Times Of Swaziland: POLICE QUASH DISGRUNTLED SIPHOFANENI VOTERS MARCH

POLICE QUASH DISGRUNTLED SIPHOFANENI VOTERS MARCH
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BY SIBUSISO ZWANE  on 06/09/2018 23:20:00


MANZINI – A move by a group of aggrieved Siphofaneni community members to
deliver their grievances about the Primary Elections was quashed by the police.
The incident took place yesterday near Madlenya Royal Kraal under Siphofaneni
Inkhundla. The group of aggrieved community members had planned to march to
deliver a petition to Siphofaneni Police Station at 10am.
However, when the first group from Madlenya marched to meet the others, who were
waiting for them at Siphofaneni Village, the police allegedly stopped the march.
According to some of the marchers, they allegedly informed the police about the
intended march on Tuesday. They said this was after they delivered their
complaints to the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) last Wednesday.
“The police gave us a green light to march to deliver the same complaint to
them on Thursday (yesterday). They also asked us to start marching at 10am so
that they would control traffic and ensure peace and order,” the community
members alleged.
They further alleged that when they gathered at the agreed venue near Madlenya
Royal Kraal, there were no police but they decided to start marching with the
hope that the police would come before they reach the tarred public road.
They said, when they reached the main road, they found uniformed police officers
waiting for them. “However, we were shocked when they told us to abandon the
march or else we would face arrest as it was unlawful,” the alleged.
According to the community members, the police allegedly told them that they
were supposed to seek permission to march on the public road from the Ministry
of Public Works and Transport and submit the approval to them.
They said what shocked them most was that when they notified the police about
the march on Tuesday, the law enforcers allegedly did not raise the above
concerns. Their main grievance was that there were people who were allegedly
ferried from other chiefdoms to vote under Madlenya Chiefdom.