COPS WHIP 4 MEN WITH SJAMBOK FOR ‘KWEDZELELA’

BUHLENI – “Zuba nje nge sicoco.”

This is one of the phrases police officers allegedly told four people who were whipped inside the Buheni Police Station last Wednesday meaning, ‘jump like a frog’. The four males including a teenager, who is said to be 17 years old, were whipped using sjamboks also locally known as insilane. The four are said to have been whipped so hard that they sustained bruises and were treated at the Mkhuzweni Health Centre immediately after the alleged assault. It is alleged that the officers, not only whipped the four people, but also used unpalatable words which will not be repeated.

The alleged beating is said to have happened at the Buhleni Police Station, which is a state-of-the-art facility under construction. The building is said to be the most advanced police structure in the country. As at last Wednesday, it was being utilised by police officers from the Buhleni Police Post. However, the building is not fully operational. According to the men who were allegedly assaulted, trouble started on Monday, after a dispute over livestock. It is alleged that some of their cattle were allegedly impounded at a certain homestead after complaints that they had eaten some crop belonging to a certain family. *Jama, who is one of the people who were assaulted, alleged that after discovering that their cattle had been impounded and kept at a certain homestead, him and some others decided to go to the homestead. “We wanted them to release the cattle,” he stated.

Upon arrival at the homestead, he said they found a woman whom they asked about the cattle. He said they told the woman that they did not believe that the animals had eaten their crop. “We then asked if we could go to the field to check the extent of the damage to the crop,” he said. At the climax of their conversation, Jama said the woman begun to use her cellphone to capture some footage of him and others. He said they asked the woman why they were being photographed, resulting in an altercation with her. The confrontation did not get physical. On the following day, it is alleged that the woman reportedly went to Buhleni Police Station to report the arrival of the four men at her homestead.

Responding to the woman’s report, police officers understandably reached out to Jama and his friends, informing then to come to the station for talks. Under the impression that the agenda was the issue of the cattle, Jama said, upon arrival at the police station, said they were instead taken to another room within the police station, where three police officers assaulted them. Jama said the police officers were angry at them, accusing them of being disrespectful. “Kusho kutsi nine niyedzela (that means you are not respectful),” the police officers are said to have uttered these words as narrated by Jama.

Shocked

They were then whipped. He said they were shocked because they were not given an opportunity to explain their side of the story and that they were also not told why they were being assaulted. Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni said the matter would be investigated. However, she could only confirm that there was a report of a dispute over issues relating to cattle, adding that two families went to the police station to make a report on this issue. Mnguni could not confirm the alleged assault, but said it would be investigated. Meanwhile, the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) has been in the spotlight previously for the manner in which suspects were treated, particularly during protests that they were often physically assaulted. This publication recently reported that Eswatini is one of the top five countries where labour laws are violated.

The four men are of the view that police officers intended to humiliate them by the alleged assault. *Juba, who is one of the people who were allegedly beaten said the officers even demonstrated how they should jump when they were whipped. He said one of the police officers told them that when whipped, they should jump like a frog. He said if one did not jump, he would get assaulted for this. Juba said the police officers also allegedly kicked and slapped those who fell to the floor, ordering them to stand up as they continued whipping them.
Juba said the beating continued for several minutes, while the men were trying to understand why they were being assaulted. He then said after the alleged assault, they decided to go to the hospital for treatment. The went to the Mkhuzweni Health Centre, which is about three kilometres from the Buhleni Police Station.

Juba said when they went to the police station, they were told that they could not be treated unless they produced documentation from the police station stating how they were injured. He said then then went back to the police station the officers delayed giving them the necessary documentation and that they appeared reluctant to do so. After a several minutes of deliberation, the police officers are said to have handed over the required documentation which is also known as ‘Form 88’ for medical examinations related to crime cases.

It’s police brutality – lawyer

Human rights lawyer, Sipho Gumedze described the alleged assault as police brutality. Gumedze said it was unfortunate that this was still happening and that police officers were still breaking the law. He also said such kinds of assaults were still common. The legal eagle stated that police officers are not permitted to use sjamboks as these are not part of the tools that they were given to use minimal force to restrain someone. He said even worse, was that they allegedly assaulted the four people inside the police station, adding that this was wrong.
Gumedze said also, it was not permissible for the police to assault people, though there were instances where they could use certain tools to obtain minimal force but insisted that this could not be done inside a police station. He said the purpose of minimal force was to enforce arrest when there was some resistance. “How then do you use it inside the police station?” he asked.

Further, Gumedze said the police officers should be charged and arrested for these actions. He said the people who were assaulted should also go back to the same police station and lay charges against the police officers. He said they should not go to another police station such as Pigg’s Peak but should instead report the alleged crime to the same police station where they are said to have been assaulted. Gumedze said they should report the matter to the officer at the front desk and that the station’s commander has the duty to follow through that action was taken against the police officers. *Not real name to protect complainants from further harm.

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