Home | News | JOMO KILLING: KIDS’ PRESENCE STOPPED SHOOTING

JOMO KILLING: KIDS’ PRESENCE STOPPED SHOOTING

17/11/2020 00:30:00 BY KWANELE DLAMINI

Font size:

MBABANE – Businessman Senzo Sithole claimed he advised the alleged hit man, Xolani Nkosi, to stop shooting when he saw that there were children in the car that public transport operator Jomo Khumalo was travelling in.

Nkosi and Sithole are alleged to have followed Khumalo, who was travelling in a Mazda Demio, from the shops near his residence at Ntabamhloshana until the Manzini Traffic Circle where he was shot in cold blood.

This was the evidence of Sithole, who was arrested with fellow public transport operator Maxwell Nkambule (63) of Mathendele. Sithole is an accomplice witness in the matter.

The murder was committed on November 27, 2019. When Jomo was killed, according to Sithole, Nkambule was allegedly in South Africa to avoid being suspected of any wrongdoing. He allegedly left instructions with the hit man on how Khumalo was to be killed.

Shooting

In his evidence before High Court Judge Ticheme Dlamini yesterday, Sithole told the court that Nkosi fired three shots at Khumalo’s vehicle. He said at the backseat of Khumalo’s car, he saw children and allegedly told the hit man to stop shooting.

He said when Khumalo’s car reached the traffic circle, they overtook it and applied the brakes. Sithole said he was driving a VW Polo and the hit man occupied the seat next to him. According to Sithole, the firearm was in a small bag that the hit man was carrying and he fired the shots while the gun was still in the bag.

Sithole informed the court that when Nkosi fired the first shot, a person who occupied the front passenger seat in Khumalo’s vehicle tried to grab the steering wheel and he (Sithole) told the hit man to stop shooting because there were children in the car.

He said from the scene, they took off in the direction of Madonsa and proceeded towards Carson Wheels. The witness alleged Nkosi wanted them to pursue Jomo’s car but he was against it.

Nkambule is represented by Advocate Lucas Maziya on the instruction of Nzima and Associates. Principal Crown Counsel Macebo Nxumalo appears for the Crown. DPP Phila Dlamini was also present in court.

At the start of the matter, Sithole informed the court that on November 10, 2019, the accused, Nkambule, informed him that they would be travelling to Johannesburg to fetch hit men. Sithole said he also wanted to go to Johannesburg during that week.

He said when they left for the neighbouring country, he took his travel document from his residence at Mahlabatsini as well as dagga, which he sold to a certain man in Johannesburg. Sithole alleged that Nkambule made it clear that they would be fetching hit men in Johannesburg and that Khumalo had to be killed. Sithole did not give the reasons for killing Khumalo. He informed the court that he had met the hit men Nkambule was referring to in Matsapha at the prison.

He said Nkambule allegedly told him that the hit men they were going to fetch from South Africa were the ones he had seen him with at the prison, and he (Nkambule) signalled to them with his head pointing towards Khumalo. He stated that they proceeded to Johannesburg on November 10, 2019 and Nkambule allegedly left him at the taxi rank near mini buses to Wanderers.

He said he sold the dagga he had for R2 500. He said he had not weighed it but used a 5-litre container to measure it. The dagga, according to Sithole, was hidden in a spare wheel compartment.

He said they were travelling in a VW Polo registered OSD 577 AL. He alleged that while he was with the man he had sold the dagga to, Nkambule returned and he was in the company of Nkosi, the hit man.

Beverages

The witness informed the court that when they returned to Eswatini, they bought alcoholic beverages and remained at Ultra City until 3am the following morning and then they drove to Oshoek.

He said at the border gate, he parked the car inappropriately and while he was speaking to police officers, Nkambule was in the vehicle speaking to a certain Joe, whom they were supposed to meet at the border to help them cross at an informal crossing point. He submitted that when Joe arrived, Nkambule called Nkosi from the car and they (Nkambule and Nkosi) proceeded to an informal crossing point. Sithole said he drove home to Mahlabatsini.

Immigration

It was noted that in Sithole’s travel document, there were two entry stamps bearing different dates, November 10 and 11, 2019, which the Crown said would be explained by a witness from the Immigration Department.

Nkosi, according to Sithole, was staying at Nkambule’s residence. He told the court that after three to four days, together with the accused and the hit man, they travelled to Ntabamhloshana for Nkambule to show them Khumalo’s homestead.

Sithole alleged that along the way, Nkambule was talking about the fact that Khumalo had to be killed. He said when Nkambule showed them the homestead, it was around 8pm.

He said on November 26, 2019, he was called by Nkambule to his residence after he informed him that there were things he wanted them to discuss in person. However, he submitted that he did not see Khumalo that day and the accused called to inform him that he had left everything with the hit man.

“I did not ask him much over the phone because he had already told me how the deceased was to be killed when we went to see his homestead,” alleged Sithole.

He said when he arrived at Nkambule’s residence, Nkosi told him that “umlungu (Nkambule) had left everything; money for fuel and the weapon to kill the deceased.”

Sithole said they remained at the residence of Nkambule for about five minutes while the hit man informed him about what Nkambule had instructed them to do. He alleged that Nkosi had a backpack in which there was a firearm.

He said Nkosi put the gun in a compartment in the car and they went to Mshayazafe Bar where they enjoyed alcoholic drinks. Sithole submitted that while they were at Mshayazafe, Nkambule would call Nkosi from time-to-time. He said Nkambule had three SIM cards and one of which had a South African number.

Sithole said Nkambule was not with them and he had allegedly indicated that when they killed Khumalo, he did not want to be suspected and he left for South Africa. He said on the day of the murder, Nkambule was already in South Africa and he could not be reached by cellphone.

Sithole testified that Nkambule requested them to notify him ‘maseku happena’ (when they killed Khumalo). Nkambule is alleged to have travelled with a certain woman to the neighbouring country.

Homestead

He said they went to Khumalo’s homestead on November 27, 2019, however, since they saw three vehicles parked at his residence, they waited at the shops at Ntabamhloshana. Sithole said he was sleepy since they had been drinking the previous night and he fell asleep in the car.

He told the court that after sometime, he was woken up by Nkosi who had seen Khumalo driving his Mazda Demio towards Manzini. Sithole said they followed the car until the Manzini Traffic Circle where Nkosi allegedly fired three shots at Khumalo’s vehicle.