SNAT HOLDS RALLY AT COURT, POLICE CALLED

MANZINI – Police were the called as teachers crammed the Manzini Magistrates Court and turned the appearance of their vocal SNAT GC members into a political rally.

This took place yesterday morning during the brief court appearance of Njabulo ‘Njefire’ Dlamini and Mcolisi Ngcamphalala, who are members of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) General Council (GC).

Dlamini, who is SNAT Big Bend Brach Secretary, was charged for allegedly obstructing police officers when executing their duties. According to the charge sheet, last Friday near Lamvelase Clinic, Dlamini allegedly pushed and blocked police officers when trying to arrest Ngcamphalala. “Dlamini removed Constable Nkentjane’s appalettes,” reads part of the charge sheet.

Charges

On the other hand, Ngcamphalala, who is a vice president of SNAT Big Bend Branch, was slapped with two charges. In the first count, he was charged with jaywalking. The charge sheet alleges that last Friday near Lamvelase Clinic, he was a pedestrian and allegedly conducted himself in a dangerous manner to himself and other road users. It said he allegedly did this by crossing the road without due care.

Meanwhile, in the second count, Ngcamphalala was charged for allegedly resisting arrest. According to the charge sheet, he allegedly resisted a lawful arrest which was effected by Constable Nkentjane.

A statement which was recorded by the police suggested that the accused person allegedly crossed the road instead of using a pedestrian crossing and further refused to take a ticket. It said this was after he was told that he was not obliged to pay admission of guilt.

At a round 9am, the teachers gathered by Manzini Magistrates Court’s reception and they started singing and dancing to political songs and slogans. Some of the songs they sang were directly attacking the police for arresting their leaders.

armed

At that time, a few police officers who were present in the court premises. However, as the noise caused by Dlamini and Ngcamphalala’s supporters became intense, two police cars arrived, with armed officers on board. The officers were armed with batons.
By that time, the teachers were getting ready to go inside Court III where the matters were to be heard.

The teachers were silent when they walked through the court passage but when they entered Court III, they murmured the song titled; Senzeni na? Meanwhile, some female teachers ‘cried’ at the top of their voices.

When Magistrate Mthokozisi Dlamini, who presided over the matters, was about to enter the courtroom, the court orderlies had a hard time tryin to stop the teachers from singing.
As a result, the court orderly who was escorting the magistrate had to bang the door several times so that everyone in the courtroom could be quiet.

trial

During their appearance, the accused persons, who were represented by Lawyer N Nxumalo, pleaded not guilty to all the counts. As a result, they were remanded out of custody until February 5, 2019 pending trial date setting.

Immediately after they were remanded out of custody, their supporters murmured the song again and the female educators ‘wept’ as they left the courtroom. It took them about five minutes to get out of the structure and proceedings were disturbed even in the other courts.

Upon getting out of the building, they sang and danced to political songs. As they were toyi-toying along the corridor, they met a heavy police presence. However, that did not deter them from continuing with their toyi-toyi and they eventually assembled at the magistrates court’s car park, where SNAT President Mbongwa Dlamini addressed them in full view of the armed police officers.

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