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FROM THE SHOPFLOOR: TUCOSWA Acting SG MDUDUZI GINA shares workers' perspectives on police brutality and its dreadful effect on worker rights in Eswatini .

 

FROM THE SHOPFLOOR - OPINION

THE ANATOMY OF POLICE BRUTALITY IN ESWATINI ACCORDING TO WORKERS

Picture: Comrade Mduduzi Gina - TUCOSWA Acting Secretary General 

The only genuine workers’ federation in Eswatini, the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) continues to observe the activities carried out by the youth of the country in the wake of the brutal and senseless killing of Thabani Nkomonye in the month of May 2021. Workers continue to pray for the healing of the family of Mr Nkomonye after their unexpected loss of such a young life.

Workers are however elated that out of this painful episode the youth of the country, in their different formations, have finally found the strength to walk hand in hand with the rest of society to fight for a just, free and democratic Eswatini that not only respects human rights as an abstract concept but respects political and women’s rights which have been in short supply and neglected in the country for a long time.

Workers organisations, led by TUCOSWA, together with other progressive formations, have historically borne the brunt of political brutality in the country. Worker leaders have been routinely abducted before and their residences raided and generally harassed. Moreover, gatherings such as workers’ day rally’s and protest actions have routinely been turned into violence sprees by the police with no consequences. Just in September 2018, police unleashed its brutality on workers in Manzini during a protest action then banned further protests in the subsequent days. In that protest several workers were hospitalised with serious injuries including high ranking officials of NAWUSHI and many other innocent citizens of Manzini. In other protests police have caused injuries to workers and to high ranking officials of trade unions such as NAPSAWU, SNAT to name but a few. The most memorable of whom, of course, was the permanent injury suffered by the current 2nd deputy Secretary General of TUCOSWA CDE Muzi Mhlanga who lost a front tooth at the hands of the police a few years ago.

Workers have also not forgotten that in the year 2010 in a worker’s day gathering at Salesian Sports Ground a worker and political activist Sipho Jele was abducted by the police and later murdered in cold blood in police cells. Police have also inserted themselves in legal tussles between employers and workers, at times by illegally abducting worker leaders to confuse workers and at other times by illegally dispersing workers under the guise of protecting property. by doing this police have continuously illegally inserted themselves as serious arbiter to whether workers win wage demands from employers or not.

Humanity has historically demonstrated that a society that fails to create rules to deter and punish those who wrong society are likely to create monsters out of those who are given a carteblance free range without any laws applying in times of transgressions. Police in Eswatini have always been allowed to play a game of cover ups where the only punishment metered on transgressing police officers is being transferred to police stations located in outskirts such as Bulembu and Matimatima, until the storm that is brewing at that time passes.

While we second the idea of the establishment of an independent authority to probe wrongdoings within the police, our experiences with institutions designed to safe guide human rights in Eswatini points to very disappointing outcomes. The Human Rights Commission and the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) just exist on paper and some of their officers have even come out to declare that the environment is not conducive for their operation. 

The youth has shown that finally holistic political change shall make us all safe from police brutality and guarantee that if there is any transgression in the future punishment is metered to offenders. Only a new country with a democratic political system can guarantee that when workers are out fighting for better wages and better conditions at the workplace there shall be no police officer who shall interfere in the process making workers to lose on a much needed improvement of their wages and conditions of work.

The future is bright if we all work together.

 

Mduduzi Gina

TUCOSWA Acting Secretary General

 

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