Times Of Swaziland: OUR RIGHTS DENIED – SUSPECTS

OUR RIGHTS DENIED – SUSPECTS
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Sibusiso Shange and Kwanele Dlamini on 18/08/2022 09:21:00


MBABANE – Simanga Sigwili Vilakati and Thandokuhle Dlamini have alleged that
they were denied an opportunity to see their relatives and lawyer after being
arrested.
Addressing the court through their lawyer, Maxwell Nkambule, the duo submitted
that police officers detained them for seven days at Sigodvweni Police Station,
which was against the dictates of the Constitution. While at the police station,
the accused persons claimed, they were denied the opportunity to see their
relatives and legal representatives. Nkambule alleged that his clients were
heavily assaulted during the course of their  interrogation. He also alleged
that at one point, a police officer removed one of the accused persons from the
cell and assaulted him. “My client has instructed me that a police officer
asked him why he was killing police officers during the heat of the assault,”
the lawyer informed the court.
Visit
Nkambule stated that his clients had instructed him that two lawyers, who had
paid them a visit, were allegedly turned back at the police station. He
submitted that his clients had informed him that the police officers told the
attorneys that they were busy with them when they had gone to see them in
custody. However, in response to the allegations made by the defence, Advocate
Naomi Manaka informed the court that information from the police was to the
effect that the two were never assaulted.  Advocate Manaka denied that the duo
was denied an opportunity to see any lawyer after their arrest. Instead, she
informed the court that two lawyers visited the accused in custody. On the issue
of the seven days detention as alleged by Nkambule, Manaka told the court that
as far as the Crown was concerned, the accused persons were arrested on June 22,
2022. She said Dlamini and Vilakati were visited by two lawyers on June 23,
2022. She further stated that they were taken for an identification parade on
June 25, 2022, before being produced in court on June 27, 2022.