Times Of Swaziland: HUNTER, COPS IN STAND-OFF OVER ‘TRAFFICKING’

HUNTER, COPS IN STAND-OFF OVER ‘TRAFFICKING’
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BY STHEMBILE HLATSHWAYO on 16/05/2019 08:50:00


MBABANE –There is a stand-off between the police and Private Investigator
Hunter Shongwe over a suspect who was allegedly ‘trafficked’ to South
Africa.
The suspect, who was allegedly taken back to SA by Shongwe, is wanted in
connection with goods worth E1.2 million that he allegedly sold.
This was a commodity which was supposed to be transported to Mozambique by the
suspect who was employed by Komati Mine in South Africa.
It has been alleged that a confrontation between Shongwe and police officers
ensued at the Ngwenya Border Gate as he (Shongwe) refused to hand over the
suspect to the cops.
In a recording which is in this newspaper’s possession, a senior police
officer is heard describing how the suspect, who was in the company of the
private investigator, allegedly illegally crossed at the border on May 7, 2019.
The officer alleged that while trying to cross, the suspect was red flagged by
the systems and the immigration officers after which police officers took him in
for questioning.
The officer alleged that Shongwe immediately followed and forcefully took the
suspect from police custody, demanding that they produce a warrant of his
arrest.
“When we tried following Shongwe, he disappeared with the suspect and it is
not known how they managed to cross over to the South African side,” he
alleged.
However, the officer said they crossed to the SA side where they found Shongwe
in the company of some people.
According to the officer, when they questioned Shongwe, the private investigator
claimed ignorance of the suspect. “We had to use force to get Shongwe talking
on where the suspect had disappeared to,” related the officer in the
recording.
Recording
He alleged, in the recording, that they had to take Shongwe with them to the
Eswatini side where they logged into their systems and discovered that the
suspect was wanted at the police headquarters.
While they were still interrogating Shongwe, the senior police officer said a
Caucasian man, who had earlier been in the company of the private investigator,
approached them.
“The man briefly talked to Shongwe before he surrendered a travel document
supposedly belonging to the suspect,” the officer claimed in the recording.
The officer said they engaged with Shongwe at length, explaining that he had
committed a crime by illegally facilitating the crossing of a suspect to the
neighbouring country.
In an interview with this newspaper yesterday, Shongwe confirmed having been at
the border on the day in question.
However, he claimed his presence was never to commit a crime but to assist the
suspect hand himself over to the SA police.
Shongwe confirmed that the suspect was wanted by SA police in connection with a
crime he allegedly committed while employed at Komati Mine.
He admitted to have facilitated the crossing of the suspect, who was later
handed over to the police in SA.
This, he claimed, was after he had received a request from the SA police to
assist them.
The PI said he visited the suspect and advised him to surrender himself to the
SA police in connection of the crime as he was wanted.
Shongwe alleged that the local police had failed to assist their SA counterparts
with the arrest of the suspect.
“I refused that local police arrest him at the border as they had not followed
the procedures of handing over someone who was wanted in SA,” he said.
Shongwe said police at the border had no warrant of arrest and had not followed
the procedures of the treaty signed by the two countries of surrendering a
suspect who was wanted by SA police.