Cops, students clash: 2 detained, 1 assaulted
MBABANE – The Friday skirmish between police and students saw two of the scholars being detained while one was allegedly heavily assaulted.
Tracy Masuku, who is a student at Eswatini College of Technology (ECOT), was allegedly assaulted by police while by the road passing Checkers, Mbabane on Friday with a few others, on their way to meet other students.
The students were on Friday participating in a ‘scholarships and jobs for all campaign’ organised by the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS). Masuku, when narrating the events of the day, said while on their way to join their colleagues who were taking part in the campaign, they came across a police van with several police officers on board at Checkers.
Ignored
She said they ignored the van and proceeded with their journey. She narrated that a short while later, a police truck was spotted from the town direction, full of police officers. She said the police officers alighted from the truck and pursued them.
Masuku said while they (students) were running helter-skelter, the police fired about 10 tear gas canisters towards them.
The student said she inhaled the tear gas such that she felt dizzy and fell down. Masuku said that was when two police officers came towards her and allegedly assaulted her with batons all over her body. She said after assaulting her, they left her there, until some other students came to her rescue and assisted her to the hospital. When asked if she had opened an assault case against the officers, Masuku said she had not opened a case yet as it was hard for her to go to the people who assaulted her and ask them to help her seek justice
She said, however, she was still looking at all other options of fighting this. “I refuse to be assaulted like this and no one accounts for it,” said the student. The student also confirmed to being a member of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO). “Yes, I am a proud member of this giant movement,” she said. The student stated that she could not be deterred by the incident, as it was a course that carried a better life for all people. “I am encouraged to keep keeping on,” she said.
Struggle
Masuku said the struggle was not about her and it was bigger than the pain she suffered. “Other people have died, some are in jail, my president is in exile, patients are dying in hospitals due to lack of medication, students are committing suicide due to scholarship pains, learners are dropping out of high school due to expensive education in our country and the list goes on,” she said.
Meanwhile, the students’ union confirmed that two other students were detained at the Mbabane Police Station and were released the following day.
The union stated that the students were Kwanele Fakudze, from Gwamile Vocational and Commercial Training Institute Matsapha (VOCTIM) and Andile Lawson, from Eswatini Medical Christian University (EMCU).