MBABANE:Sikelela Dlamini, the Secretary General of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) said as an organization, they mourn the death of the 11 police officers including a truck driver who died in a tragic accident on Thursday.
Dlamini said police officers who were loaded in a quantum are workers as well, however, they don’t have a union that will advance their issues.
“We mourn for the families of those who lost their lives, their children and friends. They are workers as well. Unfortunately they do not have a union that will advance their issues. They work by taking orders from the superiors.Whilst we mourn the death of such young souls, we observe that they were overloaded in the kombi if the covid 19 , social distancing regulation is anything to stand by. We do not blame the officers because they are junior, they take orders fro. Their superiors. We blame their supervisors who issued such an instruction. In as much as we can not dodge death but if the numbers were not so huge, maybe many could have been saved” said the SNAT Secretary General.
The SNAT Secretary General said the calls for police officers to be allowed to have a union should be escalated.
“This leaves us with no option but to escalate our calls for them to be allowed to have a union as well. Police officers esprcially the junior ones desperately need a legitimate voice that will represent their interests in all issues. As a country we are so saddened to have lost such a huge number of workers who are at the frontline in this covid fight. May God comfort their families during this dark hour” he said.
Superintendent Phindile Valakati, the Police Spokesperson did not respond when asked why the police were loaded in the quantum in complete violation of the COVID-19 Regulations.
Police kombi in an accident