FORMER SWAZI MP CHALLENGED

Weekend Observer

30 August 2008

Former MP Challenged

By Sabelo Mamba

Former Member of Parliament of Nkwene Constituency Aaron Sotja Dladla, who won the primary elections is being challenged at the High Court.

Gabriel Nkambule and Menzi Dlamini was seeking an order setting aside the primary elections and the results under the constituency.

The two further wants the court to direct the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) arranged re-elections under the constituency within seven days from the date of the order of court

Nkambule, in court papers, upon getting to the polling station on Saturday he noticed that the pictures of the candidates were very unclear," so unclear that it was difficult to tell the difference between the candidates even if you knew them very well."

He says the significance of this was that the elderly voters, who are illiterate rely on the pictures to pick their candidate.

"At least one voter who intended to vote for me asked the polling officer, one Ngozo, to show her my picture on the list. As a matter of fact, the first picture on the list was that of the third respondent (Aaron Sotja Dladla)," he argues.

Nkambule argues that at the polling site security was very lax, allowing some influential people to walk up and down the queues, chatting with people and influencing them one way or the other.

He said the polling station was fraught with irregularities and the elections should not be allowed to stand.

The applicants are represented by Manzini lawyer Titus Mlangeni.

High Court Judge Stanley Maphalala postponed the matter to Thursday to enable the respondents including EBC to file opposing papers.

Other respondents are Mshumayeli Moses Nkambule and Zacharia Dlamini.

Link http://www.observer.org.sz/weekend/main.php?id=46570&section=mainweek