MIKE MAMBA: I NEVER HEARD THREATS AGAINST VICTOR

MBABANE – If there was ever any discussion that it was only a matter of time before something happened to Victor Gamedze, Michael ‘Mike’ Mamba has denied hearing it.

Mamba, who is a businessman, was giving evidence as prosecution witness number 12 yesterday in Sipho Shongwe’s murder trial.
The trial resumed before Judge Nkosinathi Maseko yesterday after Judge Mbutfo Mamba recused himself from the matter on Monday.

When the matter started on May 28, 2019, Steve Horton, who is a businessman and Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) executive member, told the court that Shongwe allegedly informed him and Mamba that he was tired of Gamedze and that it was only a matter of time before something happened to him.
His exact words were that ‘sekusele kancane nga Gamedze.’

First

Mamba, who was calm and relaxed throughout his testimony, was the first witness to take the stand yesterday.
He admitted that on December 18, 2017, at the Galp Filling Station near Manzini Central High School, Shongwe found him and Horton there attending to one of his trucks which had a punctured tyre.

He said he knew Shongwe very well as they grew up together and they always talked when they met. Mamba, however, said he did not know Gamedze as much as he knew Shongwe.

Advocate Michael Hellens, who has been instructed by the Crown, asked Mamba if he had a conversation which touched on Gamedze while he was with Shongwe and Horton at the filling station.

Mamba requested the advocate to be specific with the question before he proceeded to tell the court that he was with Horton at the filling station when Shongwe arrived driving a red VW Polo.

He said they both knew Shongwe and were used to being with him.
Before he proceeded with his evidence, he mentioned that since Shongwe was in trouble, it did not mean that they should pretend as if they did not know him.

Conversation

Mamba said Shongwe greeted them and a conversation started.
According to Mamba, since Shongwe and Horton owned football teams, they discussed soccer. He said Gamedze’s name came up during the conversation.
He told the court that since he does not like football, he was not used to it and knew nothing about the sport, he left Shongwe and Horton on their own and went to attend to his truck.

To emphasise his dislike for football, Mamba said even if he heard that the USA was playing at Somhlolo National Stadium, he would not go there to watch the game.

Football

“Angiyati, futsi ngiyayenyanya,(I don’t understand football and I dislike it). That is why I excused them because they were talking about football and nothing else,” he said.
He testified that it would have been better if they talked about money because he would have gone closer to listen.(Kuncono kube bebakhuluma kutsi kukhona lonokhe lomunye imali, lapho bengingasondzela ngilalele,” Mamba said in vernacular.

However, he said he did not stay to listen or take part in the duo’s conversation because they were discussing something that he despised yet he had the tyre puncture to deal with.

Mamba further said when he was asked at the police station about Shongwe’s alleged statement to the effect that ‘sekusele kancane nga Gamedze, he told the court that it was not clear what that meant.

He said he thought that it could have meant that it was only a matter of time his team started winning games or something like that.
The advocate asked Mamba if he saw Gamedze afterwards and he said, while in Mbabane on a particular day, Gamedze called him.
He testified that Gamedze requested him to follow him in his vehicle and he enquired why he had to do that. According to Mamba, Gamedze said he wanted to tell him something and he obliged.

He said there was a house near St Mark’s where Gamedze stopped his vehicle and alighted to greet him. Mamba mentioned that they engaged in a conversation and Gamedze said it had been a long time since he saw him. He said he told Gamedze that that was probably because he was a Manzini person.

Problem

During the conversation, according to Mamba, Gamedze told him that he had a problem with Shongwe.
“I asked him what the problem was, washo nje and I assumed that the issue had to do with football. I was of the view that the problem beyihambelana nalentfo lengayibalekela lekaManzini. Kute intfo lephilako lekayisho. (The problem was centred around (football), the same thing I ran away from in Manzini. He did not say anything that made sense),” said Mamba.

He told the court that it would have made sense if, instead of talking about football, the problem Gamedze was ranting about related to something like Shongwe having taken his money or something like that.

Disturbed

Mamba said since Gamedze was also talking about football, to him, if anyone talked about soccer, he felt like that person ‘uyahlanya ngoba angiyati’ (that person is mentally disturbed because I do not understand it).

Shongwe’s representative, Advocate Laurence Hodes, did not cross-examine Mamba. Horton testified last week that when Shongwe arrived, they talked about Gamedze. He said Shongwe said he was not happy with the conduct of Gamedze and gestured with his fingers while saying ‘sekusele kancane nga Gamedze’, meaning that it was only a matter of time before something happened to Gamedze.

Horton said he understood what Shongwe allegedly said to mean that it was a message meant for Gamedze and he relayed it to him. He testified that he told Gamedze that he had a conversation with Shongwe and he should be careful.

During cross-examination by Advocate Michael Hodes, Horton said he was close to both Gamedze and Shongwe.
He said he was not aware how the police knew that he had a conversation with Shongwe because they called him in to verify if the conversation had taken place.
 The matter will proceed today.

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