Home | News | Cops, SWAYOCO in confrontation

Cops, SWAYOCO in confrontation

12/06/2012 00:00:00 LINDA JELE

Font size:

MBABANE – Police officers and political activists had a confrontation yesterday when the suspected petrol bombers’ trial resumed.

Members of the banned entity, the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO), were yesterday stopped from staging a demonstration outside the Mbabane Magistrates Court in support of their President, Bheki Dlamini, who is currently behind bars on terrorism charges.

Dlamini was arrested with Zonke Dlamini on suspicion that they petrol-bombed the homes of the late Mtsambama Member of Parliament, Bheki Mkhonta and David ‘Lion’ Shongwe, the Mayiwane MP, who is also deceased.

They are also alleged to have bombed former Police PRO, Senior Superintendent Vusi Masuku’s homestead. The case was to be heard by Judge, Esther Ota in the High Court housed at the Magistrates Court.

About 10 SWAYOCO members had planned to stage a demonstration by displaying placards with various messages pertaining to the case and other issues.

The trial, which eventually never took off, was supposed to resume at 9:30am and activists had already gathered at the court’s premises with their placards hidden.

However, police officers approached the activists who claimed to be members of the banned entity and confiscated the placards.

One of the placards called for the release of the accused, while others alluded to issues of poor health care and lack of jobs in the country.

Present among the activists were Wandile Dludlu and Thabile Zwane.

Soon after the activists had been dispossessed of their placards, Dludlu and others left to make more placards.

They stood at the gate and held them high. Police officers once again approached them to take the placards away, but they refused, arguing that they were now outside of the court premises.

Dludlu argued that they had a right to hold placards outside the court premises. However, the police would hear none of it and forcefully took them.

The political activists were informed that the case would not proceed yesterday because the accused’s Advocate, Christopher Sihlali, had not arrived from South Africa.

Their lawyer Mary Pais Da Silva said Sihlali had encountered some transport problems. She promised that he would arrive by close of business yesterday, in time for the trial which was postponed to this morning.

... confiscation of placards condemned

MBABANE – Political activists have condemned the confiscation of their placards by police and the thwarting of their intended demonstration.

Thabile Zwane, who claimed to be Treasurer General of the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO), said they had only gone to court to show support for the banned entity’s President, Bheki Dlamini.

She was speaking after the police confiscated their placards which they hoped to use in a demonstration they wanted to stage at the court premises.

"We will come back tomorrow (today) in numbers to show support for the president. We believe that he is not a terrorist.

"He speaks on behalf of the youth of the country who are demanding scholarships. We will support him because we also believe in his ideas," Zwane said.

Comments

Kwentenjani lamaphoyisa akayekele labantfu mani. Kuze kube nini, kani benteni nje? Selicala kusaphotha umuntfu whom you share the same ideology yimihlola phela vele kuseplazini lemuntfu lapha, tsine sitilwanyana nje, siyasha mani kunalilive bayajabula labafa abakuboni nakulesikubonako.
Jun 12, 2012, 6:59 AM, Z.Z.Zinyane (nyl@gmail.com)

Lamhlabeni sidla titfukutfuku tetfu lelo lilungelo lesalinikwa ngumdali. Bophani labantfu. Seningahlulwa kuvalela bantfu labangu10 ejele. Sitawubondla njengalabanakabo lesibondlela ejele. Balwela umfundzate so valelani labantfu sitawusebenta sitsele badle baphile mahhala njengobe bafuna. HHeyi nanicosha bafana bakamdodi bayaphi noma nababekaphi ngoba utawukhandza kutsi ngibo njelaba. Ake nilandzele indzaba yalawo mabutfo lawo kutsi akuphi njengamanje.
Jun 12, 2012, 6:59 AM, mgubho (labadzala@gmail.com)