15 YEARS FOR BOMBER ZONKHE DLAMINI

MBABANE – Member of the proscribed entity PUDEMO, Zonkhe Tradewell Dlamini has been sentence to 15 years imprisonment.
PUDEMO is the People’s Democratic Movement.

He was facing two counts of contravening Section 5(1) of the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008. He was co-charged alongside president of the proscribed Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) Bheki Dlamini who was, however, acquitted and discharged.
Zonke was found guilty of throwing petrol bombs and setting fire to the homesteads of two government officials, namely Vusi Masuku who was, at the time of the incident, in 2010, the Police Public Relations Officer, as well as the late Bheki Mkhonta who was a Member of Parliament for Mtsambama Constituency.

He was found guilty and sentenced by High Court Judge Esther Ota who said the two communities where the bombings occurred were shocked which confirms the intention of the accused which was to intimidate.

Trial

Zonke’s sentence comes after he spent three years and eight months in prison without his trial seeing the light of the day.
“Zonkhe Thokozani Tradewell Dlamini, I have considered the factors urged in mitigation of your sentence. In as much as you did not prove that you were tortured or that you now suffer from persistent headaches due to the alleged torture, you however  have my sympathy on the established fact that you are epileptic, a condition which you lived with way before incarceration.

“It is, however, also a well established fact that His Majesty’s Correctional Services has been found to have, in place, a praiseworthy programme to take of the medical needs of its inmates,” she said.
The Judge said she had also noted Dlamini’s plea for leniency and his desire not to be saddled with a custodial sentence to enable him to go back to reconcile with and re-integrate into his community.

“It is, however, rather surprising that your defence Counsel Advocate Sihlali raised the issue of your purported hunger strike which is alleged to have become necessary in order to compel an expedited trial. What your counsel however conveniently failed to highlight is that the trial was practically delayed by the defence. I say this because, I became seized of this matter on February 2, 2012 when the trial commenced,” she said.

Unavailability

She said the delays were occasioned by the frequent unavailability of defence Advocate Sihlali, who is an attorney instructed from South Africa.
Judge Ota said it was also on record that after the purported hunger strike and upon her return from leave, the court sought to set the matter down in August 2013 but was informed by Marry Da Silva (instructing attorney) that Advocate Sihlali would not be available.

“It is inexorably apparent from the foregoing that the defence was the major cause of the delay in this trial. I thus find it highly unethical and, in fact, contemptuous for the defence counsel to raise this issue in the way he did in these proceedings, obviously seeking to distance himself from the blame,” said Judge Ota.

The judge sentence Zonkhe to 15 years imprisonment on both counts and the sentences were ordered to run concurrently. They were also backdated to June 12, 2010 which is the date of his arrest and incarceration.

POLICE CLASH WITH PUDEMO

MBABANE –  Members of the Royal Swaziland police and members of the proscribed entities yesterday clashed outside the Mbabane Magistrate Court.

The members of the proscribed entities were at the High Court (situated at the Mbabane Magistrate Courts) yesterday to give moral support to one of their own, Zonke Tradewell Dlamini who has been sentenced to 15 years.
Over 20 police officers who were armed with batons and teargas canisters were yesterday deployed at the Mbabane Magistrates Courts.
The confrontation between the law enforcers and the over 50 members of the proscribed entities took place at the entrance of the Mbabane Magistrates Court.

Judge Esther Ota’s court is situated in the same building which also houses the Mbabane Magistrates Court.
Dlamini is a card-carrying member of the proscribed People’s Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).
Co-incidentally, when it all happened, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Sibusiso Shongwe and Commissioner of His Majesty Correctional Services Mzuthini Ntshangase were within the Mbabane Magistrates’ Court building for other business.

Confrontation

The confrontation began after the police, who were led by Mbabane Station Commander indentified as Mthimkhulu, told the members of the proscribed entities that they would not be allowed to toyi-toyi and chant political slogans outside the Magistrates Court building.
This was after they started singing and chanting political slogans outside the court premises.

The police officers also ordered them to leave and further stop singing as they had no authority to do so.
One police officer was seen keeping Mphandlana Shongwe at bay.
Another member of the proscribed entities was also slapped on the face by a police officer after he resisted leaving.
After seeing that the police officers would not allow them to continue with their action the members of the proscribed entities gathered and sang ‘Nkosi Sikelela iAfrica’ before they left.

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