The shooting and killing of Zinhle Mavuso,a police officer who was based in Manzini suggests that the seed of violence planted by the State is now germinating.
Perhaps, it is important to understand the shooting and killing of police officers in the context of the political unrest triggered by the ongoing shooting and killing of civilians by the police and soldiers.
No one deserves to die in the manner in which Zinhle died,and this,remains a very unfortunate incident.
Recently, I published an article mourning the death of Deputy Commissioner Vusi Masuku who died in a car accident, some within the police circles expressed shock that we have positive things to say about some members of the law enforcement agency.
Indeed, members of the public have been respecting the police as officers of the law but the institution dragged it’s name into the mud by killing civilians.
The police were warned several times to stop shooting and killing civilians but their pride and arrogance resulted to the loss of lives, they never thought Swazis would one day have the courage of fighting back and go as far as killing members of the security forces.
One officer when warned against the shooting and killing of civilians once said, “Khohlwa, emaSwati ayesabe kabi ingati, ngeke uwanike tibhamu utsi akalwe nemaphoyisa nemasotja eMbuso.Nyalo-nje loku kudutjulwe bantfu nga-June, kutothula kutsi dvu! utobona phela(meaning: Forget it, Swazis are afraid of blood, you can’t give them guns to fight State police and soldiers. After the June killings, there will be silence in the country)”.
This means the State is abusing the humility and respectful conduct of the Swazis to do anything including killing them, knowing that they won’t retaliate because they are afraid of blood.
It should be noted that a victim of torture and or police brutality is a walking killing machine particularly against the perpetrators.
Torture changes your perception towards the police, you no longer regard them as law enforcers but as criminals who are a major threat to your life.
It’s even worse when you see the perpetrators boasting,walking freely without being arrested because they are agents of the State.
Students Union President Colani Maseko was tortured by soldiers but the police never issued a public statement seeking assistance from anyone who might know the whereabouts of the perpetrators so that the law could take its course.
As a result, the soldiers who tortured Colani are on the Ground Forces wanted list not the police.
Over one hundred(100) citizens were killed during the June 2021 unrest, no public statement was issued seeking assistance from anyone who might know the killers so that they could face the law, such precedent of injustice promotes a culture of disorder.
Indeed,the reality suggest that in the absence of the rule of law, anarchy has erupted in this country.
Violence should be discouraged, we have been warning the Government all these years to stop planting the seed of violence among the people because one day it would germinate.
In conclusion, let me once again urge the police to arrest the people who killed the over one hundred(100) citizens last year during the political unrest.
Members of the public protested, demanding justice for Thabani Nkomonye who was allegedly killed by the police and the State responded by unleashing more officers to shoot the protestors, the alleged killers were protected.
In the absence of the rule of law in this country, it is for these reasons some people are praising Zinhle’s killers because the public now hates the police and it’s very unfortunate.
Manzini Police Station.