SNUS declares May 13 Thabani Nkomonye Day
MANZINI - SNUS has declared May 13 as Thabani Nkomonye Day and the students’ union is planning to commemorate it this year.
This was revealed by the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS) President, Colani Maseko, on Monday in an interview. Maseko said they would commemorate the day at the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Centre on Friday.
He said after the commemoration, they would lead the attendees in a march to deliver a petition at the Manzini Police Regional Headquarters where they would officially reject the report on the inquest into the death of Nkomonye.
On top of that, the students’ union leader said they would also call for justice for Nkomonye.
Maseko said after a series of consultation meetings with relevant stakeholders, they agreed on the date to commemorate the Thabani Nkomonye Day. He said the commemoration was not only for the youth and students, but also all emaSwati who believe in transparency and multi-party democracy.
He said this was because even though the deceased was a student at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA), his death somehow triggered the political unrest which still exists in the country. He said this was because the activities which were hosted under the #JusticeForThabani opened the eyes of many emaSwati, politically.
Applied
When asked if they had made means to apply to march on the streets of the city, Maseko said they had already applied in terms of the Public Order Act of 2017. He said they were waiting to be invited to a consultative meeting, which usually comprises of the convener, local government and the police.
“However, what I can assure emaSwati is that the commemoration and the march will go ahead as planned on Friday,” Maseko said.
MANZINI - SNUS, through its Commissar, Sakhile ‘Awuviva’ Nxumalo, who is now the president of the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) – a youth league of the proscribed People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEM), announced that Thabani Nkomonye’s Day would be celebrated every year during the commemoration of Black Wednesday in 2021.