MBABANE – A 28-year-old man’s remorsefulness earned him a partial sentence suspension after he was busted with 41 blocks of dagga weighing 21kg.
Ntando Sabelo Dlamini appeared before Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi, where he was charged and found guilty of contravening Section 12(1)(A) read with Section 12(1) of the Pharmacy Act No. 38 of 1929. According to the charge sheet, he was intercepted at the Ngwenya exit checkpoint in the Hhohho Region on May 25, 2025, in unlawful possession of the dagga without a valid permit or licence.
Through his attorney, Dlamini submitted that personal circumstances had pushed him to commit the offence. In mitigation, he stated that he is the sole provider for his family, including two minor children. He was presented as a first-time offender who had fully cooperated with the police during their investigation. He also expressed a willingness to comply with the law, prompting his lawyer to request a wholly suspended sentence.
Case law, including Justice Mofeli Chere v. Philisiwe Dlamini (Case No. 890/18), was cited in support of leniency and to ask the court to consider the weight of the substance in determining the penalty. However, Magistrate Nhlabatsi declined the request for a wholly suspended sentence, stating that while Dlamini deserved a second chance, the seriousness of the offence could not be ignored.
He was sentenced to a fine of E5,000 or five years’ imprisonment. Taking into account some of the mitigating factors, the court suspended E2,000 of the fine for a period of three years.
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