The Magistrate's Courts Act 66 of 1938 commenced on 1 January 1939. The 1922 drug Act's penalty section overrides its jurisdictional limits, allowing a first-class magistrate to impose the full E2,000 fine or five years for possession, cultivation or supply. That power shaped dagga sentencing in the lower courts for decades.[1][2]
Listed for context. No score change is recorded for Eswatini here.
References
- Eswatini — Opium and Habit-forming Drugs Act 37 of 1922Section 8(2); full penalty before a first-class magistrate.archived
- Eswatini — Magistrate's Courts Act 66 of 1938Commencement 1 January 1939.
Checked. The date and the event were compared with a source that was read.