Africa-Press – Eswatini. The Eswatini Police Staff Association (EPSA) has disassociated itself from the protest marches over the Phase II salary Restructuring Exercise of 2014.
EPSA Chairperson, Isaac ‘Kaira’ Lukhele, said the Secretary General, Dumisile Khumalo, acted outside ambits of the association’s constitution by convening meetings to address issues affecting their members.
Lukhele was in the company of his deputy, Themba Gwebu, and member, Boy Boy Thwala, during an interview at Eswatini Observer offices yesterday,
They explained that the EPSA represents officers below the rank of assistant national commissioner and has five members in the National Executive Committee.
They said Khumalo had deserted her duties in the NEC to work with a breakaway group, whom she convened meetings with and organised the protests, which they were against.
They said as the NEC, they neither approved nor mandated their membership to engage in what they termed protest actions against principles of law and ethics.
The petitions were delivered to the prime minister’s office, the ministry of public service, ministry of justice and constitutional affairs and the ministry of finance.
The junior officers comprise of the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) and His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS).
Convene
The officers were led by the Eswatini Correction Services Staff Association (ECOSSA) and the EPSA executive members. They said she did not have their blessing to convene meetings.
Lukhele went on to call to order their colleagues who have been protesting.
He sternly warned members of the police service to stop expressing their discontent over the delayed salary restructuring exercise, which could culminate in increased salaries through means not prescribed in the Police Act.
He said the Act stipulates that police officers should not be involved in any strike or protest action against all odds.
Lukhele distanced the association’s executive from any of the recent utterances and unprecedented protest marches by junior police officers, which also sent shockwaves throughout the kingdom as the public wondered what could have prompted officers mandated to ensure preservation of peace and security to take to the streets.
“We want to set the record straight that what is being done by our colleagues is not our mandate as the police staff association. However, we appeal that police officers should be patient with the executive as it seeks to address their issues of concern,” said Lukhele.
He requested for patience from the aggrieved police officers on the basis that they have been assured by Minister of Public Service, Mabulala Maseko, that a consultant had been appointed to look into the issue of implementing the restructuring exercise.
He said government had also made a special provision for the NEC to have a consultative session with the association’s NEC with intent to see to it that all matters of concern had been addressed adequately.
The chairperson said as the NEC, they also concured with government that implementation of the phase II restructuring exercise needed to be donewith a scientific approach in order to ensure that loopholes, which were undertaken during implementation of the first restructuring exercise, did not get repeated.
Lukhele further clarified that the four per cent granted by the State to be backdated from Apri 2022 had nothing to do with the restructuring exercise. He said they have been promised that the four per cent cushion would be paid from January or earlier if funding gets secured.
“We did not sign anything to the effect that the four per cent has been accepted by members of the police service. We are yet to officially inform all membership upon receipt of an official circular which stipulates how the raise will be effected,” said Lukhele.
The chairperson acknowledged that there had been concerns among some members that government might not implement the highly-anticipated restructuring exercise.
However, he emphasised that they had also been given assurance by the ministry of public service that the four per cent announced by Minister Maseko would not hinder the effective implementation of the restructuring exercise.
The Secretary General, Dumsile Khumalo said if the current executive members felt they could no longer implement resolutions, they must resign.
“As a member of the national executive, you are chosen by the masses. Therefore, whatever happens must be reported back to the masses that make resolutions. When resolutions are taken a voting process takes place, which could go either way,” said Khumalo.
She further stated that the national executive committee went to Minister of Public Service, Maseko, to receive an offer of four per cent but did not report back to the people who elected them before accepting it. Khumalo wondered who was wrong between her and the executive whom she claimed did not give appropriate feedback to the junior police officers who voted them into office.
The secretary claimed that it was a resolution of the membership to write to Minister of Finance, Neal Rijkenberg, minister of public and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Pholile Shakantu together with the prime minister.
She said it had also been a resolution by the members that there would be a meeting to decide on a way forward. Therefore, she said she was not in the wrong by effecting decisions of membership.
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