Mbabane – Muntu Matsebula and his wife, Sebenele Shakoane, have walked out on bail after being accused of allegedly stealing E2.3 million from Pick Yours Supermarket.
The couple were granted bail by the High Court, with each accused required to provide E50 000 bail.
Of the bail amount, each accused is required to pay E10 000 in cash, while the remaining E40 000 is to be secured through sureties.
Shakoane, who was employed by Pick Yours Supermarket as a chief cashier, is accused alongside her husband in the matter, which will now proceed through the courts.
The couple were arrested at about 04:00 on September 4, 2026, and were detained at the Buhleni Police/CID offices before appearing before the Buhleni Circuit Magistrates Court on September 8.
They subsequently approached the High Court on an urgent basis, seeking their release under Section 16(7) of the Constitution or, alternatively, admission to bail.
In his founding affidavit, Matsebula alleged that the money involved in the theft case was the same funds at the centre of a separate High Court dispute between the couple and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
He stated that he and his wife had previously succeeded in having a preservation order over certain funds and property rescinded under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
The DPP appealed against that judgment, while the couple later brought an urgent application seeking leave to execute the rescission order. The application was argued before Justice B. Magagula on September 1, with judgment reserved.
Matsebula further alleged that, after the hearing, the DPP brought a fresh ex parte application seeking a preservation order over the same funds and property, but that the application was opposed and refused by the court.
He argued that their arrest shortly afterwards raised questions about the timing and circumstances of the criminal proceedings.
The couple also challenged the lawfulness of their detention, alleging that they were kept in custody beyond the constitutional 48-hour period within which an arrested person should ordinarily be brought before court.
They further alleged that their rights to dignity and freedom from torture or inhuman or degrading treatment had been violated.
In her confirmatory affidavit, Shakoane said their arrest left their two young children in the care of her elderly mother-in-law.
She also alleged that they were not given an opportunity to prepare or collect their personal necessities before being taken into custody.
The couple disputed aspects of the theft allegations and questioned whether there was sufficient evidence to establish that the complainant had suffered a theft-related loss.
The High Court has now granted them bail, allowing the couple to await the continuation of the criminal case while out of custody.
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