This was the situation involving Delight Moyo when he failed to convince his lawyer to continue representing him. Moyo is a Zimbabwean national who is accused of stealing Eswatini Government passport books, as well as charges of bribery, corruption and fraud, following intensive investigations into fraudulent activities at the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Moyo is sharing the dock with Mboneni Zwane, a Ministry of Home Affairs officer who has been charged with the unlawful manufacturing of Eswatini passports, national identity documents (IDs), among other offences.
Moyo attempted in vain to persuade his lawyer, Sive Ngwenya, to continue representing him after it became apparent in court that Ngwenya intended to withdraw his services. Ngwenya explained to the court that, after consultations with Moyo, his client registered his desire for him to continue representing him in the matter. However, Ngwenya stated that there were unresolved issues that needed to be discussed and addressed by his office. He said under the circumstances, the case could not proceed. Ngwenya then requested an adjournment to an early date next year.
In light of these circumstances, Mbabane Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi adjourned the matter to allow Ngwenya time to consult with his client.
It is worth noting that Moyo had confirmed his desire for Ngwenya to continue representing him. He told the court that he had only learned about Ngwenya’s intention to withdraw an hour earlier.
When the case resumed, Ngwenya presented a letter of withdrawal to the court before leaving Moyo in the dock. In response, Moyo suggested that he could represent himself for the day for progress. He stated that he would then seek another lawyer to represent him.
However, Mbabane Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi told Moyo that it would not be appropriate for the court to appear to be ambushing him.
Moyo was remanded in custody until January 16, 2026, with his trial scheduled for January 23.
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