Umthethwandaba weBotswana Ukhulula Isizalwane seZimbabwe uBenson Hlabangana
Umthethwandaba waphezulu oweHigh Court eGaborone, ukhulule uMnu. Benson Hlabangana owayegwetshwe ukuhlala ejele okweminyaka emine, ngecala lokungena kweleBotswana okungekho emthethweni.
GABERONE — Ngesikhathi eleBotswana liqhubeka liliswana lokungena kwabavela eZimbabwe okungekho emthethweni, umthethwandaba waphezulu oweHigh Court, eGaborone, usukhulule omunye oweZimbabwe obe egwetshelwe iminyaka emine phezu kwecala lokungena elizweni okungekho emthethweni. Akujayelekanga ukuthi abangena elizweni okungekho emthethweni bagwetshelwe ukupika ejele okwesikhathi eside kangako. Umthethwandaba waphezulu oweHigh Court eGaborone, ngoLwesihlanu, ukhulule uMnunzana Benson Hlabangana owayegwetshwe ukuhlala ejele okweminyaka emine, ngokungena eBotswana okungekho emthethweni. Akuvamanga ukuthi umuntu ongene kweleBotswana okungekho emthethweni agwetshelwe ukupika okwesikhathi eside kangako, ngoba phose bonke, bayahlawuliswa imali, abanye bathelwe imvubu, besebebuyiselwa eZimbabwe. Kodwa uHlabangana wazithola esephakathi ejele ngemva kokugwetshwa nguMantshi Gaseitsiwe Tonoki nyakenye. UHlabangana wangena eBotswana ngomnyaka ka 2014 wahlala engalamaphepha aqondileyo waze wabanjwa nyakenye. Esikhathini sokuthi angene kwabanye ababanjwe bengena elizweni okungekho emthethweni, ababuyiselwa ekhaya, uHlabangana wazithola esemi phambi komthethwandaba. Wahlawuliswa imali engangamapula ayizinkulungwane ezine, ngaphambi kokuba agwetshwe ukuthi ayepika okweminyaka emine. Kodwa uHlabangana, eyethuswe yilesisigwebo, waphanyeka isikhalazo emthethwandaba waphezulu oweHigh Court, esebenzisa igqwetha lakhe umnunzana Howard Tainton. NgoLwesihlanu, uHlabangana uphume ebobotheka eHigh Court ngemva kokuba umahluli, uZain Kebonang etshengise ukuthi kwasetshenziswa umthetho ongayisiyo ukugweba uHlabangana. UKebonang uthi isigwebo ekade siphiwe uHlabangana sinzima kakhulu, sisedlula okufanele asiphiwe uma kuthiwa ugwetshwe kakhulu, esomnyaka owodwa, lenhlawulo yamapula ayinkulungwane. Uthi lomnyaka owodwa wakhona izikhathi ezinengi kumele ukuthi ufakwe eceleni, ukuthi lo ogwetshwayo angaphindi adale icala elifanayo esikhathini esithile esizayo. UHlabangana uhlawuliswe amapula ayinkulungwane, kwathiwa akhitshwe khonapho khonapho ejele. Noma nje kukhangelelwe ukuthi uzabuyiselwa ekhaya, uHlabangana utshengise ukujabula, wabonga umahluli uKebonang. Omunye oweZimbabwe osebenza eGaborone, umnunzana Edmund Madlala uthi okwehlele uHlabangana akujwalekanga. "Izikhathi ezinengi siyazi ukuthi abantu abangene elizweni okungekho emthethweni bayabuyiselwa emuva ngemva kokuhlawula imali ethile. Ngokokuqala ukuzwa ukuthi umuntu ungene ejele ngenxa yokweqa umngcele okungekho emthethweni." Abanye njalo bathi uHlabanga uncedwe yikuba legqqwetha, ngabe kukhulunywa kanje elokhe ephakathi… "Inengi abeqa umngcele ukungekho emthethweni abanelisi ukuba legqwetha, uHlabangana uncwedwe yikuthi kade kukhona omelayo, kwaze kwatholakala ukuthi kube lepazamo ngesikhathi bemgweba." Udaba luka Hlabangana, noma nje lungajwayelekanga, lutshengisa uhlupho iBotswana ebhekana lalo olwabeZimbabwe abangena kulelolizwe okungekho emthethweni. Noma nje kwaba lenguquko kuhulumende, kuphuma owayengumongameli umnunzana Robert Mugabe kungena umongameli Emmerson Mnangagwa, abeZimbabwe bethululeka bengena eBotswana ngobunengi bezodinga ukuziphilisa.