Sandile Bhembe: The Origins of Police Force in Swaziland - Who Were They Established to Protect?

20/01/2023 47 min

Listen "Sandile Bhembe: The Origins of Police Force in Swaziland - Who Were They Established to Protect?"

Episode Synopsis

Sandile Bhembe, a Swazi historian, business analyst, and political activist returns to the show to talk about the origins of the Police Force in Swaziland. Police in Swaziland, like their counterparts elsewhere in the world, have increasingly become very violent and brutal to civilians agitating for democratic changes. Sandile tells us that the Police Force was established to protect  European white settler capital interests. A hardly told story of Sobhuza II's mistrust of Police because of their loyalty to British settlers is told here. Astonishingly, the king was once arrested by the police as white settlers had no regard for the king.