8 DETAINED AS COPS STOP AGOA PRAYER

MANZINI – A total of eight TUCOSWA and SUDF members were detained as police once again quashed a prayer to regain AGOA hosted by the two organisations for textile workers.

The detained members included the Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) Activist Organiser Cebile Dlamini and Swaziland Unemployed People’s Movement (SUPMO) President Lucky Dlamini among others. SUPMO affiliates to SUDF. TUCOSWA is the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland.

The two organisations had organised a prayer service for textile workers where they intended to plead for the country’s return to the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA), an Act that offers preferential access to the United States market for goods from about 40 sub-Saharan nations that meet the required political and economic standards. Swaziland was removed as one of the beneficiaries of the Act by the United States of America President Barack Obama and the kingdom will cease  benefitting from the Act in January 2015.

Unemployment

The Act has contributed very immensely in fighting unemployment in the country as over 17 000 people are employed in the textile firms across the country. 
The prayer was supposed to be held at Union Industrial Washing, a firm that is a member of the Tex Ray Group of Companies. It was supposed to start at 11:30am and end at 12:30pm.

However, at about 10:45am the police had already staged roadblocks in the entrance and exit roads to the venue to prevent members of the unions from reaching the venue.
During the operation, there was also a police car patrolling around the firm to ensure that no member of the two entities was found within the vicinity.

Operation

It was gathered that a total of eight members were apprehended and locked up at Matsapha Police Station during the operation.
Most of those who were arrested, sneaked past the roadblocks by foot and they were suspected to be members of SUDF and TUCOSWA after they were seen talking to some of the workers. They were then questioned, searched and locked up in a police van before being transported to Matsapha Police Station where they were kept until after 1pm.  

SUPMO President Dlamini said he was detained together with other members and they were allegedly harassed by the police on their way to the police station and  their cellphones were confiscated.
SUDF Activist Organiser Cebile said she was taken by the police while walking along the road next to Union Industrial Washing.
She alleged that they took her cellphone and locked her in police van where found other members.

Questioned

“They drove with us around the firm and apprehended other members along the way. We were then taken to Matsapha Police Station where we were questioned briefly and we were locked up without being charged. We were finally released at about 1pm,” the activist organiser alleged.

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