Times Of Swaziland: COPS UP IN ARMS

COPS UP IN ARMS
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BY ZWELAKHE MOAHLOLI on 22/06/2018 23:50:00


MBABANE – Have police coffers also run dry? This is the question most police
officers are asking after being instructed to contribute financially to the
coming Police Day.
Worth noting is that officers are still disgruntled after being instructed to
donate certain amounts each towards the 50/50 Double Celebrations, which were
held at the Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre, Manzini.
Some of the officers, who requested that their identities be protected, alleged
that they were ordered to contribute E20 each towards the Police Day to be held
next month.
According to government estimates, there are approximately 3 000 police officers
in the country.
Mathematically, this means that if all the officers contributed the E20, a total
of E60 000 will be collected.
What was intriguing, the informants said this would be the first time they were
made to contribute towards this function.
“I have been with the police service for 10 years and I have never heard of
such, we have never had to pay anything towards Police Day,” an officer
claimed.
They wondered what their contribution would be, claiming that there was a budget
allocated for the function.
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Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Khulani Mamba
confirmed that officers were requested to contribute.
“It is true that each officer is expected to contribute towards the Police Day
and pass-out, which is expected to be on July 13, 2018,” Mamba said.
Asked why officers were made to contribute, he said they were supplementing what
they would get from government.
Even though the police were allocated a budget for the function, Mamba said they
could get less than the due amount as a result of the current economic situation
faced by government.