NGIYOFELA ENKHOSINI - UMBUTFO SHOT FROM INCWALA

MANZINI – Joseph Dube, the 62-year-old Umbutfo who was shot by unknown men while on his way from dancing the Little Incwala, said ‘uyofela eNkhosini’  (will be the King’s subject forever).

Umbutfo Gudlimbekelo, who is a member of the Inyatsi Regiment and a former mine worker, was shot by two unknown men in the late afternoon of Thursday around Mbekelweni and was clad in traditional regalia when the incident took place. Speaking from his hospital bed, he said he was on his way home from dancing the ongoing Little Incwala when a white VW Golf sedan passed him and made a U-turn at a junction (about 100 metres away), which goes into his home.

Thereafter, when it drove  back towards him it was moving  slowly and he became suspicious. He claimed that as he monitored its movements and it drew closer to him, one man allegedly jumped out of the slow moving vehicle and ran towards him. “He aimed a gun (pistol) at me and I lifted my shield with my left hand, held my umboyi (stick) tight with my right hand and charged towards him. I ran in a zig-zag manner as I had the feeling that the man can shoot me anytime,” the survivor alleged.

He purported that as he was running; he covered the upper part of his body with the shield and would at time peep through the side of the lihawu. As they (him and the gunmen) drew closer to each other, he claimed that the man started firing gunshots at him, but he missed, supposedly because he could not see his upper part of the body and the fact that he was running in a zig-zag manner. After that, he said as the car came closer, one of the occupants aimed at him with a gun through the back window and fired gunshots. In the process, he alleged that he was shot three times on his left thigh.

Shooters

Thereafter, he said he fell on the ground and he could not remember what happened after that. He said he was rushed to the hospital by police officers who were called by people who were first to arrive at the scene, shortly after the shooters had fled. “I thank my  guardian angel because I believe it protected me. Again, the shield played a huge part because if it did not shield my upper part of the body, the gunman, who jumped out of the moving car, might have shot me in the chest or  even head,” he said.

Umbutfo Gudlimbekelo said even though he was working in the mines in neighbouring South Africa, he had never missed the Incwala Ceremony since he joined the Inyatsi Regiment through kubutseka, ages ago when he was still a teenager. Kubutseka is an official declaration of loyalty and allegiance to His Majesty the King and initiation into the king’s regiments. However, after being shot, he said he was not sure if he would be able to walk again because on the same leg, he had fractures above and beneath the knee. At the time when this publication visited him in hospital, at around 9am yesterday, he said he could not move his leg, but said the medical practitioners were still going to assess the gunshot wound further.

When asked if  he had any idea as to who would want  him dead, he said he was going to assume that maybe one of his enemies, but did not want to elaborate further. However, he mentioned that someone showed his attackers where he was staying because they could have targeted him anywhere along the way, but since they knew his home, they decided to waylay him by his homestead. Meanwhile, Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni confirmed the matter. She said the police were investigating and no arrests had been made yet.

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