Times of Swaziland
21 May 2011
Mario and UNISWA students demonstrate at court
MBABANE – Political activist Mario Masuku and UNISWA [University of Swaziland] students yesterday (20 May 2011) demonstrated at the High Court to show support for the explosive suspects.
However, the case of the explosives suspects failed to take off yesterday.
They were expected to seek an order reviewing and setting aside the Manzini Magistrate Court’s refusal to admit them to bail.
About 20 students and some political activists sang political and demonstration songs after the announcement that the case had been postponed indefinitely.
They had gone to show moral support to the suspects, among which is UNISWA student Maxwell Dlamini, who is President of the Swaziland National Union of Students.
The case, which had been enrolled on an urgent basis, was to be heard by Judge Nkululeko Hlophe, but it never took off as it ended up being discussed inside Hlophe’s chambers. The Attorney General Majahenkhaba Dlamini was also part of the legal team that was representing government in the matter.
The matter was supposed to be heard soon after 9:30am and the students sat in front of the building waiting for it to resume. However, the suspects’ attorney Mandla Mkhwanazi, the AG and Crown Counsel Phila Dlamini went to meet the judge in his chambers.
The students were informed by Mkhwanazi about the postponement and soon after the briefing; they sang political songs for about 10 minutes and then left.
Police officers who escort judges came out of the building and watched the activists as they sang. Two police officers were seen calling Masuku on the side and talked to him briefly.
The students expressed disappointment about the postponement of the case, particularly because one of the suspects could not write all his examination papers because of the detention.
They called for more students and political activists to show moral support to the suspects. They also promised to return in their numbers when the case is finally heard.
Dlamini and Musa Ngubeni were refused bail by the Manzini Magistrates Court last week. They had filed a review application at the High Court.
In an interview after the postponement, their attorney said the matter had been referred to the Registrar of the High Court for allocation of another date.
He said this was done to allow government to read his supplementary papers and he will have to respond by May 26, 2011.
"The set of papers before court are not complete. The case may be heard probably next week after all the papers have been filed," Mkhwanazi said.
Two of the songs sung by the students goes, "Lo Max asimthandazele sishaye ngedolo phansi, asambeni bafundzi sithandazele u-Ngubeni" and "Dubula dubula ngesibhamu".
...university refuses Maxwell to write supplementary exams
MBABANE – Explosives suspect and UNISWA student Maxwell Dlamini is said to have written only one examination paper.
This is despite that the High Court issued an order that he should be allowed to write his examination papers.
His lawyer Mandla Mkhwanazi yesterday said Dlamini managed to write only one paper after the High Court order.
He said he could have written two, but with the other one, he arrived late from the Correctional Services.
"The university is now saying a supplementary exam is only written by a person who has written an examination. We are forced to return to the High Court so that he can be able to write," Mkhwanazi said.
Efforts to get a comment from the Registrar of the University of Swaziland Sipho Vilakati proved futile yesterday.
His mobile phone was on voicemail mode for the better part of yesterday afternoon. He was called three times between 4:50pm and 5:30pm.
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