Times of Swaziland likes young, cheap labour - Bheki 11/06/2014 03:00:00Stories by Nkululeko Gama SPEAKING MYMIND: The Nation Editor Bheki Makhubu. THE Nation Editor Bheki Makhubu attacked Times of Swaziland Group of Newspapers, alleging that they discouraged their employees from continuing with their studies as they believed in cheap labour. He was testifying in their contempt of court charges where he is co charged with lawyer Thulani Maseko. The two have been behind bars for over 80 days now. Makhubu and Maseko are charged with contempt of court after writing allegedly contemptuous articles pertaining to the arrest of Government Chief Vehicle Inspector Bhantshana Gwebu. According to the charge, Makhubu and Maseko wrote about the Gwebu matter whilst it was still in court. Makhubu said he was employed by the newspaper in 1988 whilst he was still 18 years old. He worked for them until he was fired in 1999. Makhubu said the newspaper hated people who thought independently of what they (company) were thinking. He asked the DPP if he was prosecuting him on behalf of the newspaper as Maseko was protesting that it was unfair of Makhubu to say they employed him at 18 because he was cheap labour. Maseko contested that Makhubu applied for the job. “Think why they hired me at 18. I was definitely cheap labour. They don’t like people who think independently from what they think. Discouraging employees from getting an education is wrong,” Makhubu protested. He highlighted that the problem with the country’s media industry was that the Times was perceived as the biggest in the industry and the other media houses would copy what it was doing even though it was wrong. The matter continues on Tuesday June 24. Makhulu Baas acted like Biblical Caiphus - Makhubu SCRIBE Bheki Makhubu feels there is nothing wrong with his reference of the CJ to biblical Caiphus as he believes the two behaved the same way. Makhubu, who turned a priest in court yesterday, highlighted that Makhulu Baas is the chief justice of Swaziland and Caiphus was the CJ of Judah. He said Caiphus massaged the law to have Jesus persecuted without trial and a charge sheet which he says was similar to what Makhulu Baas did in the Bhantshana case, sending him to prison without a charge sheet. Makhubu said both men broke the laws they were bond to uphold in their jurisdictions in order to fulfil their agendas. He highlighted that Caiphus was threatened by the gospel of revolutionary which was being preached by Jesus from the scriptures which he knew for a long time. Makhubu highlighted that Caiphus did not understand how a low man from Galilee could compete with him. “Caiphus had to break the law because he knew if he had not crucified Christ, the people would have rebelled,” Makhubu said. The DPP felt the comparison was way unfair because the two men were not the same and thus the article was contemptuous. ‘Bhantshana contempt of court case will be a blockbuster’ THE contempt of court case against Government Chief Vehicle Inspector Bhantshana Gwebu will be very interesting to the public and journalists, according to The Nation Editor Bheki Makhubu. Makhubu said it would be very interesting to see big guns in the legal fraternity, especially the judiciary testifying in the case. Gwebu was arrested and charged with contempt of court for allegedly detaining a vehicle which was transporting High Court Judge Esther Ota in January, 2014. Makhubu feels the case will be very interesting considering the heavy weights who will be testifying in the case. “It would be a very interesting case, I’m telling you. Seeing a judge in the dock testifying would be one of a kind,” Makhubu laughed referring to Judge Mpendulo Simelane, who acted as an interpreter in the matter. side Makhubu further highlighted that Senior Crown Counsel Thabo Dlamini, who was the prosecutor in the matter might also take to the box to give his side of the story in the matter, making the matter more interesting. “Adding the icing to the cake, will be hearing the CJ saying he never told Bhantshana that his lawyer was not present during the commission of the crime,” said Makhubu before laughing his lungs out. He was responding to a statement by the DPP that it would be proven during the Gwebu case that all these allegations against the CJ were not true. Bheki speaks his mind in court THE Nation Magazine Editor Bheki Makhubu says their pending conviction with human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko would be a disgrace to the country’s judiciary. Makhubu said it would be a very shameful thing especially to the judges should Justice Mpendulo Simelane found them guilty because it would mean they (judges) lacked honesty, wisdom and honour hence they could be clouded easily, even by newspaper reports in their dealing with matters. The editor said it would be a damning indictment to the state of the judiciary that judges can be brought into disrepute by the comments of a low newspaper man likehim. He said this would be an insult to the profession of judges. Makhubu was testifying in their contempt of court trial at the High Court yesterday. “Judges should be firm and honourable men, who cannot be drawn by what the public says in a case,” he said. The editor also highlighted that he never wrote about the Gwebu case and its outcome, but merely wrote about the way Bhantshana was arrested and sent to prison. He revealed that it would be sane to every Swazi man to question the events leading to Gwebu’s arrest. “I looked at newspaper reports about the matter and consulted with legal eagles and they all confirmed the same thing that there was an anomaly in the way the case was handled by the chief justice hence I decided to write,” Makhubu said. The seasoned journalist from Luyengo felt it was every Swazi’s right to question the nitty gritties of the Bhantshana matter. He said as a journalist he found out that kugileka tiga la and decided to write. Makhubu said people read what they want to read and no one should force them to read what he/she likes. He said if people were not interested in what you like; they won’t read your articles. He urged those who write to feed people with the truth in order for their articles to be read. Makhubu wanted to know the scale, manner or extent journalists are supposed to write about cases in court in order not to cloud judges’ judgments. He fired that it was unfair for people in power to control how other people should think. He highlighted that he was happy that himself and Supreme Court Judge Justice Moore shared the same view, especially regarding the Supreme Court judgement. observer.org.sz/news/62764-times-of-swaziland-likes-young-cheap-labour-bheki.html
Posted on: Wed, 11 Jun 2014 05:21:12 +0000
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