Times Of Swaziland:  Zonke Khumalo is dead

Zonke Khumalo is dead
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 SENZO DLAMINI  on 06/07/2012 00:00:00


LUDZELUDZE – Amos Zonke Khumalo, the erstwhile Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Justice, has passed on.
Khumalo’s demise was confirmed by his first wife Thoko, whose maiden surname
is Dlamini, in an interview yesterday.
She said her 85-year-old husband succumbed to death while undergoing treatment
at the Mbabane Clinic at about 10pm on Wednesday.
"We rushed him to the Clinic in a critical condition after the sugar levels in
his body had dropped drastically," she said.
She said the family was still to meet to set the date for the funeral.
Khumalo, who has been bedridden for close to year, leaves behind five wives
(initially, he had seven, but two have passed on) and over 30 children.
Sired
One of his wives, Princess Bonisiwe, is sired by King Sobhuza II.
King Sobhuza II appointed Khumalo as the kingdom’s second deputy prime
minister in the early 70s.
He succeeded Mfundza Sukati, who was relieved of his duties by the King.
His Majesty King Mswati III, in the early 90s, appointed Khumalo as the Minister
of Justice.
Khumalo, as Justice minister, was the architect of the once infamous
Non-Bailable Offences Act.
The non-bailable offences included murder, rape and car (vehicle) theft.
Brains
Khumalo was the brains behind the crafting of the Act following the spate of
murder and rape cases including car thieves who were on the rampage then.
The then Home Affairs Minister, Prince Gabheni around 2008, tasked Khumalo with
the Chairmanship of the Citizenship Board (now defunct).
In his maiden speech as chairman, he uttered what was viewed as a highly
xenophobic statement when he said Mozambicans should forget about acquiring the
Swazi citizenship.
xenophobic
The statement drew the ire of some members of the public, who pointed a finger
at the chairman, accusing him of being xenophobic.
The former DPM and Justice Minister also advocated strongly for the introduction
of the Free Primary Education (FPE).