ARE COPS LOSING WAR AGAINST CRIME?

It is a weird coincidence that in just a week, two men who, for all intents and purposes, are in the crime prevention segment of our society, have been involved in tragic occurrences. What makes this coincidence eerie is that both men are from the Mkhwanazi clan. I am talking about both the security guard who went missing from Mbondzela Farm, where he was stationed and the member of the Motshane community policing forum member who was killed brutally while helping his community deal with a sudden crime wave. And Vukani Mkhwanazi who had  disappeared on  Saturday, May 18, 2024  after  being kidnapped by previously unknown people, but two of them had allegedly been identified and were helping the police during the course of the past week. He was sadly found dead yesterday .Tragic news indeed.  

The reason for his abduction had not been made public, but it is common knowledge that a few days prior to his disappearance, Mbondzela Farm was a volatile hotbed. This followed the eviction of families that had occupied the farm for many years and had built permanent structures. The houses were demolished when an apparently long-standing dispute over the status of residents on the farm got nasty. As expected, those whose houses were demolished were unhappy with seeing their life investment going down in ruins. Certain interest groups showed sympathy and called for justice for those whose homes were destroyed. It is a complicated matter that I will not be delving deeper into today because my focus is on the wider threat to the rule of law, as well as safety and security.

There is no justification for the murder of the guard, what we can agree on is that whoever committed this crime, took the law into their own hands. Could this be a vote of no confidence in the various decision-making structures of the country, especially on the judicial aspect? As I followed the Mbondzela Farm tragic drama, I could not help but wonder why the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) did not foresee that there could be trouble and deploy armed police officers to maintain peace and order among the warring parties. Before Vukani disappeared, there was already tension in the area.

I will now come to the unfortunate death of 34-year-old Themba Mkhwanazi, who was a member of the Motshane community policing team. Themba died after being stabbed four times by a teenager who was among 18 others being questioned for the disappearance of chickens from various households in the area. The youth had been approached by four members of the community policing forum, who had information that they were behind this crime wave. Indeed, the fact that 18 of them were found together in a tiny stick-and-mud house was in itself suspicious. What could they have been busy with in there?

suspects

The suspects came out of the house armed with bush knives and Rambo knives. Obviously outnumbered and overwhelmed, three of the community police members, including their chairperson, Lucky Dube, took to their heels. However, they left Themba behind and the suspect, who was later arrested, repeatedly stabbed him to death. This tragedy has once again revived the question of whether community police should be given firearms to protect themselves. Differing views have been put forward. Among those who believe that community police should be trained to use firearms and then armed with them is the famous Sevendays Tsabedze. The resident of Malindza acknowledged that they had been trained by the REPS on crime fighting tactics, but remained vulnerable to violent attacks from criminals because they were usually armed only with sjamboks and handcuffs.

Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni, the Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer differed, saying weapons required special training and not everybody could use them. She suggested that if community police wanted firearms, they should follow all due processes to obtain them. I believe she was referring to going through the process of applying for firearm licences that ordinary citizens who qualify are given. My take, however, is that we are asking the wrong question when we wonder if community police should be given guns. It is common knowledge that even those who have licenced firearms have been found to have misused them.

Just a fortnight ago, outgoing Acting National Commissioner (NATCOM) of Police Lydia Dlamini observed that one of the REPS’ seven operational shortfalls was opening fire in questionable circumstances. The other shortfalls included failure to attend to reported incidents of crime on time – or not showing up at all. That is where we are as a country. The question we should be asking is: Are the police losing the war against crime? If so, is it because of a lack of resources or sheer incompetence? Community police are just an unpaid extension of the REPS. If the police have such glaring shortfalls as those observed by the then acting NATCOM, what hope is there for the fight against crime? Community police are supposed to be the eyes and ears of the REPS.

They will always be ineffective if the police fail to apply the ‘nkwe’ motto when community police alert them to criminal activity in their villages. Criminals have taken control of this country because they know the police either show up late or not at all. Even in cases where they eventually arrive, most of their investigations go on for years, without tangible results.
EmaSwati no longer have faith in the police. It is the breakdown in these social relationships that criminals are taking advantage of, forming gangs and attacking community members willy-nilly.

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