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SIBONGILE MAZIBUKO SUMMONED OVER UNREST THREATS

17/06/2022 08:30:00 Khulile Thwala

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MBABANE – NNLC President and PPA Chairman Sibongile Mazibuko has detailed how she was purportedly called in by senior police officers for a discussion on civil unrest threats.

This, she said, happened at the Mbabane Police Headquarters on Wednesday. NNLC and PPA are acronyms for Ngwane National Liberatory Congress and Political Party Assembly. According to the PPA chairman, the crux of her purported engagement with the senior police officers was for her to assist in cautioning political activists against perpetuating violence, come June 28.

Reports

Narrating what transpired during the meeting, Mazibuko stated that on Wednesday morning, Senior Deputy National Commissioner Richard Mngometulu called her on her mobile phone, and asked that she reported to the Mbabane Police Headquarters at 11am.“When I questioned the reason for the meeting at the police headquarters, he opted not to inform me over the phone,” detailed Mazibuko in an interview with this publication. The NNLC president said she obliged and further made her way to the headquarters at the proposed time.

“When I arrived at the headquarters, I found numerous police officers, including a certain Simelane, who holds the rank of Assistant Deputy Commissioner and Sula Dlamini, who is a Senior Deputy Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner Zanele Nxumalo and Deputy Commissioner Mandla Mdluli, Director Legal Affairs Bonisile Masuku and Wendy Hleta, Director of Safety,” said Mazibuko.

Engage

She further stated how Dlamini was the first to engage her, mentioning that this was simply a neutral meeting which required cooperation between them and her in order to build the nation. “He said there should be nothing that would disturb the peace the country has maintained thus far. He said this emanated from the fact that there had been, in the previous year, an upheaval which threatened peace in the country. The officers said they wanted to ensure that such did not happen again,” claimed the NNLC president. According to Mazibuko, the senior officers informed her that they were aware of speculation from various individuals on the possibility of last year’s events repeating themselves.

Upheaval

“They told me they were aware that there were people who wanted to cause upheaval from June 28. Mngometulu reiterated this and emphasised that there was a need for the senior officers to engage me as someone who is active in the political space,” she claimed further. Mazibuko alleged that the police officers wanted to know what the developments were regarding the presumed events of June 28, and how best she could assist them in order for last year’s unrest to not repeat itself. The NNLC president stated that the senior officers told her that they had been informed that Lomahhasha would be one of the first areas where the planned upheaval would ensue.

“They asked me what my opinion on this was as the leader of the NNLC and PPA. I then explained to them that if I were to respond to them, as a leader of political formations, I first had to consult those who elected me,” she said. The PPA president said Senior Deputy Commissioner Dlamini then told her that the ongoing conversations on social media had the potential to cause anarchy in the country as well as unrest and violence.

Explained

“They further said they were no longer addressing me as the PPA president, but as Make Sibongile Mazibuko, wanting to know what could be the best way to go about the impending issues. I then explained that it was difficult to speak on issues that touched on social media, because no one was aware as to who the authors behind the writing actually were. They proceeded to show me pictures and posters, which they said were fuelling the fire that there would be no peace from June 28,” said Mazibuko.

She said, during the meeting, she informed the officers that she would not respond to speculation or accounts she had no knowledge of on social media, because as the police, they were in a better position to know, through their own ways and investigations. “They then said I should caution my acquaintances against the proposed upheaval and warn them that the police would be all out, guarding against any violence during this period. Another officer said there were also insults being shared on social media and I told them that I do not know about such insults and who they are directed to, but I know that we have always been insulted,” she said. The NNLC president said the senior officers emphasised the need for caution and cooperation and upholding of the law by political activists and further said they would engage her again leading up to June 28.

Responding

Mazibuko shared that the reason she did not respond to the questions posed to her was because by virtue of her being NNLC president and PPA chairman, she owed it to the people who elected her to consult with them first, before responding to what was purportedly asked by the senior police officers. In order to ascertain whether indeed the NNLC president had met up with the senior police officers at the Mbabane Police Headquarters, this reporter contacted the Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, for confirmation of the events. However, Vilakati said she was not at liberty to confirm matters of this nature.

There has been talks on various social media platforms, calling for a ‘repeat’ of the June 29 political unrest, which resulted in the looting, vandalising and destruction of property. Security personnel were also accused of shooting people during the time of the unrest.