Mbabane – The Zimbabwean national, Delight Moyo, who is co-charged with a Ministry of Home Affairs official over passports and IDs’ corruption, pleaded with the Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi for bail.
This was after his appearance in court on Wednesday where the prosecution paraded four witnesses against Moyo and his co-accused, Mboneni Zwane, who is out on bail.
The duo’s trial over 33 counts of corruption, bribery and fraud still continues with the next court date set for May 16.
After the witnesses’ testimonies, Moyo, despite being represented and not seen consulting his lawyer on this, raised up his hand seeking attention. At that point, Principal magistrate Nhlabatsi pointed at him.
Moyo remarked, “I am a person who is straightforward and who has morals, therefore I’m pleading with the court, Your Worship, to grant me bail.”
Nhlabatsi responded, “Your offences are very high, accused. So, nothing can stop you from leaving the country if you get the chance to.”
Nhlabatsi added that the accused was a foreigner and that bearing in mind the illegal crossings around the country, his whereabouts can not be monitored by the law enforcement.
But Moyo continued, as if to show his frustration in that his co-accused is out on bail, turning this into a conversation with the Principal Magistrate, saying, “Angibulali ngisho intuthwane (I don’t kill an ant).”
“That’s a red flag already Moyo,” Nhlabatsi responded again, adding, “You’re already accused of many crimes but tell me you can’t kill an ant. Also, there is nothing you can lose if you can just decide to wake up and flee the country.”
Moyo did not say anything more after that but left the accused dock, seemingly dejected, before His Majesty’s Correctional Services personnel returned him to the facility where he was remanded.
It would not be the first time Moyo who is denied bail and currently in custody has attempted to allegedly influence a different outcome.
In a previous report, on April 3, Moyo pleaded for the court’s invention saying that his health was deteriorating.
Moyo had told the court that in the correctional facility he had run short of his medication and had been frustrated by the non availability of the same.
Moyo had also said that he had tried but with no success to reachout to his relatives in South Africa to provide for his medication.
Moreover, Moyo said that his employer suspended his pay since he was arrested, demanding proof of his arrest. He also said his family was not well taken care of without his income.
Nhlabatsi had stood the matter down awaiting for his lawyer to arrive from another matter and later on talked on lawyers’ ethical obligation to assist their clients and facilitate all the aid they might need. The court was told that the correctional facility wanted a court order compelling them to have Moyo’s medical records released before he could be afforded the opportunity to buy the medication.
Witnesses say they do not recognise,
Moyo/Home Affairs official in document fraud
The trial of Zimbabwean national, Delight Moyo, and the Ministry of Home Affairs’ official, Mboneni Zwane saw four witnesses who testified that they did not know any of the relatives that are linked to their names that surfaced from the police-led investigations made into the passports and IDs’ corruption saga.
Investigations uncovered that Moyo is fingered in a number of counts, including producing fraudulent passports to the immigration officers in order to migrate through the Ngwenya Border Gate.
To name a few, Moyo is alleged to have conducted theft of Eswatini Government passport books no: 0071943 valued at E300; no: 0072999, 0073327, 0071982, and 077733 valued at E1 200; offering a public officer E2 100 inducement for stamping and not reporting fraudulent passport no: 10337826, 10034578, 10440656, 10034326 and 10045233.
The court proceedings however, saw four witnesses who gave similar responses. We summarise what each of the witnesses said in court below.
Witness 1
Nkosazana Sophie Kunene (Lima) who is 68 years of age was the first witness to take to the witness box at the Mbabane Magistrates Court.
Nkosazana told the court that she hails from Nkhaba and is married to Solomon Madibhi Kunene who passed away around 1993. Nkosazana said she was born on January 1, 1957 and told the court that she attended school up until Grade Seven.
Nkosazana said she has four children but one passed away. She said her first born was Velaphi Kunene (42), second born, Nobuhle Kunene (39), third born, Sifiso Kunene (37), and the last born, Sipho Kunene (32). She said had no children out of wedlock.
Nkosazana told the court when the prosecutor had asked her, “What would you say if the court tells you that you had a son called Roland Okonko Ayobi?” where she responded and said, “I do not know your worship”.
The prosecutor continued and asked Nkosazana, “What would you say if we tell you that he’s your first born?”
Nkosazana persisted, telling the court that she did not know Roland. Nkosazana was then given Roland’s birth certificate where she appeared as his mother. She appeared shocked and told the court that she knows nothing about it. Finally, she was asked to look at the accused and say if she recognised any of them but she said she did not recognise them.
Witness 2
The second witness to take to the stand was Velaphi Kunene (42).
Velaphi said that she was the first-born daughter of Nkosazana Sophie Kunene. When she was called to the witness box, she was asked by the prosecutor as follows, “Please list all your siblings in their birth order.”
Kunene provided a list as instructed. She was further questioned by the prosecutor, “What would you say if you were told you had a brother named Roland?”
Kunene answered and said, “I do not know him, Your Worship”.
The prosecutor then asked her to look at the accused and see if she recognises any of them.
“I’ve never seen any of them, Your Worship,” she said.
Witness 3
Bhekithemba Micah Nsibande (59) who resides at Lobamba Lomdzala made his introduction as the third appearing witness.
Narrating his background, he told the court that he obtained a diploma in accounting and that he was married with two wives, Phindile Goodness Dlamini and Sibongile Dlamini.
He also said that they have one child with one of the wives, Phindile, while with his second wife, Sibongile, they have nine children. Bhekithemba said that his first-born was born in 2004. The last-born, he said, was born in 2019.
The court asked him, “What would you say if the court tells you that you had a son that was born on December 20, 1978, named Brown Philemon.”
He responded by saying, “Firstly, I would like to ask the court if it is possible for a 12-year-old to have a child because in 1978, I was 12 years old. Secondly, is it possible for a Nsibande to give birth to a Brown? Thirdly, in the birth certificate it is mentioned that his mother is a Kunene when all my wives are Dlaminis. Lastly, I want to emphasize again that I do not know all the people appearing in the birth certificate. I only know myself.”
Before Bhekithema finished his testimony, he was asked to look closely at the accused and say if he recognised any of them. After had taken a pose, he told the court that he had never seen them before.
Witness 4
Eric Msali Motsa (67) who resides at Ndlandlameni also took to the stand.
He said that his parents are Mali Motsa and Mantjambo Jezi Motsa. He also said he has eight siblings and that he was the fifth born. He said his mother was still alive but his father passed away.
The prosecution asked him as follows, “What would you say if you were told you had a brother with a foreign surname and he appears as the second born?”
His response followed and he said, “I know that Mpintjana is the second born in our family. About the brother you are giving me, I don’t know him and I have nothing to comment about him.”
Discussion about this post