UMPHAKATSI ARSON: PREGNANT WOMAN DIES

MANZINI – Tebesutfu Nkambule (23) and her unborn baby passed away after being victims of an arson attack.

Tebesutfu is the pregnant woman, who was with Nhluweni Royal Kraal Headman Sibusiso Jele, when the umphakatsi, which is under LaMgabhi Inkhundla, was torched by unknown people about a week ago (on the night of Sunday October 23, 2022). It is worth noting that in most arson attacks which took place after the civil unrest of June/July 2021, the arsonists usually ordered the occupants of the targeted house to get out before they were torched.

In this case, the duo was in a one-room house, which was set alight together with a rondavel and they were both rushed to Mankayane Government Hospital, with serious injuries, where they were admitted. According to a source close to the matter, when the medical practitioners at the hospital were running tests on the pregnant woman, the results suggested that the unborn baby had died. Thereafter, the source said the medical practitioners took her for an operation to remove the foetus, which they successfully did.

Buried

He said the foetus was taken by Tebesutfu’s family, who later buried it. Thereafter, he said after the operation, Tebesutfu seemed to be recovering well until Tuesday when she became gravely ill and on Wednesday, at around 11am, she passed on, while she was receiving medical assistance at the government hospital. On another note, the source said the royal kraal’s headman was still admitted to the hospital. When this publication visited him after the arson attack incident, it found that he was burnt mainly on the feet and hands. The death of Tebesutfu was confirmed by the Deputy Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, Inspector Nosipho Mnguni.

On the same note, the deceased woman’s father, Thulani, also confirmed the incident and said her daughter’s death came as a shock to them as a family because they had seen her recovering well after the operation. He said after burying the foetus, they frequently visited her in hospital and she was getting better. He said the deceased was a girlfriend of the headman, whom they already referred to as a son-in-law. He said she was left behind a two-year- old child.

Allocation

According to one of the community elders (umsumpe) who was found at the royal kraal after the arson attack incident, he said they suspected that the attack on the life of the headman was linked to allegations which had to do with inappropriate allocation of land as there were people who were livid about it. He said there were longstanding grievances about the inappropriate allocation of land and they were accompanied with threats. It is worth noting that the royal kraal does not have a chief, thus it is called lihambate and it is under the leadership of Acting Ludzidzini Governor Lusendvo Fakudze and the headman was living at the umphakatsi. The arson attack was the second one in a space of about two months, as around August 2022, unknown people set alight the gogo centre and it was said that it was a warning to the indvuna, over the alleged inappropriate allocation of land.
However, after the arson attack, the headman said he believed that the attack at the royal kraal and to his life was politically motivated.

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