Times Of Swaziland: JERICHOS: OUR 200 KOMBIS ‘ROBBED’ E400 000 BY COPS

JERICHOS: OUR 200 KOMBIS ‘ROBBED’ E400 000 BY COPS
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 BY SIBUSISO ZWANE AND BONGIWE DLAMINI on 06/02/2018 02:47:00


MANZINI – Leaders of the Red Gown Sect are screaming day- light robbery by the
police who forced them to pay ‘traffic fines’ between E2 000 and E2 500.
This was after about 200 South African kombis, which were ferrying over 3 000
members of the church from the neighbouring country, were allegedly forced to
pay between E2 000 and E2 500 each by the police, which means they pocketed over
E400 000.
It was said that the money was a fine for crossing the border yet the public
service vehicles were not registered as a cross-border public transport
vehicles.
As such, many roadblocks were mounted in various parts of the country.
These developments come hardly a day after Bishop Khanyakwezwe Vilakati, the
leader of the Jericho Church, heaped praises to the police for providing
security during his church’s cleansing ceremony, which was held at
Manganganeni Dam in Gege over the past weekend.
Jeremiah Vilakati, one of the church’s senior priests, said after the
ceremony, they learnt with shock that most of their members from the
neighbouring country were ‘robbed’ by the police while on their way to the
ceremony on Saturday evening.
He said after the cleansing ceremony, they were called by stranded church
members from South Africa who informed them that while they were on their way to
the cleansing ceremony, the kombis they had hired were stopped by uniformed
police officers just after crossing the borders.
Demanded
The senior priest said according to the affected church members, the police
officers demanded that each kombi should pay a E2 000 spot fine because they
were  was not a cross-border public transport vehicle . He said when they told
them that they did not have that amount, the officers allegedly took the
driver’s and passengers’ travelling documents until they organised the money
and thereafter let them go.