Africa-Press – Eswatini. Public Sector Unions (PSUs) have said the death of National Commissioner of Police, William Tsitsibala Dlamini, was unfortunate and must never be celebrated by anyone.
This, the civil servants stated as they expressed their condolences to the Dlamini family, police service and the nation.
Dlamini passed away on Saturday at the age of 74 after collapsing at the OR Tambo International Airport while on his way back home from an International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) 26th African Regional Conference in Angola.
He served as the head of the police service since 2019 after his predecessor, Isaac Magagula, was appointed senator.
PSUs include the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) and the Swaziland National Association of Government Accounting Personnel (SNAGAP).
SWADNU Secretary General, Mayibongwe Masangane, said death was something that must never be celebrated.
Condolences
Masangane said Dlamini’s death was unfortunate and at the same time painful, which must never happen to anyone. He sent their heartfelt condolences to the Dlamini family and his colleagues, stating that he was hopeful they would be comforted in this difficult time. According to Masangane, they had a number of incidents as a union that involved and tainted the police image. He said the unions had numerous clashes with the police, but they did not place the blame solely on the late commissioner as they understood that he was doing his job.
“If you have received orders from your superiors, you cannot go against that because you also want to provide for your family. We cannot individualise what happened during his reign but all that happened was systemic, embedded in the whole government system, thus the increase in police violence,” Masangane said.
He went on to state that they were hopeful that the country would have a new police commissioner, who would be able to execute the job effectively so that they avoid situations where there was police violence.
Similarly, SNAT Secretary General, Lot Vilakati, conveyed their condolences to the Dlamini family and the police, describing Dlamini’s death as a huge loss to the service.
Vilakati said they never had a problem with Dlamini, as he was a leader who was open to engagement.
He said Dlamini’s office was always open to the union and he would give them an ear on every topic they engaged in without a problem.
According to Vilakati, as a union, they have never had a problem with Dlamini, but they despised the police conduct in the name of policing.
He stated that since the enactment of the Public Order Act of 2017, a number of teachers were allegedly violated in the hands of the police.
Vilakati further stated that a number of industrial gatherings were quashed by the police while also assaulting teachers.
He said this was history that must not be repeated under the leadership of a new commissioner.
Harassments
“Every time we went to his office, he was always welcoming and gave us an ear without a problem. He never chased us from his office on any given day but the harassments of government employees by the police were prevalent under his reign. We will not blame him as an individual but blame the system he was working for,” Vilakati said.
Vilakati noted the need for police to work within the law and apply it in a proper way.
He said police must never be above the law in anything they did and a new commissioner must be someone who would apply the law accordingly.
Dlamini was returning from attending the Interpol conference, which closed with delegates agreeing to increase information-sharing in multiple crime areas, from wildlife trafficking to counter-terrorism.
This was a three-day meeting for police leaders from across the African continent, who gathered to address organised crime, terrorism and other threats.
Dlamini was among the more than 160 senior police leaders from 36 countries in Africa and around the world.
News of his passing made headlines in most of South African’s main stream and online publications even before the family could learn of his death.
The Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) confirmed Dlamini’s death to the SA media after efforts by emergency services to resuscitate him proved unsuccessful.
Senior officers from the Royal Eswatini Police Service held a prayer at the Matsapha Police Academy in honour of the departed Dlamini.
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