of them set alight the police post. Also burnt was the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) flag, which was hoisted outside the police post. As the police post was up in flames, a contingent of members of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) was seen entering the bus rank. They were dressed in their usual camouflage uniform and helmets, with some covering their faces with masks.

Vacate

They walked around the bus rank and ordered people to vacate. This saw some of the protesters running towards Louw Street, which is sandwiched by the Bhunu Mall and Swaziland Building Society and EswatiniBank. The protesters were pelting stones at buildings and as such, a truck said to be transporting mealie-meal had its windscreen shattered in the process while other people also looted its goods.

The protesters also shattered windowpanes of Sausage Saloon, Nandos, KFC, Futi’s and Websters Stationery. Also, some members of the public, who ran away from the chaos and sought refuge at the automated teller machines (ATM) lobby at Standard Bank, were not spared. The protesters had stones thrown at them before the police arrived to disperse the protesters on that side of the town. The chaos had a lull as the protesters regrouped at the no-man’s land where they usually host their meetings.

Burnt

At about 2pm, Build It Hardware near the Manzini Bus Rank was burnt. The hardware shop had its windowpanes shattered before the fire was started at the entrances of the building. Rubble and car tyres were some of the items used to start the fire at the entrance of the hardware store. Personnel from Eswatini National Fire and Emergency Services (ENFES) were able to extinguish the fire; however, damage had been done as some items were destroyed, inclusive of the rollerdoors.

Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni confirmed the damage. She said the police had also recorded a statement of a confectionery transporting truck which had its contents emptied. She said the truck had its crates for packing bread strewn along the road after people helped themselves to loaves of bread it was transporting.  Mnguni said so far, police had one recorded arrest, which was for an individual  suspected of vandalising ATMs at Standard Bank. She said there was a possibility more arrests were yet to be recorded as the law enforcers were still conducting their investigations.

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