COPS STOP MOST PETITION MARCHES

MANZINI – Police officers stopped protesters from delivering petitions in a number of constituencies.

In what was dubbed ‘Black Monday’, some protesters calling for political reforms in the country were stopped by members of the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) as they sought to deliver petitions outlining what they seek authorities to do. Leading to the delivery of the petitions, there were circulated posters from various constituencies on social media platforms, which sought to counter the Independence Day celebrations. In the circulated posters, it was articulated that there would be marches to constituency centres or police stations. Under Ntondozi Constituency, the constituency Headman (Indvuna Yenkhundla), Eugene Dlamini, said there was nothing official that had been reported. However, he had gathered that some members of the constituency were stopped by police officers who informed the protesters that the gathering was not permitted. Meanwhile, in a circulating poster on social media, purportedly designed to invite people from the constituency to join the march, it was planned to start from Khalangilile and Emvimbeko heading to Ntondozi Inkhundla.

Prayer

It was mentioned that people from these constituencies would march to their tinkhundla centres for a prayer service and express their demands for the release of the two incarcerated Members of Parliament ( MPs) Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza of Hosea and Mthandeni Dube of Ngwempisi. Also, an effort to gather and deliver a petition at Ludzeludze was thwarted by the intervention of police officers. According to impeccable sources, a group of protesters were stopped from gathering at Soweto, a community under Ludzeludze Constituency. The protesters were seeking to deliver a petition to the constituency centre; however, police officers dispersed them and their mission fell through. The Constituency Headman, Senzo Shongwe, said he had anticipated that should they seek to deliver a petition, the protesters would communicate with him. However, this did not happen.

Also, in Mankayane, protesters gathered at Sidwala, where according to sources, they first had a political indaba which discussed and addressed the current political situation in the kingdom. After the meeting, the protesters started singing political songs and marched to Mankayane where they had initially planned to meet. While marching there, the sources claimed that police officers dispersed them at around 3pm. Meanwhile, at Mtfongwaneni Constituency, a group of about 10 people delivered a petition to the constituency Headman, Majahembutfo Dlamini. He said the protesters approached him just after the police had left the constituency centre. “They requested to deliver the petition to the MP (Member of Parliament), but I told them that he was not around. They then requested to leave it with me,” Dlamini said.

He said the petition sought that the legislator initiate projects that would deal with the unemployment challenges in the community, improvement of the road infrastructure, provision of water and alleged police brutality in relation to the demise of University of Eswatini (UNESWA) Law student Thabani Nkomonye. He said the delivery was peaceful. At Manzini North, the Constituency Headman, Fana Tsabedze, said there had been no effort to deliver the petition to the constituency centre. Tsabedze said he informed an individual who had approached him last week that there would be no person at the constituency centre as it was a holiday.

Petition

At Kukhanyeni Constituency, there was no report of an effort to deliver a petition. The Constituency Headman, Remember Matsenjwa, said there was no petition delivery. He said the police were present in the area and that could have been a deterrent to the protesters.

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