MP Mabhanisi`s assault had nothing to do with petitions - Timothy

MBABANE – Nkilongo MP Timothy Myeni yesterday said MP Sibusiso Mabhanisi Dlamini’s assault during the delivery of a petition to Kwaluseni Constituency was probably because he had issues with some people in the inkhundla.

MP Myeni said the assault had nothing to do with the delivery of petitions. During his cross-examination by Advocate Gareth Leppan yesterday, the legislator said constituents were legitimately going to their constituencies to raise their concerns. He said even at his constituency, the constituents came to deliver a petition legitimately and he welcomed them. He said at the time there was no unrest at all.

Advocate Leppan said the evidence of MP Myeni didn’t quite gel. According to the advocate, MP Musa Kunene had mentioned on June 21, 2021, that the manner in which the people were coming to deliver their petitions, they were aiming for someone’s head and they, as MPs, might die.

MP Myeni said: “I dispute that My Lady (directed to Judge Mumcy Dlamini) because if there was an MP who was targeted for assault, it must have been for other reasons that were personal and outside the issue of petitions. They came to my constituency but they never assaulted me.”

Advocate Leppan asked MP Myeni if he was referring to MP Dlamini, ‘who testified and confirmed the violence and no specific reason emerged for his assault’.

The advocate also said MP Dlamini’s evidence, that he was assaulted, was not challenged.

When asked to comment on what the advocate had said, MP Myeni told the court that: “My Lady, we don’t know why he was assaulted. It might have happened that he had enemies at his inkhundla, so we cannot associate it with the delivery of petitions.”

Assaulted

Advocate Leppan said the two could not be separated, unfortunately. The fact of the matter, according to the advocate, was that MP Dlamini was assaulted on the day of the delivery of the petition to his constituency. MP Myeni told the court that he disagreed with the advocate because such evidence was given by MP Dlamini and no other MP had mentioned being assaulted.

The advocate told MP Myeni that the court had heard of several other instances of violence before the delivery of petitions was stopped. He said there was burning of tyres at Kukhanyeni Inkhundla, burning of a chief’s car also at Kukhanyeni. MP Myeni said he was not aware of those incidents.

The MP also informed the court that people complained about the manner government conducted its business; that failed to deliver services. MP Myeni apologised to the court for saying MP Mduduzi ‘Small Joe’ Dlamini had introduced the issue of a caucus on June 21, 2021, when the record showed that it was MP Marwick Khumalo.

Advocate Leppan said the resolution taken by the MPs that the delivery of petitions should continue until June 26, 2021, was not formal and it was not binding.

MP Myeni insisted that the resolution was lawful and binding.

He said there was no need to vote for or against it, because all the MPs were for the continuation of the delivery of the petitions. He said on June 21, 2021, MPs who had received petitions wanted them to be deliberated upon, while others wanted the debate to wait until all MPs had received them.

MP Khumalo is said to have suggested a caucus and MP Myeni said it was resolved during the caucus that the delivery of the petitions should continue. MP Myeni said on June 24, 2021, the acting prime minister announced a ban on the delivery of the petitions and did so without following procedure.

The MP informed the court that since the resolution was lawful, all MPs, including the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Themba Masuku were bound by it.

He agreed with the advocate when he said if Masuku acted contrary to the resolution, he would be doing so unlawfully.

Unlawful

The advocate asked MP Myeni if Masuku’s decision on June 24, 2021to ban the delivery of petitions was unlawful and he, said kwagangeka Nkhosiyenkantolo.

The MP said it was every liSwati’s right, as provided for in the Constitution, to go to their tinkhundla to raise their concerns and deliver petitions there and when Masuku banned the exercise, it was illegal.

Advocate Leppan said contempt of Parliament proceedings were not instituted against Masuku because the resolution was not formal. MP Myeni said and maintained that the resolution was formal and lawful.