News / National
CIOs block release of Chief Ndiweni court judgment
17 Aug 2019 at 16:53hrs | Views
Members of dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation are reported to have issued an instruction barring the release of a judgment relating to Nhlambabaloyi Chief who was sentenced to 18 months in prison on Friday.
The popular traditional leader was convicted by Magistrate Gladmore Mushove on Thursday of malicious damage to property along with 23 of his subjects. They were accused of destroying a fence and kraal of a villager banished from the chief's area.
A CIO source stationed at the Bulawayo state house who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity said, "The copy of the judgement by the court will not be available to the lawyers at least until Monday. You must understand that the case is a sensitive matter so it is under lock and key, while the other copies are being looked at by the officers.
"The other thing is that there is a lot of illegitimate excitement by some malcontents in the society who may want to use the judgment for their political ends so all those things are being looked at meanwhile."
Ibhetshu lika Zulu Secretary General Mbuso Fuzwayo has condemned the sentence that was passed by the magistrate.
"The sentence is too harsh. The words used by the Magistrate shows clearly that she is conflicted and was supposed to recuse herself. In all honestly how could she say that the chief acted like a barbarian? All the terms the magistrate used showed that she is emotionally attached to the case and the Chief was never going to get a fair judgment."
The popular traditional leader was convicted by Magistrate Gladmore Mushove on Thursday of malicious damage to property along with 23 of his subjects. They were accused of destroying a fence and kraal of a villager banished from the chief's area.
A CIO source stationed at the Bulawayo state house who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity said, "The copy of the judgement by the court will not be available to the lawyers at least until Monday. You must understand that the case is a sensitive matter so it is under lock and key, while the other copies are being looked at by the officers.
"The other thing is that there is a lot of illegitimate excitement by some malcontents in the society who may want to use the judgment for their political ends so all those things are being looked at meanwhile."
Ibhetshu lika Zulu Secretary General Mbuso Fuzwayo has condemned the sentence that was passed by the magistrate.
"The sentence is too harsh. The words used by the Magistrate shows clearly that she is conflicted and was supposed to recuse herself. In all honestly how could she say that the chief acted like a barbarian? All the terms the magistrate used showed that she is emotionally attached to the case and the Chief was never going to get a fair judgment."
Source - Byo24News
