FAMILY DEMANDS HUMAN SKULL FROM COPS

MBABANE – “Bring back our father’s skull, we want to bury his remains.”

This is the only plea, to the police, by a family of Mavula in orthern Hhohho.
The son of the deceased has since taken the national commissioner of police to court, where he is seeking an order compelling him to return the skull.
The deceased’s skeleton was taken by the police following the arrest of suspects who reportedly tampered with the grave.

When the skeleton was eventually returned by the law enforcers, it was allegedly discovered that the skull was missing.
The director of public prosecutions (DPP) has been cited as the second respondent in the matter
Elias Ndwandwe informed the court that he was the son of the late Canda Ndwandwe. 

He submitted that on or about 2018, he engaged the services of his attorney to get back his father’s remains because he wanted to bury them.
Elias alleged that he was then told to go to Pigg’s Peak Police Station to collect the human bones for purposes of burial.
“When I arrived at the police station, I only got the human bones. The skull was missing,” submitted the applicant (Elias).

He averred that on further enquiry from the police, the investigator, Good Boy Dlamini told him that he should bury the bones without the skull. The applicant told the court that that his father died on or about June 2004. 

Elias contended that he had the necessary locus standi to bring the application to court by virtue of the fact that he was the biological son of Canda.
“I have a direct and substantial interest in this matter, because the latter’s remains, being the bones that were dug from his grave, should be respectfully buried in the violated grave,” submitted Elias.

Giving a background of the matter, Elias stated that the matter was brought to court because in 2011 community members of Mavula raised an alarm at his parental home that there was a violation of a grave of the late Canda.

Narrated

He narrated that the matter was then reported to the Buhleni Police Post. According to the applicant, after the report was made, he and the entire family were given feedback by the police officers, that they had arrested suspects who were found driving a motor vehicle carrying human bones. He alleged that this prompted further investigations by police officers.

“I recall that the police arrested the suspects and they led me together with the police to the violated grave of my late father,” averred the applicant.
He went on to state that the police led the suspects to the scene of crime, where the grave was dug and some bones of the deceased were taken as exhibits.  Elias alleged that the exhibits were taken to the Pigg’s Peak Police Station for the criminal trial.

He highlighted that during the trial at the Pigg’s Peak Magistrates Court, a certain Matsebula gave evidence that the suspects came with the police at his home and human bones were retrieved from a pit latrine.
“I verily affirm that the exhibits were taken to the Republic of South Africa by the police officers for forensic and DNA tests,” he argued.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: