MAN IN PARLY FIRE FEARS FOR HIS LIFE

MBABANE – The Parliament employee who was convicted for being responsible for a fire that broke out near the Parliament building says he fears for his life after being purportedly followed by members of the security forces.

Micah Dlamini, who is an usher in Senate and a part-time driver for Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini, was arrested for being responsible for a fire that broke out not far from the Parliament building. He appeared at the Mbabane Magistrates Court on July 2.
Police were said to have suspected that the fire was part of the countrywide arson attacks on various infrastructure. The arson attacks were carried out at the height of the political unrest that resulted in the looting, vandalism and burning of some business premises. The fire is said to have been ignited between the Parliament building and the King Sobhuza II Memorial Park on the night and the employee was found in the vicinity, hence he was arrested as it was suspected that he was behind the inferno.

Target

The police are said to have been of the belief that the main target was the Parliament building. According to Eswatini News, when Dlamini appeared before Mbabane Senior Magistrate Sifiso Vilakati, he was charged under the Grassfire Act of 1955 for having started a wildfire. It was reported that impeccable sources said when the matter was heard, his defence was that it was not his intention to start the fire but he was smoking a cigarette and the matchstick he had used to light it was the one that started the blaze after he carelessly disposed of it.

Magistrate Vilakati is said to have enquired from Dlamini whether his igniting of the fire was also in conjunction with the ongoing political unrest and the suspect explained that it was not, but was just carelessness caused by smoking. Meanwhile, according to Dlamini, he has, on two occasions, been followed by members of the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) and Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS). He also alleged that he was assaulted by the police after the fire incident. Dlamini said on July 10, he was stopped by about four members of the UEDF who were on board a non-registered vehicle at around 5pm. “I was heading home when they all alighted from the vehicle and approached my direction. After seeing that they all alighted, including the driver of the car, I drove off as I feared what they could possibly do to me,” he claimed. Dlamini said the troops never followed him thereafter. He also recalled the second instance, where he was stopped by three members of the REPS at KaGeorge, Buhleni. He said when they stopped him, he also did the same thing.

“I want this to be recorded and shared so that in case anything happens to me and I die, it is a record of how I died,” he said. When reached for comment, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said the police arrested Dlamini and his case was finalised. Vilakati said this did not mean the police service would not investigate and arrest him if he committed other crimes. “The police will continue following him.We should note that the police service is where people run to for protection,” the police mouthpiece said.

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