VISIT TO PM’S HOME: 19 MORE JUNIOR COPS SUMMONED

MBABANE – The number of junior police officers who have been called upon to explain why they should not be suspended withou pay for ‘visiting’ the prime minister’s (PM) residence is growing.

This is because on top of the four who were previously asked to elucidate why they should not be interdicted from work, 19 more have also found themselves in the same predicament. This brings the number of junior officers who are expected show cause why they should not be suspended for visiting the PM’s residence to 23. The junior officers went to the PM Cleopas Dlamini’s residence, to purportedly engage him on the implementation of Phase II of the police and Correctional Services officers’ salary restructuring exercise of 2014.

Condemned

Their action was condemned by some Members of Parliament (MPs), who described it as uncalled for and misdirected. The MPs said by going to the PM’s residence, the junior officers had taken it too far. Yesterday, the 19 junior officers, in the presence of their attorney, Leo Ndvuna Dlamini, proceeded to the Police Headquarters in Mbabane, where they had been called to appear before a tribunal, which consists of senior officers. According to the lawyer, he was asked to excuse them after he was told that it was just a meeting between the junior officers and their seniors. Leo said it later transpired that the officers were each asked to explain why they should not be interdicted from their places of employment, following their visit to the PM’s residence.

According to the lawyer, each of the junior officers explained why he or she participated in the visit. “After they gave their explanations, they were informed that they will know their fate in due course,” said the lawyer.The Secretary General (SG) of the Royal Police Service Staff Association, Sergeant Dumisile Khumalo, was among the officers who had been called to show cause. The lawyer said Khumalo was, however, later told that she was being excused because of the pending court case, where she is seeking an interdict and recusal of some of the senior officers in the tribunal, who form part of her disciplinary hearing.  

Unconstitutional

In the application which is still pending in court, Khumalo and the association want the High Court to declare as unconstitutional the instruction by the national commissioner (NATCOM) of police to her and members of the association not to hold meetings. She also wants the court to declare as unconstitutional her suspension or attempt to suspend her and other members of the association from the activities of the staff association. The SG further implored the court to declare as unconstitutional the appointment and empanelling of officers below the rank of assistant commissioner, to administrative Boards, to hear matters pertaining to the affairs and activities of the association.  She wants same to be declared to be an unfair labour practice.The Royal Eswatini Police Service Staff Association is the second applicant in the matter.  Respondents are the NATCOM of police, the presiding Officer of the enquiry Board and the attorney general.

Outcome

Their lawyer said they would wait for the outcome and then see whether they could seek legal recourse or not. It has been gathered that the police staff association would be moving an urgent application to interdict the intended suspension of the 19 junior officers any time this week. Meanwhile, Khumalo elaborated that in the meeting with the senior officers, they were verbally informed that they should explain why they should not be interdicted from work. In turn, the junior officers also asked the tribunal to show cause why they should not retire and leave the organisation as they were above the retiring age.

The SG alleged that the senior officers were told that they were no longer productive and were destroying the police service and instead of them being interdicted from work, they should just retire. According to the officers, they had written letters for about eight senior officers who were above 70 years, to explain why they should not go home as they were 70 years and above.  These, senior officers, they said formed part of the tribunal.
Among the senior officers, they said was the NATCOM, William Tsitsibala Dlamini. Furthermore, they stated that the age of the senior officers who formed the tribunal showed that they were retired and were abusing the law by interdicting them from work.

When reached for comment, the NATCOM stated that he had not received the report yet, as he was not part of the tribunal but was attending another meeting. Dlamini said he had no clue what transpired during the meeting between the junior officers and superiors. Meanwhile, the junior officers are aggrieved over the protracted salary restructuring exercise, which saw their leaders getting an increment, following the implementation of Circular No. 2 of 2014. The circular was in two phases; I and II, but only Phase I was implemented. Phase II was to be implemented subsequently. However, that has never happened to date.

It is now the eighth year without the implementation of Phase II.  The junior officers stated that as a result of the non-implementation of Phase II, they were hungry and could no longer work, hence the appeal to Minister of Police, PM Cleopas Dlamini to pay them the Phase II.
After several engagements with their superiors and government, the aggrieved officers then resorted to marching to Cabinet to deliver a petition. When it was the day to go and fetch the responses, they were served with an order interdicting and restraining them from proceedings to Cabinet.

Urgent

The court had to burn the midnight oil after the NATCOM of police and the Commissioner General of  His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS), Phindile Dlamini, filed an urgent application at 9pm. The order stopping the march was granted by Judge Maseko at 2:30am. Respondents in the matter were the REPS Staff Association and HMCS Staff Association. In motivating the application, the duo informed the court that the intended march by members of the respondents (HMCS and REPS) associations compromised national security and if it continued unabated, it would put the lives of emaSwati at risk.  

It was further their contention that the respondents were members of the country’s security forces and they fell under the essential services category.
Government later offered all security personnel in the country an increase of four per cent, which will be backdated to April 1, 2022. The increment will be implemented in January 2023.

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