NASH: I WOULD HAVE HANDED MY SON OVER IF ...

MANZINI – “If the police had given me a chance, I would have handed over my son.”

Bishop Dr Nash Shongwe shared these sentiments at the end of a service at Divine Healing Ministries Manzini Branch yesterday.  It was a moving service, which was brief and ran from 11am until 12:33pm. It was marked by messages of condolences on the passing on of the bishop’s son, Sikhumbuzo. Pastor Sikhumbuzo was shot by the police on Thursday, around 1am, while at Moneni. This came after he had shot dead businessman Zweli Tsabedze.

During the service yesterday, the bishop did not share the Word but instead, it was shared by Pastor Khoza. His wife was also not present during the service.  Pastor Khoza’s sermon lasted for about 30 minutes, and the bishop was given a chance to convey his words of appreciation to church members on behalf of the Shongwe family.   Bishop Shongwe said a lot had been said but the church members knew what had befallen his family. The bishop said his son respected him as a father in every way possible.  He said had the police given him a chance, he would have convinced his son to hand himself over, no matter what. Nonetheless, the bishop stated that the death of his son had happened and it could never be reversed now.  He encouraged his church members to leave everything to God’s hands.

Probe

When this publication called him and enquired if the Shongwe family would request a probe into the shooting of their son, which ultimately led to his death, the bishop requested not to comment yet. When asked what efforts he had made to ensure that his son handed himself over to the police, Bishop Nash said on the night he was informed that Pastor Sikhumbuzo had shot the businessman last Thursday, he called him and instructed him to do so. “On that night I called him and said I would send him to the police on the following day (Friday morning), but he said he would hand himself on the same night and would spend the night in jail. My response was that it was ok and I would come by to check on him in the morning,” the bishop said.

He added that he made calls to follow up on whether he had handed himself over to the police on that night, but would be told that his son was still not arrested. The bishop also supposed that he called the police as soon as he heard that his son had killed Tsabedze. “I called them many times, and the last time I communicated with them was around 9pm. They would tell me he had not handed himself mover,” the bishop said. He said little did he know that his son would be shot. 

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