Times Of Swaziland: WANTED SUSPECT STABS COP WITH OKAPI

WANTED SUSPECT STABS COP WITH OKAPI
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BY TIMOTHY SIMELANE on 28/11/2020 12:03:00


MBABANE – A police officer may be permanently injured after he was stabbed by
a violent suspect who was resisting arrest.
The suspect, Thabiso Khoza (28), who police say has pending charges related to
violating the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act, is on the wanted
list after he aimed for the heart of a police officer with an okapi knife.
While resisting arrest, the suspect is alleged to have pierced the palm of the
officer until the blade of the knife broke in two, with the remaining part stuck
in the officer’s hand.
The drama unfolded at Nyakatfo in the northern Hhohho Region, where two police
officers, who are based at Buhleni Police Station, had been dispatched to
investigate the presence of the suspect in the area.
Inside sources said at the time, the suspect was wanted for a bloody attempted
rape in that he had allegedly brutally assaulted a woman and stripped her naked.
Just when he allegedly was about to rape her, he was disturbed by passersby and
he ran away.
Escaped
On another note, the suspect is reportedly also wanted for contempt of court in
that he had allegedly had sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old girl, but after
being released on bail, he did not bother to stand trial.
In his latest escapade, the sources said the suspect was found at a drinking
spot by two armed officers, one identified as Bhukula Khumalo and the other
identified only as Myeni.
Knife
“They explained his rights and searched him, where they found an okapi knife
in his trouser, which the officers confiscated. They then led him to a police
van that was parked about 20 metres away. However, just when he was about to be
bundled into the van, he pretended as if he was falling to the ground. When he
got up, he was holding another okapi which had been hidden in his socks,” one
of the sources explained.
It is said that the suspect initially tried to fight off Myeni, but the police
officer defended himself by putting up a brave fight using his hands. Khoza
reportedly then went for Khumalo, who is said to have been carrying an R5 gun.
He is said to have then directed the okapi knife towards Khumalo’s heart but
the officer blocked the weapon with his hand, which was pierced by the knife.
It is also said that Khumalo sustained other stab wounds on his body during the
scuffle with Khoza, but these were less severe compared to the one in his hand.
Shot
In the scheme of things, the officer is said to have reached for the R5 gun
which had fallen to the ground, but Myeni shot him in the leg with a service
pistol.
The suspect and the officer were reportedly then taken to Mkhuzweni Clinic,
where they were immediately transferred to the Pigg’s Peak Government
Hospital.
“Five days later, while the suspect was receiving treatment because he had
lost too much blood because of the gunshot wound, he escaped from the hospital,
leaving medical staff perplexed.
“The bullet had not yet been removed from his thigh as he had pending
appointments with specialists. There are rumours that he has skipped the country
to neighbouring South Africa,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the stabbed officer has been nursing the injuries ever since the
fateful day in September this year. It is said that doctors later transferred
him to Mbabane where he continued with treatment.
It is alleged that the suspect lives in a small town in South Africa, close to
the border.
The name of the small town has been withheld because police hope to close in on
him with the help of their SA counterparts.
Acting Police Information and Communications Officer Mazwi Ndzimandze confirmed
that the incident occurred and that the officer was stabbed by the suspect
during the arrest.
Ndzimandze also confirmed that the suspect is on the police wanted list after
evading arrest while receiving treatment.
“We are still searching for the suspect after he escaped while receiving
treatment. Evading arrest is a serious crime,” he said.
Wanted
When asked why the suspect’s face was not on the police website, where
normally wanted suspects are posted, he said the site was still undergoing
technical repairs.
“We use social media, which is quite easy to use. Many of the wanted suspects
are on our Facebook page,” he said.
Meanwhile, pub med states that a stab wound to the hand, apart from the very
real danger of deep infection, may cause damage to tendons or neurovascular
bundles.
The blood supply to the tissues in the hand may have been compromised, leading
to devitalisation and necrosis (tissue death), which in turn may lead to
infection and even amputation.
This is not the first time that a police officer has been stabbed by a suspect
while in the line of duty.
A suspect stabbed a female police officer twice with a pair of scissors inside
the Lobamba police station in 2015.
Lungelo Nxumalo, who was 20 years old at the time, allegedly stabbed Nelly
Dlamini in her forehead and arm resulting in the officer sustaining serious
injuries.
The suspect was not granted bail after the incident.
It was reported then that Dlamini was facing down when she was attacked with the
scissors, which the accused reportedly took out of his socks as that was where
he had hidden the weapon when he was arrested.
Committed
Officers who were present at the station came to her rescue and she was rushed
to hospital and the suspect was put in a cell.
Nxumalo had been arrested in connection with housebreaking, which he had
allegedly committed at Mcaphozini.
In another incident that occurred in June 2019, a police officer’s body was
dumped by the roadside at New Village in Manzini.
The officer, who was based at the Matsapha Police Academy, did not have any stab
wounds except for a minor scratch behind the ear.
He was found without a wallet or mobile phone, which suggested that he had been
robbed.