The perjury case in opposition to ANC Girls’s League president and former minister of social growth Bathabile Dlamini was postponed to Friday 26 November after the state did not convey its witnesses to testify.
Justice of the Peace Betty Khumalo agreed to permit the state to have its case postponed to the next day.
“Yesterday (Wednesday 24 November) we couldn’t do a lot, even right now we’re nonetheless being dilly dally, however however, the matter has been on roll and the day for tomorrow needs to be utilised … the state should be certain that he secures this excellent witness that he intends to name tomorrow,” dominated Khumalo.
On Thursday, the Johannesburg Central Justice of the Peace’s court docket heard how the state was unable to make journey and lodging preparations for its witnesses.
It’s anticipated that two witnesses will testify within the state’s case the place it’s alleged that Dlamini lied beneath oath in 2018.
On Wednesday, Dlamini pleaded not responsible to the cost of perjury.
Nevertheless, the case stalled for 2 days because the state indicated its two witnesses can’t but testify.
It informed the court docket: “The state was not capable of make journey and lodging preparations … such preparations can’t be achieved in a single day as there’s protocol that must be adopted and approvals that must be achieved … The one predicament that now we have is the problem of such preparations.”
The state requested an adjournment “till someday subsequent 12 months attributable to different commitments that we have already got”.
Dlamini’s defence, advocate Tshepiso Mphahlane, objected to a postponement, arguing the court docket didn’t have adequate purpose to grant a postponement and that the state was losing each his and the court docket’s time.
He indicated that the state had since 1 October to seek the advice of with its witnesses, arguing it’s “abuse of energy of the state” and “an insult to the system”.
The state dismissed claims it was abusing its energy.
Moderately, the state defined, the witnesses couldn’t but testify attributable to difficulties in speaking with them.
The state defined how one witness from KwaZulu-Natal ignored two messages the state despatched and didn’t reply telephone calls, and that “there wasn’t a lot the state might do”. Relating to the second witness, the state had hassle connecting telephonically with him.
It’s alleged that Dlamini perjured herself after she lied beneath oath whereas giving testimony throughout an inquiry instituted by the Constitutional Courtroom in 2018 to research the social grant funds flop involving the South African Social Safety Company (Sassa).
Black Sash Belief and Freedom Underneath Legislation submitted proof that the previous minister had failed in her obligation to make sure that Sassa was outfitted to take over the cost of social grants, after the contract with Money Paymaster Companies was declared invalid.
In 2018, the court docket dominated that Dlamini had behaved recklessly and negligently in the course of the grants disaster and held her personally accountable for 20% of the authorized prices of the motion introduced by the Black Sash Belief and Freedom Underneath Legislation.
Artmotion S.Africa
