MBABANE: Police were allegedly seen burning kaBoyce High School on Wednesday to justify the shooting of unarmed protesting civilians who were peacefully demonstrating in the capital city, Mbabane.
A Swazi citizen who witnessed the burning said the police first climbed to the upper floor and while standing there, they started shooting people by the markert place.
“There were about three(3) of them(on top of the roof) and they stood there shooting at people by the market place. We had binoculars, some police dressed as school groundsmen stood by the guard house hiding at a clear view from where two other police holding “AK47” like guns giving them a signal that it was clear and no one was approaching from the protestors. The whole school had about 10 policemen, suddenly the school was on fire exactly where the 3 cops stood”, said the eye witnesses.
Indeed, a video and other electronic evidence collaborated by other independent sources who were next to the school suggest that indeed police officers were within the school when it burned.
Police Spokesperson Phindile Vilakati had not responded at the time of compiling this report.
Reached for comments, Sikelela Dlamini, the Secretary General of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers(SNAT) said by burning the school, the police were trying to justify the shooting of civilians and create a false impression that the people who were advocating for democracy were disorderly.
“That was systematic, they are trying to justify the shooting of protesting civilians so that it would be like they were shooting people who were burning properties. Furthermore, they are trying to create s false impression to the public so that it may appear that those advocating for democracy are disorderly”, said the SNAT Secretary General
This is not the first time police burnt State and private properties in the midst of the political unrest, on or around 29th June 2021, Senior Superintendent Enock Vusi Zulu allegedly burnt Ok Foods.The police at first claimed the supermarket was burnt by protestors, however, a video later emerged where the senior police officer was seen burning the supermarket.
Eswatini is in the midst of a political crisis, citizens are protesting demanding that King Mswati steps down.
KaBoyce High School was burned allegedly by police officers