NO COST CUTS FOR SWAZILAND POLICE

Even though Swaziland is in economic meltdown because of the mismanagement by the government, King Mswati III’s police force will not be affected by cuts.

Recruitment of officers will continue, because Swaziland can never have enough police.

That’s according to Police Commissioner Isaac Magagula. He said, ‘We understand government’s financial problems but these won’t affect us much because we began recruiting a long time ago and we can’t abandon the process midway through.’

He told the Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s only independent daily newspaper, the police might feel the pinch next year (2011) but even then government had promised to address challenges in its departments as they unfold.

So that means even though government has called for 14 percent cuts in all its departments, the police will go unscathed.

I don’t know that we can trust Barnabas Dlamini, Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister, to tell the truth, but I’m fairly certain the police won’t have to face cuts. And the reason why not is obvious. If, as some have predicted, there is civil unrest and people take to the streets in opposition to the government’s criminal negligence of the economy, Prime Minister Dlamini, and King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, will need every police officer they can get to save their skins.

FOREIGNERS BANNED FROM SWAZILAND

Foreigners who try to enter Swaziland to join the march slated for today (7 September 2010) and tomorrow will not be allowed through the border.

This was disclosed by the Commissioner of Police Isaac Magagula during a press conference at the police headquarters yesterday.

The Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s only independent daily newspaper, reports police have banned the carrying of missiles such as stones, tree branches and other associated paraphernalia.

Magagula stated that those who will be involved in the planned march will also not be allowed to carry placards promoting proscribed entities.

He said the Royal Swaziland Police and with other security forces will make sure that order is maintained.

Magagula said he would declare ‘zero tolerance’ on members of proscribed groups (such as the People’s United Democratic Movement). He said non-workers would also be targeted by police.

At the May Day celebrations this year, police arrested demonstrators claiming they were ‘not workers’.

ILLEGAL SWAZILAND PM CRACKS DOWN

Barnabas Dlamini, Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister, has put the kingdom on a high state of terror alert, following a number of petrol bottle attacks on homes.

Dlamini, an internationally-recognised enemy of freedom and democracy, now wants to change laws in Swaziland to stop suspects accused of these attacks from being allowed bail.

Dlamini announced yesterday (9 June 2010) that a ‘crack squad’ has been set up by Commissioner of Police Isaac Magagula to deal with what he calls ‘the wave of terror’ and bring the culprits to book.

His move comes as democracy activists in Swaziland are accusing the police of bombing the home of Alex Langwenya, a leader in the pro-democracy movement in the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

Dlamini told the House of Assembly, ‘The State’s security apparatus has been put on high alert to ensure that such acts of terror are brought under control and completely eradicated.’

According to the Swazi Observer, the newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati, Dlamini said the police ‘Task Team’ would deal with the terror attacks and will harness all resources.

He said, ‘We are confident that working hand in hand with the entire security apparatus of the nation we shall have positive results. We are confident that arrests would soon be made and a clear message sent to everyone that terrorism in all its forms would not be tolerated.’

SWAZI POLICE ARE POLITICAL FORCE

Swaziland’s illegally-appointed Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini has made it clear that he is in charge of the kingdom’s police force and will use it against democracy activists.

Dlamini, who has an international reputation as an enemy of freedom and democracy, was explaining why dozens of police invaded the funeral of democracy activist Sipho Jele two weeks ago. Officers tore up pictures of the deceased man and confiscated banners belonging to opposition group, the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).

He said police would break up gatherings and make arrests even if no crime had been committed. The police just needed to believe that a crime might be committed.

Dlamini’s remarks at a gathering of the kingdom’s senior media people fly in the face of comments by Swaziland Commissioner of Police Isaac Magagula that the police were a service to the people of Swaziland and would treat people as ‘clients’ and with respect.

Dlamini told the meeting that police suspected crimes would be committed at Jele’s funeral so they broke it up.

‘At Jele’s funeral, the police would not just sit back and wait for something to happen first before responding to the situation. But they had to do something about the information brought by the Intelligence Branch,’ the Swazi Observer, the newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, reports him saying.

Dlamini said that at future funerals or other occasions if the Intelligence Branch happened to detect a security threat, police then they would attend to ‘ensure law and order’.

HAVE POLICE KILLED STUDENT LEADER?

Students in Swaziland fear that one of their leaders who was yesterday abducted by Swazi state police may have been murdered.

The President of the University of Swaziland (UNISWA) Student Representative Council) Pius Vilakati, was among a number of student leaders abducted by police as they tried to organise a protest march through Manzini, Swaziland’s main business city.

The other student leaders of the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS) were released but the whereabouts of Pius Vilakati is unknown. Here is also concern over the whereabouts of Bheki Khumalo, president of SNUS.

The Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) reports that there is widespread fear amongst the students that Pius Vilakati ‘could possibly have been harmed or murdered’.

SSN says, ‘This is fuelled by the widespread reports of violence employed by police on innocent citizens in the past few months.’

Information on the abduction and the police behaviour is patchy but both of Swaziland’s daily newspapers are reporting that the police arrested the student leaders and stopped a planned march through Manzini.

Maxwell Dlamini, NSUS national organising secretary, is quoted by the Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s only independent daily newspaper, saying that police said the demonstration was illegal because students did not have a permit to march.

Dlamini said the student leaders were arrested to destabilise the march.

The Swazi Observer, the newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, reported that police arrested student leaders, questioned them and later dumped them in the remote countryside.