More than 500 police
officers are being trained, a report in the Observer on Saturday newspaper in Swaziland reported (29 September 2018).
Training has taken place at
the Police Academy in Matsapha.
Members of the Swaziland
National Association of teachers (SNAT) are seeking a 6.55 per cent cost of
living pay rise, but the government has offered zero.
The industrial Court in
Swaziland (recently
renamed Eswatini by absolute monarch King Mswati III) forced
SNAT to postpone a three-day strike due to start on 25 September 2018. SNAT has since said its members will
attend school but will not work normally.
The Observer reported, ‘A visit by the Observer on Saturday team to the institution uncovered government
officials from the Ministry of Education and Training and other ministries
training over 500 police officers in readiness for the examinations on Monday.
‘The officials took the
police officers through instructions that should be given to the pupils
throughout the examinations. Teaching Service Commission (TSC) Chairman Simanga
Mamba, in his own words yesterday, said government will not condone any
unlawful conduct by teachers and took the opportunity to assure the nation that
all steps would be taken to ensure that the final examinations for schools proceed
uninterrupted from Monday 1st October, 2018.’
The newspaper added, ‘The
academy was yesterday littered with a number of high ranking government
officials including Principal Secretaries (PSs) from the Prime Minister’s
office Victor Nxumalo, Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy Winnie Stewart,
Ministry of Agriculture Bongani Masuku and that of Public Works and Transport
Makhosini Mndawe. The place was also littered with top police officers as well
officers from the ministry of education that included Regional Education
Officers (REOs) from the various regions.’
It added, ‘Sources at the
Police Academy confirmed that yesterday’s move was a clandestine plan that
should be put into motion in the event teachers stick to their plan not to
administer the examinations to the pupils.’
The police denied training
was taking place, but the Observer
published photographs it said showed police officers undergoing training at the
college.
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