BACEDE, MTHANDENI SUPPORTERS, COPS CLASH AFTER COURT

MBABANE – No sooner had Hosea and Ngwempisi Members of Parliament (MPs)  Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube, left the High Court, some of their supporters and the police were involved in a confrontation.

The MPs’ supporters included members of different political organisations. The misunderstanding started after some of the supporters started singing and demonstrating in the middle of the road leading to the High Court. So serious was the situation that senior police officers called leaders of the different political parties, requesting them to advise their members to move to the side of the road to allow free flow of traffic. A number of cars either leaving the High Court or passing by, including that of the registrar of the High Court, had difficulty passing where the supporters had assembled.  Some motorists had to honk, much to the jubilation of the supporters who then allowed them to pass. One leader who was engaged by the police was PUDEMO President Mlungisi Makhanya, who told them that the supporters wanted to briefly march closer to the main entrance of the High Court and back, but the police officers could hear none of it.

Firearms

The police officers who were armed with batons and firearms used shields to form a barrier line across the road, to prevent the supporters from moving closer to the gate. During the course of the confrontation, some of the supporters were seen charging towards the police officers, shouting expletives and they were restrained by the other members and their leaders.
They said they did not take orders from the police. Channel S journalist Justice Dlamini, who is always with the MPs’ supporters, was shoved with the barrel of a gun by one of the officers after a confrontation between the two. At that time, the police officers were trying to clear the road by ordering everyone to move to the side. Dlamini was angered by the conduct of the officer as he said he did not understand what warranted such because he had done nothing wrong. He was later calmed by Mbabane Desk Officer Makhanya.  

The reporter was overheard saying he did not understand why the police officer was shoving him as he had done nothing wrong.  One of the senior police officers was heard telling Dlamini that due to the behaviour of the supporters and the members of the different political parties, they would not allow them to assembly at the entrance of the High Court today.
 The situation almost reached boiling point when the convoy transporting the MPs back to prison approached the entrance of the High Court.

Blocked

Some of the supporters attempted to get closer to the entrance, but were blocked by the armed officers who informed them that they would not be allowed to go beyond where they had assembled. The situation was later calmed by the arrival of Sicelo Mngomezulu, the South African lawyer who also forms part of the legal team of the MPs, who called for calm before addressing the visibly angry supporters. Mngomezulu also thanked the police for exercising restraint during the confrontation. Among the supporters was an elderly woman from Hosea, Gogo Mathunjwa, who said she was pained by the arrest of the MPs, especially Mabuza, who was like a father to them in the community. She said she would continue coming to the High Court until the duo was exonerated, as the charges against them were allegedly trumped up. She further stated that in the absence of  Mabuza, they slept on empty stomachs as he used to buy them food and provided them with other necessities.

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