COMMUNITY POLICE ASSAULTS PASTOR

EZULWINI – Cases of community police members allegedly breaking the law are increasingly common in the country.

Just a week after a community police member from Shewula under the Lomahasha Constituency was arrested for allegedly disregarding the country’s laws, a case of alleged physical assault has been opened against a male community police member from the popular Belina area in Ezulwini. This man, a well-known Ezulwini resident, allegedly assaulted Devine Healing Ministries Pastor Nandipha Shabangu and her two children, accusing them of disrespect.

The incident reportedly occurred last Saturday at Shabangu’s homestead in Ezulwini. The assault left the pastor heavily bruised, and she claims to have been in severe pain since the alleged assault. Shabangu stated that she was taken to the Mbabane Government Hospital for treatment, where she was admitted for 24 hours, discharged and given medication. However, she continues to suffer. Investigations into the assault revealed that the accused had been threatening Shabangu and her family for the past seven years.

Violent

They allegedly suffered verbal insults from him until last Saturday’s incident, when he became physically violent. When inflicting physical assault on the family, the community police member was allegedly armed with a bush knife and an okapi (a smaller knife), which have since been seized by the police after he was briefly detained. Neighbours who witnessed the incident said it had been brewing for some time due to alleged conflict between them. The community police member had reportedly displayed a negative attitude towards Shabangu and her children after they bought the homestead in 2017, which had previously been owned by his family.

It seems he has been finding it difficult to accept that the area is now owned by Shabangu, hence his wayward behaviour. A resident who witnessed the incident alleged that the community police member had been displaying this negative attitude due to the change in ownership. The neighbour requested to remain anonymous in fear of victimisation. It’s important to note that the accused person’s identity is known to this publication, but will not be disclosed until he is formally charged by the police and appears in court.

Assaulting

Another witness claimed, “The man has been verbally assaulting Nandipha and her family for many years, making endless threats. He believes that the family should not be living in the home and wants them to leave.” When physically assaulting Shabangu’s family, the accused was allegedly in a state of questionable sobriety, as shown in a video clip shared with this publication. According to eyewitnesses, the accused was armed with a bush knife and an okapi knife when he confronted Shabangu and ordered her to leave the homestead, claiming she did not belong there.

During the confrontation, he attempted to stab her with the okapi in front of her daughter and younger son. When the daughter tried to defend her mother, she was inadvertently stabbed in the hand. The accused then forcibly took the daughter to a nearby house, where he picked up a bush knife. He proceeded to allegedly hit Shabangu’s daughter on the head with the side of the bush knife. Subsequently, the accused attempted to use the same weapon to harm Shabangu, but her elder son intervened just in time. He managed to grab the bush knife from the accused and hit him back with it in defence of his mother. Unfortunately, prior to the son’s arrival, the accused had severely assaulted Shabangu with claps and kicks all over her body.
In the video, the accused is heard declaring his intentions to cause serious harm to Shabangu, shouting that the family did not belong there. The following day (Sunday), a case of physical assault against the accused was opened at the Ezulwini Police Post. This was confirmed by the officer-in-charge at this post, identified as Mtsetfwa.

Trouble

“The matter you are asking about was reported on Sunday. Since we are just a police post, it has been referred to the Lobamba Police Station for further investigations. Please contact the police spokesperson for developments,” Mtsetfwa said. Nandipha’s elder son, *Menzi, also confirmed the assault on his mother by the accused. “He has been causing trouble for my family since 2018 by making false accusations and threatening my mother. He believes that my family should not be staying at the homestead. It’s also true that my mother filed a case against him at the Ezulwini Police Post, and we hope the law will take its course. He is a menace to my family,” Menzi said.

He mentioned that his mother’s medical report showed that she was left swollen on one of her hands, along with painful bruises all over her body. The son made it clear that they would not be held at ransom by the accused and promised that they will not rest until justice has been served in this matter. Efforts were made to get a comment from the accused, but his cellphone rang unanswered despite several attempts made from 1:30pm yesterday until 8:15pm. A call was made to France Dlamini, the Chairperson of the Ezulwini Community Police members, but he declined to comment for unknown reasons. Additionally, a senior member of the Belina Chiefdom couldn’t comment on the matter, stating that it was beyond her jurisdiction.

It has been reported that the accused will appear in court next Wednesday. Community policing is a proactive, collaborative approach aimed at preventing crime. It emphasises increased community involvement, building strong relationships between the community and law enforcement, and establishing an effective law enforcement presence in the community.
In Eswatini, community police members work together with the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) to combat crime in different communities. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati requested to be given more time to check with the Lobamba Police Station on how far investigations on the matter have gone.

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