Times Of Swaziland: ‘MASEKO HAD PREMONITION OF HIS DEATH’

‘MASEKO HAD PREMONITION OF HIS DEATH’
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Stanley Khumalo and Phiwase Phungwayo on 24/01/2023 08:47:00


MANZINI – Slain Human Rights Lawyer Thulani Maseko reportedly had a
premonition of his death.
This was disclosed by one of the first witnesses who went to the scene of the
murder on Saturday. The community member claimed that the wife to the deceased,
Tanele Maseko, had informed them that leading to the shooting, as they left
their compound, the deceased said a number of things which spooked her but
supposed were in jest. He said Tanele had informed them that when they arrived
at their homestead, which is about 50 metres from his parental homestead, where
Thulani was killed, he had first expressed suspicion that there was someone who
had walked within the compound. This, he said, was because Thulani noticed
footprints on the ground. Thereon, the community member claimed that Tanele told
them that Thulani had said they should leave their homestead to his mother’s
house. “She said Thulani said they should go home as he did not want to die
there,” the community member said.
Questioned
He claimed that Tanele had informed them that she questioned her husband on what
he meant and then took it as something that was in jest. The witness claimed
that they proceeded to Thulani’s parental compound, wherein he was eventually
shot after sometime following their arrival. This, he said, had made them
conclude that Thulani was aware that he would die on the day. Leading to that,
the witness said they had engaged Thulani not to park his vehicle in the
compound he was sleeping in as he shuffled between the two homesteads which are
about 50 metres apart. To this, the witness claimed that Thulani would usually
say: “One can never evade death; when it is time, it shall be time.” The
community member further said Thulani had in instances stated that there were
people who were seeking to kill him as he had always expressed a dissenting
voice. However, the witness said Thulani had never shared who those people could
be, but insinuated that his life was under threat for being a human rights
lawyer.
Warn
Meanwhile, this publication yesterday reported that Thulani’s wife, Tenele,
had tried to warn him about a gunman before the fatal shots were fired on
Saturday night. Tanele was said to have seen the barrel of the gun as the
assassin was aiming at Thulani and as she tried to warn the deceased of what was
about to happen, the three gunshots were fired, piercing through his head and
upper abdomen. Following the shooting, the killer was said to have fled on foot
and there are suspicions that his getaway vehicle was waiting for him at a
convenient point.
As the gunman fled, it was said the shells of the bullets which killed Thulani
were left behind and were later recovered by the police when they attended to
the scene. The bullet shells, according to sources, were of an assault rifle.
The sources further explained that the gun was an automatic assault rifle as the
first two shots which went through Maseko’s head had been fired
simultaneously.
They claimed that the carnage left by the bullets as well depicted same, unlike
a pistol which made insertions and did not exit the body with large chunks of
flesh. Meanwhile, yesterday, this publication quoted senior family members of
the deceased claiming that Tanele had informed them that leading to the
shooting, she had seen the gun and it was huge.