MBABABE – The courtroom was filled with a strong odour after Inspector Akhona Dludlu emptied the contents of sashes worn by three men accused of ATM bombings.
The accused are Sicelo Msibi, Given Mavuso and Mzwandile Lukhele, all from Tjakastard in South Africa. They were arrested alongside former Eswatini Television Authority employee Lindani Zitha after a series of ATM bombings around Mbabane last August.
Testifying against the four men, Dludlu told the court that the sashes were kept as exhibits. He said they were confiscated from the accused men’s waists during their arrest and that the investigating team had previously seen them in video footage from the shops where the bombings occurred.
He explained that the red sashes, attached to substances, were part of the suspects’ identities, though Zitha was not wearing one.
The matter proceeded despite the accused’s request for a postponement. They argued that they were not ready for Dludlu’s testimony because the Crown had not informed them that the chief investigator would be called to testify.
They requested that Dludlu be paraded on the condition that they would be given a chance to prepare for a cross-examination at a later date. Zitha added that he had not informed his lawyer about the investigator’s testimony, as he believed it would occur at a later stage after the FNB custodians had testified.
The court ruled that the matter should proceed and postponed the cross-examination. The proceedings took place under a highly secure environment, with officers from His Majesty’s Correctional Services and plain-clothes police officers strategically deployed outside the courtroom.
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