A contract teacher was arrested for damaging the king’s portrait at the Mbabane police station after claiming she had received poor service from the police.
Bonisile Mbingo (30) from Macobolwane appeared before Magistrate Sifiso Vilakati at the Mbabane Magistrates Court, where she was charged with malicious damage to property.
According to the charge sheet, on October 19, at the Mbabane police station, Mbingo unlawfully and intentionally damaged portraits of Their Majesties—the king and the Indlovukazi—as well as a portrait of the prime minister.
The charge sheet further alleged that she also damaged a police van glass window, registered GSD 356 PO, and the identification parade glass, all valued at E5 500. When advised of her constitutional rights to seek legal representation, Mbingo elected to conduct her own defence and pleaded guilty to the offence.
In mitigation, she told the court that she had gone to the police station seeking assistance to recover her academic certificates, passport, and other personal belongings, which she alleged had been taken by her sister. She further alleged that the police failed to assist her, and out of frustration, she ended up committing the offence.
“My sister takes advantage of me because I take medication from a mental institution, she calls me a lunatic. She even works closely with the police and that is why the police refused to help me get my belongings from her,” she alleged.
She added that the damage to the property was committed out of frustration and desperation. She further told the court that she was a qualified teacher who had previously taught pupils in Mankayane on a contract basis.
“I am a teacher by profession and the last time I taught pupils was in June last year. Then I had a fallout after the contract elapsed,” she said.
When she made her first court appearance on October 20, the crown applied that the accused be referred for a psychiatric hospital for evaluation to determine her mental state. The court granted the application.
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A letter from the psychiatric hospital dated December 15, authored by a medical specialist in psychiatry and mental health, Dr Violet Mwanjali, was later presented before the court.
“At your request, with no case number, I performed a psychiatric evaluation of the aforementioned defendant at the National Psychiatric Referral Hospital. The purpose of the examination is to assess competency to stand trial in the Court of Law and criminal responsibility,” reads part of the letter.
According to the report, the accused had a long history with the psychiatric institution.
“The defendant is known to our institution since 2021 and a diagnosis of major mental illness (BAD) was concluded. The defendant has been admitted at our institution many times, with her last admission being on January 23; she was discharged on February 25,” the report stated.
Dr Mwanjali added that the accused was assessed on two occasions.
“I evaluated the defendant on October 27 and November 17 and she was mentally unstable. Currently, the defendant is well controlled with psychiatric medications,” reads the report in part.
The psychiatrist also noted that while the accused understood the charges she faced, there were memory challenges.
“The defendant understands the charges against her; however, she does not remember most of the details. She is remorseful for her actions,” the report stated.
In her final assessment, the psychiatrist concluded that the accused was fit to face trial, stating that based on the evaluation, the defendant is currently of sound mind. The doctor said the accused understood basic court proceedings and was able to think clearly, make decisions, and put thoughts into meaningful words.
After considering the matter, the court postponed sentencing to March 31. Mbingo was ordered to return to court with an amount of E5 500 to cover the value of the damaged portraits and the police van glass. She was further ordered to bring evidence confirming that she is indeed a qualified teacher.
