Swazi Observer

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LISWATI SHOT OVER EIGHT TIMES, KILLED IN SA

By Starsky Mkhonta | 2022-11-24

Nhlangano- A family is still in shock after their son was shot over 10 times in what they believe to be a deliberate attack on Friday.

Samkelo Mamba (43) of Nyamane near Nhlangano was found slumped on a railway track at a place known as Western Area in Johannesburg, South Africa.
His family said in as much as they were confused and shocked by the incident, they had their own suspicions on who could have been behind their brother’s brutal death.

News of Mamba’s death reached his relatives in Eswatini on Monday after a relative who also resided in South Africa called to inform them.

The relative was the one who identified Mamba’s body in South Africa.
Mamba’s grandmother, Zodwa Joyce Mdluli, said her grandson lived with his mother in Johannesburg.

Mdluli said Mamba was not in fulltime employment but relied on piece jobs. She said as a family they suspected that someone hired hitmen to kill her grandson because he was shot numerous times.

“We strongly feel he was killed by hired people. My daughter (Nonhlanhla Shongwe) who also stays in South Africa was called by police to identify the body, which was found on the railway track,” she said.

Mdluli said Shongwe informed them that Mamba’s body had over eight bullet holes, which made them conclude that he was killed by someone or people who had been hired.

“Even if he had wronged anyone, we don’t think he deserved to die in such a cruel manner. Whosoever is behind this wanted to make sure that he did not survive,” said Mamba. She said they suspected that someone close to him orchestrated his murder. Mamba said even though they could not mention names, they had a clue.

“We already have a clue as who could be responsible for my grandson’s death. What we have also gathered is that there were three men who were driving in a car who asked to meet him somewhere,” she said.

According to Mamba, they had also been informed that the men called and asked for a meeting on the day he was killed. May those who did this to my grandson have no peace and we pray that he or she be apprehended to face the might of the law,” said Mdluli.

She said they had made the necessary preparations to fetch the body as the plan was to bury him this week. Mamba’s family said they had been informed that he had a girlfriend in South Africa but the relationship was not rosy as he suspected that the woman was allegedly seeing someone.

This is said to have resulted in their relationship being shaky and they would often have serious arguments.
The family, however, did not want to commit themselves on whether the person or people they suspected to be behind Mamba’s death included the woman he was in a relationship with.

Shocked

Instead they said they were shocked when they learnt that his body was riddled with eight bullet holes.

Mdluli thanked Maseyisini Indvuna Yenkhundla, Sisho Khumalo, for assisting the family with some of the preparations for the funeral, which include getting the documents to have the body brought to the country. “Khumalo has been of great help as we worked on preparations of repatriating the body to be brought home.

We would have not managed without his help,” said Gogo Mdluli. Meanwhile, Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, said it was not often that the police got to know about someone who was killed in another country unless their counterparts needed some help.

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