Africa-Press – Eswatini. High Court Almost a month after allegations of theft were first brought towards controversial prophet, Major V, the long arm of the law has caught up with him.
He was finally arrested yesterday for the alleged theft of about E1 million at Swaziland Building Society (SBS), where he appeared before acting Principal Magistrate Sifiso Vilakati.
However, the controversial prophet successfully moved an application for bail in an eventful day for the charismatic man of the cloth. His application succeeded and he was released on E50 000 bail by the High Court.
The 42-year-old prophet whose real name is Vusumuzi Brother Dlamini and also known as the ‘Tsunami’, was arrested yesterday morning and made a brief appearance at the Magistrate’s Court in Mbabane. He then quickly filed an application for bail through a certificate of urgency by his lawyer Ntobeko Piliso of Piliso, Simelane and Partners law firm in Manzini.
Dlamini was charged with theft according to the charge sheet, in that on or about February 3, 2022 at or near the now Eswatini Building Society in the Hhohho region, he intentionally and acting in furtherance of a common purpose, stole the money amounting to E900 000, which was in the lawful possession of Melusi Dalton Malinga.
application
The urgent application was before Principal Judge Qinisile Mabuza and according to Dlamini when pleading for freedom in his founding affidavit, he has a valid and bona fide defence to the charge he is facing in that he never stole the money as alleged, nor acted in furtherance of a common purpose with anyone to steal same.
“I intend to plead not guilty to the charge that I am facing during my trial in due course and I submit that if granted bail, I will reside at my home at Matsapha and also undertake not I interfere with the crown’s witnesses nor abscond trial,” he submitted.
He also undertook to abide by all bail conditions the court may deem fit for him and further motivated his application by stating that the matter is urgent by virtue of the fact that he has been remanded in custody to Sidvwashini Correctional facility where the overcrowding of inmates might put him at risk of contracting COVID-19.
sickly
He informed the court that furthermore, he is a sickly person who is hypertensive and sometimes requires special care, which is not always available at the Correctional facility and should his incarceration persist, he fears losing his life.
The prophet contended that the right to liberty coupled with the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise by the court are of paramount importance and further enshrined in the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini, hence he should not be made to suffer punishment prior to his fate being determined by the courts.
The office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was not opposed to his application and the court granted him bail fixed at E50 000. he was ordered to deposit a cash amount of E5 000 with the Treasury Department and provide sureties to the sum of E45 000 in the rest.
By the time this report was compiled yesterday afternoon, the prophet was a free man as his lawyer had assisted his relatives in depositing the cash amount.
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