Times Of Swaziland: ‘WESLIANS’ WISH GRANTED

‘WESLIANS’ WISH GRANTED
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Sanele Jele on 13/06/2024 17:44:00


MBABANE – Denver Sundowns, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Eswatini Football
Association (EFA) and Manzini Wanderers, have collectively arranged for the
testimony of the chief immigration officer in the ongoing case.
This strategic accord has significantly streamlined the proceedings for the High
Court Judge Bonginkosi Magagula. Representing Sundowns, Osborne Nzima
articulated their decision to cease opposition to the testimony of the chief
immigration officer, a departure from their previous stance. Similarly, Simanga
Nhleko, representing the Ministry of Home Affairs, affirmed his cognisance of
the latest updates and concurred with the agreement.
Initially, Wanderers’ representative, Richard Jele, expressed reservations
regarding the immediate endorsement of the agreement. However, subsequent
counsel from Wanderers officials and legal representatives Advocate Mduduzi
‘Tsotsi’ Mabila and Bongani ‘Bhanyaza’ Mdluli, led Jele to confirm the
collective consensus not to oppose the official testifying. Judge Magagula, in
light of this collective agreement, duly endorsed their accord and granted
Wanderers the privilege to have the officer testify.
Impracticality
Following the High Court session, deliberations ensued regarding the
postponement of the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Disciplinary Committee
case, scheduled for the last evening at Sigwaca House. The impracticality of
directing the officer to testify at such short notice, led to the involved
parties opting for obtaining a court order. This order would then be dispatched
to the officer, subsequently facilitating the request for the postponement of
the previous evening’s proceedings.
Wanderers need the chief immigration officer to testify in their case against
Sundowns, which is before the EFA DC. They claimed Sundowns fielded defender
Jimoh Moses while his work permit had expired. The maroon and white obtained
documents from the Ministry of Home Affairs to support their case, but their
authenticity were challenged by the defence. In last month’s decisive fixture,
Wanderers lost 2-4 to end at the bottom of the charts. The matter, as a result,
did not continue before the EFA DC, last night, as initially planned.“The DC
hearing has been adjourned to enable chief immigration officer to be served with
the court order granted at 15:00 (3pm) today to attend as a witness,”
announced Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) Chief Executive Officer Kenneth
Makhanya. The new date for the DC will be confirmed in due course.