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PIGG’S PEAK – A 34-year-old man of Macambeni township in Pigg’s Peak is accusing members of the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) of wrongfully detaining him.

Thandanani Msibi alleged that he was detained by Pigg’s Peak police, yet they knew that he had not contravened the law.

Msibi alleged that he was released at the Pigg’s Peak Magistrates Court after he had been informed that he was wrongly arrested, yet he had already spent three nights at the police station’s holding cell.

According to the complainant, following a family dispute, his biological mother applied for a protection order in court.

“They granted her the protection order and I was given two weeks to vacate the place where we were staying, which is my mother’s parental home,” he said.

Msibi said following the court order, he left for Mbabane to stay with other relatives. He said given that he had his own room at his mother’s parental home, he had to return to fetch his belongings.

“The court order gave me until Monday, February 13, 2023 to have left the homestead. On Friday, I went there and found my mother. I told her that I had come to fetch my belongings. I discovered that I had lost the key to my house and I informed my mother about this. Since I needed to get my belongings, I asked her to borrow me a hammer so that I could break the padlock on the door and get my belongings. She gave me the hammer and I broke the padlock to gain entry. The car that I had prearranged to come and fetch me ended up not arriving on that day, so I spent the night there,” he said.

Arrest

The accused further narrated that the next day, while he was passing by a car wash near Macambeni, a police vehicle, with two officers on board, approached him. He said they called him to come to them and when he arrived they informed him that he was under arrest.

“I asked them on what charge they were arresting me, but they never answered but took me to the police station to be kept in the holding cells. I spent three nights there and this morning (yesterday) I was taken to court. I did not even enter into the dock, but was released without seeing a magistrate,” he said.

Msibi said some court officials called him and told him that he had been wrongly arrested and must return to the police station where he had to fill a release form.

“My time has been wasted, They can’t just release me without an explanation,” he said.

He said he suspected the two police officers who arrested him had a vendetta against him and were conspiring against him with his brother.

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said the complainant was advised to approach Pigg’s Peak Station Commander Dumisani Ndzalo as he was the one who would assist him if he had any complaints.