NCANDWENI LEADER BANNED FROM SA

Source: Swaziland Times, 17/03/2016

NCANDWENI LEADER BANNED FROM SA
13/03/2016 – Swaziland Times
MANZINI – Timothy Myeni, the charismatic leader of high-rolling gospel
music ensemble Ncandweni Christ Ambassadors, has been banned from
setting foot in South Africa for the next five years.

Myeni was declared undesirable by South Africa`s Department of Home
Affairs in November 2015. This was four months ago.
As part of conditions of his ban, he will not be allowed to visit the
republic for the next five years. This means he was barred from
setting his foot in South Africa from November 2015 to at least
November 2020.
This information, which the Times SUNDAY obtained from impeccable
sources, was reluctantly confirmed by Myeni, who is a former Lubuli
Member of Parliament (MP) in an interview on Friday.

Myeni said he was yet to find out why he was banned but according to
information availed to this newspaper, he overstayed and exceeded the
number of days provided by officials at the South African border. He
said he was working with the South African Home Affairs Department to
resolve the problem.

The former MP said he was told about the ban at the border post in
Oshoek. He was on his way back to Swaziland from Johannesburg, where
he runs some of his businesses.
"I was shocked when I was told by border officials that I was no
longer allowed to visit South Africa. When I enquired what happened,
they told me that the information about the ban was in their system,"
he said.

Myeni said he was allowed into Swaziland but told that he would not be
able to go back to SA. He has been in and out of SA immediately after
the end of his parliamentary term in 2013 to, among other things,
market music for his gospel group. Previously, Myeni was reported to
hold dual citizenship: the Swazi and South African. He had a South
African identification document (ID). He, however, renounced his South
Africa citizenship after an issue about it was raised in parliament,
when he was still an MP.

In an interview, he confirmed that he surrendered the documents to the
South African authorities. "I retained my Swazi citizenship and was
using my Swazi travel document each time I travelled to South Africa."
In November last year, Myeni was surprised when he reached the border
from Johannesburg, only to be told that his travel document had been
blocked.

When he enquired what was happening, he was told that according to
information in the border control system, he was banned from visiting
South Africa. He was then advised to immediately drive into Swaziland
and never come back. Last week, Myeni moved most of his movable
property to the country.