MBABANE: Employees of the State owned radio station allegedly tried to burn studios and the entire building in the early morning hours on Saturday as part of the ongoing calls for democratic reforms.
Speaking to this Swaziland News, one of the employees said they poured water on the studio amplifier hoping that after thirty(30) minutes the electric cables would cause fire, however, an alarm subsequently detected smoke as the wiring system of the studio started to cause fire.
As a result, the fire department responded quickly to manage the situation.
“We poured water on the amplifier of the entire studio and we were sure that after thirty(30)minutes the wiring system would heat-up and cause fire. However, it developed a smoke that clouded the building and the fire department responded quickly. The studio was completely destroyed and they are now using a studio that was previously allocated for entertainment programs.Silangekhatsi kuloHulumende kodvwa sifuna le-democracy, we will try again. Don’t tell anyone about this, it’s only you who knows who did this”, said an employee of the State owned radio.
Sabelo Dlamini, the Director of the Eswatini Broadcasting and Information Services(EBIS) had not responded to our questions at the time of compiling this report.
Reached for comments, Oscar Nkambule, the President of the National Public Services and Allied Workers Union(NAPSAWU) confirmed that employees of the Fire Department rushed to the State owned radio after an alarm detected some fire.
“I have spoken to the Fire Department employees and they have confirmed that they responded to an alarm that detected fire within the building. However, upon arrival, they later gathered that it was a huge smoke within their studios”, he said.
The NAPSAWU President then urged Government to ensure that employees of the Fire Department are taken care-of as their work remains essential these days.
Fire Department responded at the EBIS building.