By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE: Senator Isaac Magagula, the then National Commissioner of Police allegedly tried to convince Lucky ‘Obama’ Matsenjwa to implicate the then senior Deputy Commissioner William Dlamini to prevent him from being appointed by King Mswati as head of the organisation.

This is contained in a bundle of documentary and electronic evidence that substantiates how Senator Magagula colluded with senior police officers to delete criminal records of individuals in the government computer system with the intention of employing convicted criminals into the police service.

It has been reported that Magagula subsequently abused his powers as the National Commissioner of Police and colluded with the then Director of Public Prosecution(DPP) now Judge Nkosinathi Maseko to sabotage an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission(ACC)into the widely reported finger-prints scandal.

Lucky ‘Obama’ Matsentjwa, the former police officer who was working closely with the former National Commissioner Isaac Magagula confirmed the matter saying Magagula wanted to discredit William Dlamini so he could not be appointed into the position as head of the organisation.

“I can confirm that while in prison, Isaac Magagula tried to convince me and that I could be freed if I could implicate William Dlamini in the fingerprints scandal. Magagula was working towards making sure that William was not appointed into the position” said the former police officer who was working closely with the then National Commissioner within the police Headquarters.

An insider within the Police Intelligence Unit told this publication that Magagula made several attempts to discredit the current National Commissioner.

"This was after he gathered information suggesting that William might be appointed as the next National Commissioner yet they were not in good terms and this meant, it would be hard for Magagula to fully control the organisation by remote after he left" said the insider.

On or around 20th August 2017, Isaac Magagula was quoted by the Times of Eswatini confirming that he knew the officers who were involved in the finger- prints scandal without disclosing that he was actually part of the corruption mess. He said he had spoken to Judge Nkosinathi Maseko, the then DPP who promised to approach the matter in his own professional way.

"After the DPP had seen the document, he said he knew everyone who is involved in the matter but won't name them yet. He said he would approach the matter in his own professional way. He said sometimes it was better not to bundle people together in a case depending on the status of the investigation and the facts. He said sometimes it is better to tackle one case and complete it before tackling the other. He said this openly" said the former National Commissioner now Senator.

Phindile Vilakati, the Police Spokesperson did not respond to our questions on the matter, she is one of the senior officers who were quickly promoted by Magagula before he left the organisation after being appointed Senator, the former National Commissioner is believed to  have developed a desire to influence decisions in the police service 'remotely' through his promoted allies. 

Lucky Matsetjwa, the former police officer who was falsely charged by Magagula's police officers for murder before being acquitted by Judge Mbutfo Mamba had earlier told this publication that the police Executive Command fabricated the criminal charges against him because he was in possession of crucial information implicating senior police officers including Isaac Magagula on corruption.