MBABANE:Sifiso Mashampu Khumalo’s endless attempts to close this Swaziland News failed, he was hoping to use his Legal Notice 261 of 2022 to obtain a court order in South Africa seeking to switch-off the online publication from the internet.
It has been disclosed that,while the matter was pending in court, the AG tried to use short-cuts by allegedly attempting to obtain a court order through a separate ‘ex-parte’ application hoping to then use that order to switch-off the publication from the internet.
An ex-parte application is filed without serving the respondent with court papers, this is done only on suspicion suggesting that if served,the respondent might undermine or evade justice.
But after the attempts failed, the AG through his South African lawyers amended the Mpumalanga Court application, he wanted the court to declare that, editor Zweli Martin Dlamini and the Swaziland News committed acts of terrorism by reporting about activities of the Swaziland International Solidarity Forces(SISF).
But Acting Mpumalanga High Court Judge Johannes Hendrickus Roelofse subsequently dismissed the application with the amended prayers saying, “you can’t declare a person a terrorist without a trial”.
The AG has filed an application for leave to appeal the Mpumalanga High Court judgement, he declined to comment about the matter.
Khumalo, after being consistently exposed by this publication on allegations of corruption and adultery as he is known for sleeping with married women in eSwatini and other countries, abused his powers and instructed the then Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini to declare the editor and this Swaziland News terrorist entities.
The matter was reported by various international news outlets including the South African Daily Maverick
“He was acting on the recommendation of eSwatini’s Attorney General, Sifiso Khumalo, who wrote that editor Zweli Dlamini had “on numerous occasions and at different intervals published articles… that instigate violence, the burning of public and state property, the seizure of state power and overthrow of lawful government,” the South African Daily Maverick reported.
On another note, editor Zweli Martin Dlamini said, “the AG is dreaming if he thinks he can close the Swaziland News as the publication has created networks and have partners around the world” including Embassies and therefore, could easily register another website in a foreign jurisdiction.
”Even if he obtained that order, within hours, the Swaziland News would be online hosted in another country.In fact we long prepared for that with our international partners because we understood that this legal battles are about switching-off the publication from the internet”, said the editor.
On another note, the AG used taxpayers money to file the court application that was dismissed by the Mpumalanga High Court.
Attorney General Sifiso Khumalo(pic: Gov).