Police hold grudge against us – youth

MAYIWANE – A group of Mayiwane youth is accusing the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) of discriminating against them during the recruitment of police officers.

They made these allegations during a special meeting on Monday morning, attended by about 20 of young people. The members claimed that even when they request some form of assistance at the local police post, they were allegedly not given due service just because they were from Mayiwane. “We are convinced that the police have an agenda against us,” one of the residents said.

He said they were not treated well whenever they went to the police post to ask for help. “As soon as they hear that you are from Mayiwane, they would refuse to even give you a pen if you request to use it,” the resident continued to say.

The resident said statistics, if fairly and properly scrutinised, would surely show that there were a few Mayiwane residents employed as police officers. “We are always applying for those posts but for some reason, such opportunities are availed to residents from other areas, not Mayiwane,” he complained.

Young people here now suspect that the 2021 civil unrest might have ruined their relationship with REPS. They said some structures, including Mayiwane

Inkhundla Centre, were burnt during the civil unrest. “Eversince the unrest, we are seemingly not in the good books of the police,” the young man said.

Unfair

He said they were treated like hooligans, as people with no regard for life, complaining that this treatment was unfair. “I am a victim of the brutality from soldiers during the unrest, where I was beaten up for no reason,” he said. He added: “I am still hoping to get compensation because my hand was injured and it’s not working even today.” Further, the youth alleged that the police were not happy when they took it upon themselves to build a speed hump on the main road next to Mayiwane Primary School. They said they first requested that government should build a speed hump because children were losing their lives as a result of speeding cars. They said their pleas fell on deaf ears. Seeing that they were not getting any form of help, they said they resolved to construct the speed humps on their own. “This did not go down well with the police,” he said.

Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni refuted the claims against them by the Mayiwane youth. She urged them to approach the Buhleni police commander if they had grievances. “But, it’s not true that they are being deprived of the opportunity to join the police service,” she said. She said it was difficult to comment on a false statement like the one the Mayiwane young people were making.

Alleged that cops were not happy when they took it upon themselves to build a speed hump on main road.

(Pic: Sabelo Ndzinisa) Some of the Mayiwane youth who attended the meeting to voice out their displeasure about the area’s elder on the allocation of ploughing fields. (C) One of the Mayiwane residents showing the finger he claims was injured when he was allegedly assaulted by law enforcers during the 2021 civil unrest. (R) This tree serves as the Mayiwane Gogo Centre. Residents want a proper structure built.