Times Of Swaziland: MECHANIC, WIFE ATTACKED ME  – COURT MESSENGER

MECHANIC, WIFE ATTACKED ME  – COURT MESSENGER
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BY KWANELE DLAMINI on 29/04/2017 10:52:00


MBABANE – It was a day not to forget for a court messenger who was allegedly
attacked by an armed Mozambican motor mechanic and his wife when he tried to
serve the man with a court order.
The incident happened at Ndzevane in Matata on April 6, 2017. The Siteki
Magistrates Court had ordered that the mechanic, Roy Langa, should compensate
Tapiwa Mazvidza, who is an attorney,  a sum of E18 500 after he was found to
have misplaced his vehicle’s engine.
Mazvidza had taken the vehicle, a Nissan Sunny for repairs at the premises of
Langa. Upon the court issuing the order, the messenger of the court, Mciniseli
Bhembe, went to serve Langa with a writ and to attach his property when he was
allegedly attached by the mechanic and his wife. The veracity of these
allegations is still to be tested in court. Langa and his wife are yet to file
their responding papers.
The court messenger alleged that Langa pointed a rifle at him, and his wife was
armed with an iron rod. He told the court that the couple insulted him and he
was forced to unceremoniously leave their premises. “The first respondent
(Langa) elected to pull out a rifle and point it at me shouting, insulting me to
leave his premises with my papers, while his wife was armed with an iron rod bar
also shouting and insulting me. Fearing for my life, I quickly had to drive and
leave the homestead of the first respondent and the second respondent (wife),”
Bhembe alleged.
He has since taken the couple to court where he is seeking an order that they be
held liable for contempt of court. The messenger further applied that Langa’s
wife should be held as an accomplice and the duo should be imprisoned for a
period of up to 30 days.
Bhembe is also praying that the National Commissioner of Police be directed to
assist him in executing the writ and attach Langa’s assets as endorsed on the
writ.
Mazvidza took his car to Langa after it developed mechanical problems on his way
home from Durban, while he was driving past Nsoko. He said he asked around for a
mechanic and members of the community gave him Langa’s contact details.
The attorney took the car to Langa’s garage and he promised to strip the
engine and to inform him the following day what required to be done. The
mechanic, according to Mazvidza, said a new engine required to be mounted.
Mavzidza said he purchased a second-hand engine at E12 000, which he delivered
at the mechanic’s premises. He stated that Langa said he would contact him
after two weeks by which time the car would have been fixed.
After a month, Mazvidza contacted the mechanic and he told him that he was busy
with other things. He is said to have repeated that same story for up to a year
when the attorney decided to fetch the car from Langa and he discovered that the
engine was no longer there.