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LOMAHASHA SHOOTING: I WAS ON DUTY – TWENTY

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MBABANE – Twenty Nkosinathi Dlamini claims that he was on duty when he ‘accidentally’ shot two people during a funeral at Lomahasha last month.

Dlamini is the police officer who allegedly killed two people using a service rifle at Lomahasha in the Lubombo Region. It is alleged that on July 17, 2021, near KaTolo, Dlamini (allegedly) unlawfully killed Mcolisi ‘Sigubhu’ Nyoni and Sifiso ‘Mpostoli’ Masilela. In his application for bail, Dlamini told the court that he was being attacked by a group of 40 people who wanted to kill him. He narrated that on July 17, having knocked off from work on the very same morning; he went to sleep since he was meant to report for duty in the evening of the same day at 10pm.

He said having taken a nap in the late afternoon, together with one Mdletshe, they went to braai some meat at Take a Chance Restaurant and after that he went back to his house. The accused claimed that since there was nothing he was doing he decided to report early for work.  According to Dlamini, when he arrived at his workstation he did the usual routine, which is or was inclusive of the recording of his report in the occurrence book (OB). He told the court that he was recorded on the OB by Constable Detective Mamba and further deployed to guard at the Vat Camp, where they had been instructed by their superiors that due to the unrest that was prevailing in the kingdom, it should be guarded 24 hours. Dlamini said he then proceeded to Vat Camp to resume duty and as usual, he was carrying a service rifle.

According to the accused, while at his dutystation, about three people informed him that there were individuals who were fighting at Take it Easy Restaurant, where the fight was caused by imbibers. He recounted that, after receiving such information and being acquainted with most members of the community whom he had always assisted whenever there were squabbles, he then proceeded to the scene.

Noise

Dlamini informed the court that as he was approaching, he could tell that there was a lot of noise at a certain KaPeter homestead and he concluded that the people he had referred to above, probably meant that the squabble was at that homestead. “Upon arrival at the said homestead, which I was acquainted with and knew that there were preparations for a funeral thereat and even before I could investigate the report, a group of 40 people identified me as a member of the Royal Eswatini Police Service and started hurling insults at me,” submitted the accused. He further claimed that they attacked him carrying an assortment of weapons including bush knives, handmade knives, knobkerries and all sort of weapons. “I tried to escape from the group which was attacking me for unknown reasons and my escape efforts were becoming more and more in vain and it was then that I used the service rifle to pave an escape route,” he argued.

Dlamini said the assault continued, with the group of people even having stripped him the top of his police uniform and trying to dispose him of the service rifle which he had cocked at the time. He claimed that the group was also trying to take the gun from him. “As I had reasonable belief that once the gun was taken from me, I was going to get shot, the service rifle fired two shots and the group of people dispersed with about two of them remaining behind.  I then realised that the two shots from the service rifle had hit two people and they were already lying on the ground.” The bail application is still pending at the High Court and the Crown is yet to indicate whether it is opposing same or not. The accused is represented by Linda Dlamini of Linda Dlamini & Associates in Mbabane.

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