Swazi Observer

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HE FIRED 8 SHOTS AT DEFENCELESS WOMEN

By Andile Dlamini | 2023-11-03

The Manzini Deputy Sheriff Vusi Charles Mncina has officially been charged with the murders of Nonhlanhla Thwala, Lungile (Cynthia) Shongwe, Fikile Shongwe and Khulile Shongwe.

Additionally Mncina was charged with the attempted murder of Thuli Mkhwanazi.

The graphic details of the horrific night the defenceless women were ruthlessly and brutally killed have now emerged, with Mncina alleged to have pulled the trigger eight times on Saturday night at Goje Township in Ezulwini.

Mncina was arraigned at the Lobamba Circuit Court before Magistrate Temantimandze Shongwe yesterday.

According to the charge sheet, three of the women were each shot twice in various places on their bodies.

These have been identified as Thwala, Lungile and Fikile while Khulile and Mkhwanazi were shot once.

On count one, he is said to have shot Thwala in her right breast and the left side of her back, while on count two he is alleged to have shot Lungile on the right side of her chest and on the right side of her lower stomach.

Lungile also known as Cynthia was the owner of the house where the incident happened and was said to be romantically involved with Mncina.

On the third count, he was charged with the murder of Fikile whom he is accused of shooting on the right breast and right arm.

Count four was in respect of Khulile who is said to have died from a single gunshot on the right cheek, just below her eye.

On the charge of attempted murder, Mncina is alleged to have shot Mkhwanazi in the chest. Mkhwanazi is the only survivor.

Mncina handed himself over to the Lobamba police after the incident and on Monday he made a confession before Magistrate Chazile Thwala at the Mbabane Magistrate’s Court.

Mncina was not sitting in the make-shift courtroom like other accused waiting for their matters to be heard. Instead he walked in as the last suspect was being remanded and sat down waiting for his turn.

He was wearing a blue puffer jacket, blue sweat pants and sandals with socks, as well as a grimly demeanour that gave nothing away about his thoughts at that particular point.

His name was called by the Crown and his rights to legal representation explained to him by Temantimandze.

Mncina spoke for the first time that he does not have legal representation.

“For now I do not have a lawyer Your Worship,” he said briefly.

The Crown applied to have him remanded back into custody until November 10, pending his committal to the High Court and further applied to invoke Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act.

“Your worship, may the Crown apply to have blood specimen drawn from the accused,” the prosecutor said.

Mncina did not oppose this application and he was advised of his rights to apply for bail at the High Court should he be desirous to do so.

The arraignment was brief as it took five minutes.

Before the court could adjourn, he was swiftly escorted out of the courtroom, into the police station where he was taken back to the cells.

His wife was also present, walking into the courtroom 10 minutes before the arraignment, wearing pants and the court orderly on duty asked if she had kanga that she could use to cover up as females are not allowed to wear pants in court.

“I was not aware that I would end up in here but it is fine, I can wait outside,” she said.

After the arraignment, she was seen walking out of the police station and boarded a red vehicle.

Government must intervene or this will not stop – Macford

Former Manzini North Member of Parliament Macford Sibandze has called upon government to take action against gender based violence in the country.

“What happened is an unfortunate incident that shows that as a country we have a serious challenge of anger issues which if not addressed will always have devastating consequences,” he said.

If said if government does not intervene then the country would wake up to more of such incidents.

“We will keep waking up to such news! It started from a trickle it is now a flood, tomorrow we will wake up in an ocean of blood of women killed by predators who think they have a license to kill,” he said.

Sibandze was one of the former legislators who called for GBV to be declared a national emergency.

“As a country it’s time we address these issues from source to have deep seated knowledge why a person would resolve issues with such violence to soft targets like women,” Sibandze said.

He said this was a sign that people were angry and lack emotional intelligence,

“People are angry and are perilous to all as they lack emotional intelligence to think and understand the consequences of their actions,” he said.

Problem

Sibandze said this problem needs to be addressed and the country should invest in counselling.

“As a country we have not invested resources in counselling so that we get to the bottom of the psychological problems that are bottled up in our minds. This is a mental health issue that needs addressing,” he said.

Referring to Vusi Mncina, Sibandze said he fails to understand what went through his head when doing all this.

“No man in his right mind can shoot five defenceless women. Perhaps it was a case of masculinity, male gender power over a woman; that she is a property that is owned and controlled.

“I don’t have the details of what happened but I ask myself why someone can kill so many people, women for that matter even if he was provoked,” he said.

Grief

He said Mncina’s actions did not solve anything but instead caused grief for the families, including his own.

“Think of the post-traumatic stress of the family that will bury three people who were not sick but were exterminated. Think of the family of the other two, one dead and the other on death bed. Think of the orphans that have been created by someone who could not control his motions!

“Think of the stress of the family of the alleged killer because they never sent him to kill,” he said.

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