Bathbile Dlamini Sentenced To Four Years In Prison Or R200 000 Fine
Bathabile Dlamini, South Africa’s disgraced former social development minister, has been sentenced to a suspended prison sentence and a hefty fine in her perjury case.
Dlamini was found guilty of perjury last month after lying under oath during an investigation into her participation in the 2017 crisis at the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa).
Magistrate Betty Khumalo said at the time that she was convinced the former minister had lied under oath.
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Khumalo said she took into account Dlamini’s personal and financial circumstances, including the fact that she is a 59-year-old single mother, during her sentencing on Friday.
Dlamini, as a former office-bearer, needs to be held accountable for her dishonest behaviour, according to the magistrate. “The accused is accordingly sentenced to a fine of R200,000 or four years imprisonment and half of the sentence is suspended for a period of five years on the condition that the accused is not convicted on the offence of perjury,” Khumalo ruled.
Dlamini has the opportunity to appeal her conviction and sentencing within 14 days of the ruling, she added. Dlamini has until April 29 to pay the R180,000 fine or she will be sentenced to prison.
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On Friday, the former minister has agreed to pay R20,000. Tshepiso Mphahlane, Dlamini’s attorney, pleaded with the court to be lenient with the former minister, arguing against her immediate imprisonment.
Mphahlane, who is 59 years old, receives an R40,000 pension as a former member of parliament (MP) in addition to the R70,000 she makes as president of the ANC’s Women League, according to Mphahlane (ANCWL).
Dlamini is currently paying university fees for her two daughters, ages 19 and 26, and her time as president of the ANCWL is set to expire in June 2022 unless she is re-elected.
Her trial began in November of last year after she pled not guilty to the accusations of perjury levelled against her. She had applied to have the charges dropped, but Khumalo dismissed her application in December.
