WARDERS CHARGED FOR ASSAULTING PUPILS

MBABANE – Two officers have been charged for assaulting pupils at the Malkerns Industrial School.
This comes after the pupils from both primary and high schools were severely assaulted by a team of about 15 Correctional Services officers using belts, sneakers, open hands and were kicked all over their bodies.
Swazi News broke the story last June.

Following the incident, the Commissioner of Correctional Services Isaiah Mzuthini Ntshangase launched an inquiry. It was led by Assistant Commissioner Musawenkosi Nkonyane who was assisted by Senior Superintendent Faith Gumede and Wardress Xolile Fakudze.
Senior Superintendent Bongani Khumalo, the Correctional Services Public Relations Officer, confirmed that he was aware of two cases that have been finalised.
Explaining the content of the report, Khumalo said the some of the officers who were implicated have been charged.
He pointed out that some have not been charged as per the recommendations because each case had its own merits.

Giving a brief background, Khumalo said the commissioner made an undertaking last year to launch an enquiry following an article that was published in one of the newspapers on an incident that occurred at the Malkerns Industrial School. “In June last year, some pupils at the school fought and one of them was stabbed with a toothbrush. I want to clarify that it was not just an ordinary toothbrush, but it had been sharpened at the back. It was used as a weapon. After the incident, an investigation was launched. And it was found that there was an element of gangsterism, Thereafter the Commissioner set up the committee,” Khumalo said.

Khumalo said the head teacher of the school Assistant Superintendent Renny Dlamini requested permission from the commissioner to conduct a search inside the dormitories. “In this institution there are three types of searches; one of them is known as the rub-down search, the second one is the strip search and lastly the surprise search.
“When conducting a search we use the Prison Act which states that a male should be searched by a male and the same with females. The children were searched with the intention of find prohibited articles due to the gangsterism,” he said.
While the pupils were being searched, Khumalo said there were incidents which the report highlights.
He mentioned that it was found that some of the children were assaulted by teachers and officers. Khumalo pointed out that it was just not a normal beating because some of the pupils sustained injuries. Even though Khumalo did not give detailed information, he said the report found that there were indeed teachers and some officers who were implicated to have taken part in the assault during the search.

The findings also highlighted the issue of gangsterism that was rife within the institution, Khumalo further said. “Thirdly, it was found that there was inhuman treatment of the children, in that some of the procedures of searching were not followed as per dictates of the law. There are some prohibited articles that are being smuggled. These are said to be smuggled by day scholars,” he said.


 

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