Cops halt SDC’s April 12th 1973 Commemoration!

As a member (recorder) of the interim executive committee of the newly constituted Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC – Swaziland Chapter) and co-coordinator of the events to mark this significant day, I proceeded to the Caritas premises in Manzini, as usual at least 30 minutes before the 17:00hrs starting time. As usual these days, I walked from the north to the south of this small city. As usual again, I was among the first two arrivals.

Caritas would have been ordinarily quiet had two small bands of police officers clad in their royal blue uniforms not barricaded the two Sandlane Street entrances to the premises, overlooking the Manzini (Catholic) Cathedral. At about 16:45, police presence accounted for about 12 officers. I walked in through the smaller of the two entrances, and greeted the female officers who responded wryly but let me pass without giving much else away. My conversation with the two comrades (Simon Mvubu and Phumelele Nxumalo) revealed no more than measured exchanged greetings and a casual “what brings you here?” respectively from the officers, who wielded just batons while their cars waited in the Caritas yard.

Things changed at precisely 17:00hrs when Mphandlana “Victim” Shongwe, Morten Koefoed (a Dane temporarily attached to the Foundation for Socioeconomic Justice offices in Manzini), and young Ncamiso Nxumalo followed each other and tried to enter the larger entrance adjacent to St Theresa’s Primary School. The cops, whose numbers had swelled slightly, told Ncamiso, who attempted to sneak in while “Victim” and Morten answered a few questions from the police, to “voetsek” (get lost), turning him back instantly. The cops made it clear that there was no way they would allow “Victim” and Morten through the gate. They too turned back.

Simon Mvubu, Mary Da Silva, Phumelele Zulu, and I caucused, following a quick phone call to “Victim”, and decided to move “house” one after the other and in different directions to the SFTU offices at the Council of Swaziland Churches’ Mandlenkhosi building, northeast of the city. Mary remained and located herself in a strategic position and informed attendees of the change of plans.

When I left Caritas, some 20 minutes later, there were 5 female police officers blocking the smaller entrance then, while 9 male ones guarded the main entrance. As I made my way into Tenbergen Street, on the way to the new meeting place, I counted at least 10 more male officers blocking the entrance to St. Theresa’s High School. When I left Caritas, at least 3 officers blocked the entrance to the hall we had booked for the lecture. There could therefore easily have been 25 – 30 police officers in total deployed to block the event.

At least 23 people (progressives) crammed the tiny SFTU conference room at 18:10 p.m. The “meeting” participants resolved to constitute themselves into “citizens of Swaziland” and seek the next day a court interdict challenging the police’s “unlawful” (they did not even produce a court order) blocking of the lecture, thereby depriving the group their constitutional right to peaceful assembly. They also felt that their right to freedom of expression with regard to the negative effects of the 12^th April 1973 king’s decree on themselves as citizens had been equally violated without due legal cause. The services of lawyers Thulani Maseko and “Manyovu” were duly enlisted.

Meanwhile, it transpired that Morten Koefoed had actually been pursued and subsequently escorted by plain-clothed police who, without producing any arrest or search warrant drove him first to the police station, then to search his room at Jabulani “J.B.” Dlamini’s house in Ngwane Park, south of Manzini. Here, they turned his room upside-down, even intently read back numbers of the Nation magazine as if they were seeing them for the first time. Morten was taken just after 17:00hrs. When he was finally driven from J.B.’s for further interrogation back at the Manzini police station, it was 19:10 p.m. and wasn’t released to us until 19:49 p.m.

A visibly shaken Morten informed us (myself, Bonginkosi “Commander”, Mary Da Silva, Sipho “Manyovu” Mnisi, Thulani Maseko, Bheki Dlamini, Mduduzi Gina, Jabulani “J.B. Dlamini”, and Dumezweni Dlamini) at “J.B.”’s that his laptop had been confiscated for further scrutiny. He is due back at the police station in the company of “Manyovu” this morning to try and retrieve his laptop and attend to any further interest the police might still have in him.

Meanwhile, Thulani Maseko will prepare the court application for an interdict against further foreseen police action, especially in view of the SDC’s prayer meeting billed for 17^th April 2010 at the Bosco Skills Centre in Manzini. We will still convene the open lecture, depending on when the court makes what ruling. We left a much calmer Morten at “J.B”’s at 20:15 p.m.

*Our renewed resolve for “democracy in our lifetime” shall never be broken. AMANDLA!!!