Times Of Swaziland: LAWYER THULANI  MASEKO ARRESTED

LAWYER THULANI  MASEKO ARRESTED
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 BY MBONGISENI NDZIMANDZE  on 18/03/2014 04:31:00


MBABANE – Mbabane-based senior lawyer Thulani Maseko has been arrested and
charged with contempt of court.
This comes after Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi yesterday issued a warrant for
his apprehension.
Maseko, a resident of Bhunya under Chief Mfanawenkhosi, was arrested by members
of the Royal Swaziland Police while at his offices yesterday. The armed police
officers are said to have arrived at Maseko’s offices situated at the Swazi
Plaza at around 6pm.
Maseko’s law firm is trading as T.R Maseko.
The warrant follows an article which he wrote in the Nation Magazine where he
was questioning circumstances surrounding the arrest of Chief Government Vehicle
Inspector, Bhantshana Gwebu.
Gwebu was recently arrested and charged with contempt of court after he arrested
a driver of High Court Judge Esther Ota. He spent nine days at the Sidwashini
Correctional facility before he was admitted to E15 000 bail. He was, however,
ordered to pay E2 500 cash and his case is still pending at the High Court.
Also cited in the warrant of arrest that was issued and signed by the Chief
Justice is Nation Magazine Editor Bheki Makhubu. Maseko and Makhubu are alleged
to have written different articles in the magazine about the Judiciary where
they were questioning the rationale behind Gwebu’s arrest.
The contents of the article which appeared in the magazine cannot be repeated
for ethical reasons.
According to Sibusiso Nhlabatsi, who is employed by Maseko’s law firm, when
the police officers arrived in the office they demanded to see his boss and they
were carrying the warrant of apprehension.
“We were about to leave the office when four armed police officers arrived at
our offices and demanded to see Maseko. Two of the police officers were in
uniform while the others told us that they were from the CID office,” he said.
Nhlabatsi said after a brief conversation the police then left with Maseko and
they were later informed that he has been detained at the Mbabane Police
Station.
“I went to check him at the police station and I was told that he will appear
at the High Court tomorrow (today) morning.
Maseko is currently detained at the Mbabane Police Station pending his court
appearance today.
This is not the first time for the well-known Human Rights Lawyer to be arrested
as he was once charged with sedition.
He was charged with Contravening Section 5 (1) read with Section 5 (2) (a) (i)
or (ii) or read with Section 5 (2) (d) of the Sedition and Subversive Activities
Act of 1938 as amended, in that on May 1 (Workers Day) at Manzini Salesian
Sports Ground he unlawfully uttered words with a subversive intention but was
later admitted to bail.
Maseko’s alleged sedition case appears on the list of the over 200 cases that
have been recalled by the High Court. When called at 8:32pm Police Public
Relations Officer Superintendent Wendy Hleta said there was no such report that
had reached her officer.