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MAN STABBED TO DEATH IN GANG WARS

23/11/2020 02:08:00 BY PHUMELELE MKHONTA AND MBONGISENI NDZIMANDZE

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MHLANE- A fight between gang members has resulted in the tragic death of another.

While it is popularly believed that gangsterism is rampant in townships and urban areas, this spine-chilling incident proved otherwise as it happened at Mhlane, a small rural area that is a few kilometres from Siphocisini.

Siphocosini is situated on the outskirts of Mbabane, on the way to Mhlambanyatsi.

Last Friday, Sibusiso Ngwenya (28) met his death after he was allegedly stabbed by a man who is believed to be in his mid-20s. This happened in the company of a 19-year-old teenager, who was believed to be a suspect but has now been turned into a witness in the case. The three men, including the deceased, were believed to be friends who are in the ‘numbers gang’ and the bone of contention were matters relating to gangsterism. Ngwenya was stabbed at a Dlamini homestead, where he doubles as a tenant and a baby daddy of one of the children at the homestead.

According to close sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the three men are gang members and the fight which led to Ngwenya’s death had to do with their gangster lifestyle.

Constant

“The men were in constant trouble with the law and they were known gangsters. The rift was caused by their gangsterism issue,” said the source.

According to the landlady *Nosipho, who preferred to comment on condition of anonymity, the stabbing incident happened at around 2pm, after Ngwenya friends came into her home to ask for him. “It was around 2pm when Sibusiso came inside the house where I was and he seemed to have been drinking alcohol,” narrated the landlady.

She said Ngwenya was carrying a hose pipe and was being playful, pouring them with water.

“He left the compound and came back with *Thabiso, whom we believe to be his friend. As per the norm, they greeted me and nothing seemed suspicious as they were their usual bubbly selves. Thabiso looked sober. As they were greeting me, *Mandla, who is one of their friends, came in running and also greeted me. As soon as we were done with the small talk, the three left the compound,” she said.

The landlady said barely 10 minutes after they had left, Ngwenya came back to the compound breathing heavily and coughing out blood.

“He collapsed in front of me just as I was about to ask him what had happened. He was bloody and he had three stab wounds which were oozing blood,” she said.

Nosipho said she saw Mandla and Thabiso fleeing to the mountains and she had not seen them since. “We quickly called the police and an ambulance but I am afraid it might have been too late as he was already motionless and we could not feel his pulse,” she said.

When asked if she was aware of any disagreements in the past, she said there was none that she knew of as the three men appeared to be friends and always hung out together.

Recalled

However, Nosipho recalled that they called themselves ‘26s and 28s’, which are the ‘numbers gangs’. “They used to say ‘gcwala ngetinombolo’, when referring to their gangsterism. They normally talked about it and I did not make much of it,” said Nosipho.

According to Wikipedia, the ‘numbers gang’ is a prison gang with one of the most fearsome reputations in South Africa.

They are known to operate primarily in the Western Cape prison of Pollsmoor in South Africa, however, it is believed they are now present in different parts of the world.

The 26s are responsible for gambling, smuggling and accruing wealth in general. The 27s are the warriors and responsible for fighting on behalf of the three groups and the 28s are the guardians of gang law and the peace-keepers between all the gangs.

Thabiso was found and arrested in Matsapha after being on the run since Friday afternoon. Mandla was released yesterday from custody after being arrested and interrogated since last Friday evening.

Mandla’s sister, who preferred to remain anonymous, said she was shocked to learn what her brother was implicated in. “He is only 19 years old and it is saddening to learn that he was present during the incident that led to the death of Sibusiso.

‘‘I really do not know what happened. Sibusiso and Mandla are friends, no one saw this coming,” she said. When asked if she was aware if her brother was a gang member, she said she was not, however, she said she normally heard him talking about numbers. “Three of them (Sibusiso, Mandla and Thabiso) have tattoos on their arms which seem symbolic. Thabiso has a number tattoos though I cannot recall the exact number. My brother calls himself a 28,” she said. She also said both Mandla and Thabiso were school dropouts.

Dropped

“Mandla dropped out in Form I and Thabiso in Form III,” she said. She said she last saw her brother around 3pm on Friday. “I think that was after Sibusiso was stabbed. He came in, stayed for about 10 minutes and left without saying anything. I did not see him the whole weekend thereafter,” she said.

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed that there was a stabbing this past Friday, stating that the incident led to the death of Ngwenya around Siphocosini. Vilakati said there were ongoing investigations into the matter. Worth noting is that the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) of 2018 associated gangster-like tattoos with gangsterism POCA was introduced as measures to combat organised crime and criminal gang activities, prohibit certain activities relating to racketeering, criminalise certain activities associated with gangs, provide for the recovery of the proceeds of unlawful activities, forfeiture of assets that have been used to commit an offence or assets that are the proceeds of unlawful activities, the establishment of a Criminal Assets Recovery Fund and a Criminal Assets Recovery Committee and incidental matters.

According to part three of the Act titled ‘Offences Relating to Criminal Gang Offences’ on ‘Identification of a member of a criminal gang’ section, in considering whether a person is a member of a criminal gang for the purposes of this Act, the court may have regard to all relevant factors, including the following factors, namely that; that person resides in or frequents a particular area for gangs and adopts their style of dress, their use of hand signs, language or their tattoos, and associates with known members of a criminal gang.