MBABANE – The minister for Health has intervened to address hygiene and sanitation concerns at the Mbabane Police Station, where over 80 foreign nationals, who were rounded up at Castle Hotel, are currently detained.
The Chinese, Brazilian, Taiwanese and other nationals, in excess of 80, raised concerns about issues of lack of ablutions since there is too many of them. The accused are alleged to have been carrying out illegal online gambling at the hotel.
Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Thabo Dlamini confirmed that health officials have already inspected the station to assess its fitness for housing the group. He noted that the Minister for Health, Mduduzi Matsebula, visited the Mbabane Police Station personally to ensure that toilets and showers were functioning correctly.
When the accused appeared before Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi in court yesterday, following their arrest on Tuesday, their attorney, Nqobile Moringani of Linda Dlamini and Associates, informed the court that there were issues of hygiene since the accused are many at the police station. He said the ministry would come and assist. “There is an issue with sanitisation at the police station. There are too many of the accused for the available facilities. They have made an undertaking that the Ministry of Health will come and assist in that regard. We are asking that this be made an order of court,” Moringani said.
Dlamini chipped in and told the court that the accused were complaining about ablutions at the police station.
“The discussion was that the accused persons were complaining about ablutions at the police station. Our response to that was that the Ministry of Health has since attended to the issue. They were looking at the fitness of the police station to house the accused persons,” said Dlamini.
Defence argued that they wanted that to be part of the record. The principal magistrate also enquired from Dlamini on how the accused bath at the police station.
“I was instructed that the minster for Health was at the police station to inspect if the showers and toilets are all functioning,” said the assistant DPP.
The principal magistrates asked if there were showers at the police station. Dlamini said he had not inspected the available facilities and requested to take instructions on the subject.
“Mr Dludlu, bageza njani bo accused (How do the accused take a bath at the police station),” Nhlabatsi enquired from Mbabane Police Station Desk Officer Akhona Dludlu, who admitted there were challenges in that regard. However, Dludlu informed the court that in the morning yesterday, the Health Minister, Matsebula, was at the police station and as of late afternoon the required facilities were being fixed.
The court ordered that the accused should be provided with means of taking a bath. “If the minister can provide showers, probably movable showers, they don’t need a whole lot. If there is a need to provide movable toilets, just do that. We do know that government has an agreement with Sand Projects. I think Sand Projects will sort you out quickly. They should have finances for that. It is the request of the court, so that we cannot be viewed as not taking care of people’s human rights to dignity,” said the principal magistrate.
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