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MBABANE- “I have no idea why you would go to the lengths you did to make widows and orphans in broad daylight in one swoop when you had reported the matter to the police, and had assured you they were coming to attend to the matter.”

This was said by Judge Maxine Langwenya when sentencing former Minister of Public Works and Transport Ntuthuko Dlamini. The sentencing of the former legislator comes after he was convicted of three murder charges.

In her judgment, Judge Langwenya said, considering the proximity in time and place, she would order that the sentences imposed for the three counts of murder (20 years each) should run concurrently with the sentence imposed for carrying a firearm and ammunition without a valid permit, thus contravening the Arms and Ammunition Act.

“No matter what sentence this court may impose, it will never bring back the lives of the deceased or wipe the impact of the death to their families, communities and relatives. The sentence should, however, reflect that this court abhors and condemns the unlawful taking of lives. In line with its constitutional mandate, this court must try to protect the lives of others by deterring likeminded persons as the accused,” said Judge Langwenya.

The court said in coming to an appropriate sentence, it considered Ntuthuko’s personal circumstances coupled with the impression it had of him that he had a qualification in law and was an accomplished user of firearms from a fairly young age.

Ignorant

“As a person holding a Diploma in Law, the accused cannot be said to have been ignorant of the law at the time of the commission of the offences charged. As an accomplished owner and user of firearms, he ought to have known that possessing a firearm without a valid licence was unlawful,” said the court. The judge also noted that he was a firsttime offender.

Judge Langwenya said she, therefore, took Ntuthuko’s previous unblemished record into account but it was not in the interest of justice nor was it possible for her to suspend part of his sentence regarding the counts of murder.

The court went on to state that, it heard that Ntuthuko was a businessman and he employed a number of people who, it was told, were likely to lose their jobs if he was incarcerated for a long period of time. The judge said in her view, he

ought to have thought about the impact of his conduct to the welfare and livelihoods of his employees before he committed the crimes convicted of. The judge also pointed out that she knew that Ntuthuko had two minors as well as children who were now majors. It was further her observation that he was responsible for the care, maintenance and support of his children, as well as that of his elderly mother, who was sickly and required constant medical care. Judge Langwenya said, it was a terrible thing to deprive children of the comfort, support and upbringing of their father.

She said this was especially so in Ntuthuko’s case as he was the only breadwinner in his family,

“It is with regret that I find that I will have to part you from your children and from your unemployed wife. It is sad for me and for you but my duty is clear. From the evidence led during the trial, I have no idea why you would go to the lengths you did to make widows and orphans in broad daylight in one fell swoop when you had reported the matter to the police, and they had assured you they were coming to attend to the matter,” said the judge

The Crown was represented by Principal Crown Counsel Ncamisile Masuku, while Noncedo Ndlangamandla was appearing for the former minister.

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