ARSON ATTACKS: E2M LOSS AT CTA, COURT DOCUMENTS DESTROYED

PIGG’S PEAK – The Central Transport Administration (CTA) has incurred a loss of about E2 million after an arson attack yesterday, at around 1am.

About six vehicles and part of the government garage were extensively burnt after being set alight by unknown people, who are said to have invaded the government facility. Shots were also fired at some of the vehicles parked at the garage. The arsonists’ motive is still unclear but suspected to be politically motivated. When this publication arrived at the CTA, workers were found gathered near the gate and said they had been ordered to do so while police officers were found at the scene collecting evidence. The police officers, most of whom were not in uniform, were seen collecting bullet shells following an undisclosed number of gunshots that were fired at the government garage.

A lone security guard was on watch of the Pigg’s Peak CTA branch when the assailants reportedly invaded the facility. The guard, who wished to remain anonymous, related that it was around 1am when he first heard gunshots fired nearby. “I wondered what was going on and started patrolling the area. A few minutes later, I saw about three men heading towards me and they had already set alight one of the vehicles. I immediately ran away because I knew that they might kill me. I jumped over the razor wire and escaped,” he said. He also mentioned that while fleeing from the three men, he spotted others who were also burning other vehicles on the other side of the garage.

The assailants cut through the fence of the garage to gain entry, just near Peak Central High School. The guard sustained cuts from the razor wire and immediately went to hospital to get stitched. Apart from the burnt vehicles, which included a police van and a government ambulance, a truck was riddled with bullet holes on the windscreen. In assessment of the damage, branch manager at the CTA, who also asked not to be named, said the loss incurred was nearly E2 million.

“We are still calculating how much loss was incured after this incident. I can, however, state that it is around E2 million,” he said. The manager also indicated that despite what had happened, they would continue working while the matter was being addressed. Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni confirmed the shooting and arson attack at the government garage.

Meanwhile, four armed men set alight the Pigg’s Peak Magistrates Court, destroying records and other documents in the process. The incident is said to have occurred at around 2am. The incident happened shortly after another, where the Central Transport Administration (CTA) garage had cars and part of the building burnt by unknown arsonists. Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni confirmed that the arsonists were four men armed with rifles.

“Four men armed with rifles invaded the Pigg’s Peak Magistrates Court and burnt the government structure,” said Mnguni. Investigating
She also highlighted that police were still investigating the matter. Mnguni said the security guard on duty escaped unharmed. When this publication paid a visit to the magistrates court, it was established that important court documents such as docket files were reduced to ashes. Employees of the court related that it appeared as if the arsonists especially targeted the offices where important court records and other documents were kept. This is because these are the offices where windows had been broken.

For this reason, some of the employees suspected that the arsonists were people who had pending cases in court and wanted the documents destroyed while others argued that the arson attack was most likely as a result of the political unrest. Computers were also reduced to debris. It could not be immediately ascertained what was used to start the fire but some workers suspected that a gas cylinder was used. Personnel from the Eswatini National Fire and Emergency Department Serevices arrived at the scene at around 8:30am to put out the fire that continued to burn in some of the offices.

A contingent of police officers from different units were deployed at the scene. Some were from the Serious Crimes Unit, others from the paramedics unit and there were also those from the Operational Support Services Unit (OSSU). The police officers scouted the area for evidence. Employees of the court, who included Pigg’s Peak Magistrate Vusi Thomo, were seen assembled at the entrance, while police and the fire and emergency personnel continued with their work.

The nearby Eswatini National Court seemed not to have been affected by the arson attack. Some of the employees were also assessing the damage of the court and looked stunned about what had happened. The employees were forced to halt operations for the day for police and the fire and emergency personnel to finish their work at the scene first. This, therefore, meant that cases that were meant to be heard in Pigg’s Peak Magistrate Court yesterday could not proceed.

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Mnguni highlighted that they were still gathering facts and they would be in a position to give more details at a later stage. Meanwhile, it is not the first time arsonists have targeted the magistrates court. In March, arsonists cut fencing near the court’s kitchen. One person is said to have entered the court premises, while some remained on the other side. The arsonists first hit one of the windows with the intention of breaking it with what was suspected to be a hammer. After the window was broken, the arsonist is said to have poured a flammable liquid, believed to have been paraffin, inside. The arsonist is said to have fled after the fire started. He escaped from the court premises using the same route.

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