. Masebo

By PERPTUAL SICHIKWENKWE –
CHONGWE Member of Parliament (MP) Sylvia Masebo, together with four other co-accused have pleaded not guilty to the charge of unlawful assembly.
Resident Magistrate Prince Mwiinga who is handling the matter yesterday warned Masebo’s supporters against disturbing court proceedings.
While Mr Mwiinga was in session, Masebo and her co-accused Benson Mbewe, Joyce Sakala, Kenan Kabunda and Emmanuel Chembo, stormed his courtroom while their supporters continued making noise, thereby disrupting court proceedings.
It was for this reason that Mr Mwiinga addressed the supporters and warned them against disturbing his courtroom.
“In my court I will expect silence. I don’t want this kind of behaviour. You walk into my courtroom and start making noise. Nobody will stand in my court if you have nowhere to sit, go outside, I am in charge of proceedings,” he said.
He ordered anyone standing to leave the courtroom.
It was alleged that Masebo and others in September, this year with intent to commit an offence or carry out some common purpose did unlawfully assemble along the Nationalist and Independence roads, thereby conducting themselves in a manner as to cause persons in the neighborhood reasonable fear of the breach of the peace.
Immediately after Mr Mwiinga finished reading out the charge to the five, Yosa Yosa a lawyer from Simeza-Sangwa, interjected the proceedings by placing himself on court record to seek an
adjournment.
It was Mr Yosa’s submission that the defence team had not been served with the indictment as such they needed an adjournment to allow them to study the case.
Mr Yosa submitted that Robert Simeza who was the lead counsel was at attending to another court case as such an adjournment was necessary to enable him seek further instructions from the clients before taking  plea.
The State objected to the application to avail the defence with the charge sheet and the court should stand-down the matter for 20 minutes and not adjourning it to another date.
Mr Mwiinga dismissed Mr Yosa’s application to have the matter adjourned because the charge of unlawful assembly did not need a lawyer to study the indictment.
He said Masebo and her co-accused persons could still take plea even in the absence of Mr Simeza as the law allows for accused persons to change plea at any stage of the proceedings.
Mr Mwiinga however, stood down the matter for about 20 minutes and re-read the charge to the five, to which they pleaded not guilty.