By Zweli Martin Dlamini

National Commissioner of Police William Dlamini and his predecessor Isaac Magagula must give clear answers as to what happened to the millions meant to increase salaries for junior police officers under Phase Two(2).

Firstly, the National Commissioner must thank the junior police officers for being dedicated to their job until now where their pockets have literally run dry.

Junior police officers particularly those within the Criminal Investigations Department(CID) have been using their money to conduct investigations, some used their cars due to the non-availability of resources.

Government has been paying one hundred thousand Rands(R100,000.00)every month to the police service and that money was meant to support criminal investigators in their line of duty, however, it is being shared by the Executive Command while investigators are struggling without resources to provide security to the citizens.

Now, we need to understand that some police officers are poor not because they failed to manage their finances, some used their own money to try and be productive at work amid the scarcity of resources.

When Government announced a process to increase salaries for junior police officers under Phase Two(2), the Executive Command was at it again, they created various useless Deputy and Assistant Commissioners posts and then shared the millions among themselves by increasing their salaries.

Perhaps, if one could ask, what is the difference between a Deputy and Assistant Commissioner and what is the significance of having over ten(10) Deputy Commissioner if the intention was not to steal the money meant to increase salaries for junior officers?.

Apart from the persecution of political activists by the police which we continue to condemn, we cannot deny the fact that our country has been experiencing few cases of criminality and this is attributed to the good work of junior police officers who were later demoralized by Mswati’s regime.

Security is one of the most important pillars of any country and I am struggling to understand how can the country be safe at the hands of hungry security officers? 

Sometimes, we need to put politics aside and address this matter objectively, what Government and or the Executive Command is doing to the junior police officers is unfair and undermines State security.

Recently, the same Government was buying guns and other equipment to try and manage the political unrest but  Mswati forgot or neglected the human resource.

We have a valid reason to be worried because even in the coming democratic Government, we will need a vibrant and well-resourced police service to restore peace and maintain law and order.

The the police service is an institution of the State that should uphold and enforce the law without any influence. 

We cannot say based on the atrocities committed by serial killers like Senior Superintendent Clement Sihlongonyane, the whole police institution must be destroyed, those who killed civilians must be dealt with but the police, as an institution of the State, must be supported and protected in principle.

In light of the aforementioned, it is therefore, important to remind the National Commissioner that the police institution is owned and funded by the State, we will continue to demand answers, as we hereby do,regarding the monies meant to increase salaries for junior police officers.

It might be a huge embarrassment if we could print the pay-slips for police officers from the Treasury Department, some Station Commanders are earning less than three thousand Rands(R3,000).

The least is said about Spokesperson Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, the last time I checked, she was earning three thousand Rands (R3,000) and is owing many people within the corporate sector.

As the independent media, we will continue with monitoring the demands for a salary increment by police officers, this is not only about the juniors, the seniors need it more.

In conclusion, it is important to state that, despite the current political tension, we need the police service to uphold the law and ensure public safety without involving themselves in politics.

Democracy will come with better salaries and working conditions for security officers and all civil servants, we must support the calls for democracy without destroying State institutions that will be vital even in the new democratic dispensation.