ASSOCIATION FACES INTERNAL DIVISION OVER UNION ALLIANCE

MANZINI - The Royal Eswatini Police Staff Association (REPOSA) is facing internal division following moves to join the Public Sector Unions (PSUs) of Swaziland.

Recent meetings between some REPOSA executive members and PSU representatives, culminating in a Monday afternoon meeting at The George Hotel, have sparked controversy. Following this meeting, PSU leaders held a press conference announcing REPOSA’s official affiliation.

Mbongwa Dlamini, President of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), stated that REPOSA was now part of the five-member PSU alliance, alongside SNAT, the National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU), the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU) and the Swaziland National Association of Government Accounting Personnel (SNAGAP).   

He emphasised that police officers, as civil servants, were workers like any other PSU member and that past differences had been set aside to foster collaboration. “REPOSA is not joining PSUs because of the Phase II issue, but because its members are workers – civil servants,” Dlamini stated.

However, REPOSA President Isaac Lukhele has denied seeking support from the PSUs, maintaining the association’s independence as mandated by its code of conduct. This followed statements by REPOSA Secretary General, Sergeant Dumisile Khumalo, indicating the association was considering a partnership with the PSUs in its legal battle against National Commissioner of Police Vusi Manoma Masango. Sergeant Khumalo explained that REPOSA had approached the PSUs for guidance after exhausting all formal avenues regarding the unresolved Phase II issue. She argued that police officers, like other civil servants, needed collective support when negotiating with government.

Lukhele, however, emphasised that police officers are governed by the Police Act, which prohibits affiliation with external unions and participation in industrial action, unlike PSU members. He suggested Khumalo’s statements were personal and not representative of REPOSA. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, confirmed REPOSA had informed the police administration that it had not sought PSU support and was expected to retract Khumalo’s statement.

In response, Sergeant Khumalo defended her position, arguing that PSUs are not political organisations but unions representing civil servants.  

She accused Lukhele of abandoning junior officers and aligning himself with police management, claiming his actions contradicted the wishes of the association’s members. “What I am doing was discussed by the masses (junior officers),” she asserted.

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