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FATHER SHOOTS TWO SONS OVER LAND

22/10/2019 02:56:00 BY JABULISA DLAMINI

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KASHALI - A land dispute led to a 76-year-old man being arrested for allegedly shooting two of his sons, one of whom is a soldier.
The incident is said to have happened on Friday morning at KaShali in the Manzini Region.

The accused, Jikijela Samuel Dlamini of KaShali, is alleged to have shot the two, Mzabalazo and Njabulo Dlamini in the stomach and back, respectively.
Njabulo is employed by the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF).

The charge sheet states that Jikijela (allegedly) used a pellet gun to attack and further shoot the two on October 18, 2019.
A pellet gun is a rifle or pistol that shoots non-spherical metallic pellets using compressed air.

This can kill a human being if hit in the eye, or soft part of the head, such as the temple.
According to statements submitted in court, the two complainants, together with a relative, one Mafutha Matsebula, went to one of the pieces of land allegedly sold by the accused to former YemaSwati Channel (Channel Swazi) reporter, Phesheya Sibiya.

Constructing

Sibiya, who is now employed by the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), had already started constructing at the said piece of land, when the three complainants came to the area and filled the already dug up foundation with sand.

Apparently, this conduct did not go down well with the accused, who upon learning about what the trio had allegedly done, is said to have approached them.
“He went to where the trio was and ordered them to stop filling up the foundation with sand as the land did not belong to them. The land dispute had started some years back and some of the family members are infuriated by the fact that he (Jikijela) sells plots without their consent and without their involvement,” alleged one of the family members in the statements.

The accused, as he approached the three is alleged to have shouted and ordered them to stop tampering with the foundation.
However, the trio is said to have not heeded to his demands but continued with their mission.

He is said to have then ordered one of his eldest sons, Mbongiseni, to hand over his gun.
“We later saw him drawing a gun and shooting at us. I was shot in the stomach and my brother in the back,” one of the complainants said in the statements.
Attention
The incident raised the attention of other residents who immediately contacted the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS). Upon arrival at the place, they found the two injured and they were rushed to the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital, where they were attended to on the day.
When questioned, the accused allegedly told the police that he committed the offence in self-defence, as his two sons had allegedly assaulted him through pelting him with stones on the day of the incident.
After statements were recorded, Jikijela was arrested by the Manzini police.
He was charged with two offences of Contravening the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act. It is worth noting that due to the fact that Public Prosecutors had their overtime hours slashed, the accused was forced to spend a total of three days in custody. He was kept at the police station from Friday until yesterday morning when he appeared before a judicial officer.
Considerate
During his court appearance before Magistrate Sindisile Zwane, the accused was legally represented. His attorney told the court that it should be considerate of his client’s age and the fact that he had spent a long time in custody.
“Your Worship, my client has instructed me to move a bail application before court. He has made an assurance not to interfere with crown witnesses and not to evade remands or trial,” the attorney said.
Magistrate Zwane noted that she had presided over a series of similar peace binding matters affecting the accused. The magistrate enquired if the accused would be comfortable if his trial was to be before her, to which he responded to the affirmative.
The accused was admitted to E8 000 bail by the court and further ordered to abide by all the bail conditions imposed. His trial date was set for December 3, 2019 before the same magistrate.