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RESIDENTS SET DOGS ON TV INSPECTORS

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MANZINI – Manzini socialite Themba ‘Mthimbawawa’ Xaba escaped death when residents set dogs on him and threatened to shoot him while on duty, inspecting TV licences at Coates Valley, in Manzini.


Xaba said he was in the company of other TV licence inspectors employed by the TV Licence Project, which was set up under the auspices of the Eswatini Television Authority.


He narrated his ordeal to the acting Manzini Regional Police Commander, Senior Superintendent Bonginkosi Dlamini, Manzini Station Commander Dumsani Dube and other senior officers during a pre inspection meeting last Friday.


He said his assailants were not emaSwati and refused to open the gates for him and his crew to do inspections.
“They shouted, ‘we will shoot you, get away’, and I felt very unsafe at that moment because dogs had also been set on us,” he said.


The energetic Xaba was relating the stress and strain of being a TV licence inspector, as most TV owners were hostile and refusing to allow them in. He however, said he was unfazed by the negative reception, and promised to do his job without intimidation.


“Some of them even say that we should stop bothering them because they don’t even watch Eswatini TV,” he said.
Xaba asked the officers on the possibility of getting a generic search warrant that was not time- bound since most house owners locked gates and refused to let inspectors in.


He said such a warrant would give inspectors the right to use force and override any obstacle.
Assistant Superintendent Samkeliso Msweli, responding to Xaba, said there was no need for inspectors to put their lives at risk while executing their duties.


“You need to approach the royal kraal first and ask for someone to accompany you as you visit the homes for inspection. When you get to the homestead, you need to approach them with dignity and humility. If they are not willing to speak to you, the local resident will be able to identify who they are and when you compile your report you include everything. When a situation is a threat to your life, just leave and mention everything in your report so that when you return, you will be adequately prepared, in the company of the police, with a fitting warrant,” he said.

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