FAMILY SUSPECTS MILITARY RIFLE USED TO KILL THULANI

MBABANE – The late Human Rights Lawyer Thulani Maseko’s family is of the view that the gun that was used to kill him was similar to those used in the military.

Yesterday, the family had Maseko’s autopsy done in order to confirm the cause of death, which was the three bullets that were fired at him.
The deceased succumbed to three gunshot wounds which were aimed and fired towards him on Saturday, at around 9:10pm, in a cold-blooded murder.
He was killed while at his parental home at KaLuhleko, which is a community located about 50 kilometres south-west of Manzini and about 10 kilometres from Bhunya.

Bullets

Two of the bullets pierced his head while the third hit his rib cage. In an interview at the Mbabane Government Hospital, where the autopsy was performed, Barnes Dlamini said the Maseko family wanted the autopsy performed in order for them to get to know what really transpired during the night in question. “We have since confirmed that indeed Maseko was shot, but what we don’t know is who killed him and why,” said Dlamini.
Dlamini, who is the Chairperson of the Institute for Democracy and Leadership (IDEAL), said the doctors or pathologists confirmed that indeed Maseko died due to the gunshots and were of the view that these were fired with the intention to kill him. He said they also voiced out their opinion that the gun used in killing the lawyer was not just a simple gun but a big assault rifle.

He alleged that as a family, based on the accuracy and the velocity of the shots fired towards Maseko, one would say it was a gun used in the military.
On Tuesday, this publication reported that the bullet shells, according to sources, were of an assault rifle. It was reported that the sources further explained that the gun was an automatic assault rifle as the first two shots which went through Maseko’s head had been fired simultaneously. They claimed that the carnage left by the bullets, depicted same, unlike a pistol which makes insertions and did not exit the body with large chunks of flesh.

Shooting

Meanwhile, on Monday, this publication quoted senior family members of the deceased, claiming that Tanele (wife to the deceased), had informed them that leading to the shooting, she had seen the gun and it appeared huge. Ballistics experts suggested that the assault rifle used to kill Maseko might have had a night vision device, which could be handheld but many were head-mounted and attached to helmets.

They suggested that when used with firearms, an IR laser sight was often mounted to the user’s weapon. They suggested that these devices might have assisted in aiming at Maseko, despite that it was at night and the shots were able to be accurate in hitting the target. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said the investigation into Maseko’s death was still ongoing. Vilakati had been asked about the allegations that Dlamini made, to the effect that the weapon used to kill Maseko was more or less like those used in the military and the latest developments regarding the investigation into the murder of Maseko.

Hopeful

Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku also touched on Maseko’s death during a press conference yesterday afternoon. He stated that as government, they were hopeful that even in this particular case of Maseko, the police would make an arrest and his killers would be brought to justice. Masuku said the late lawyer’s case was on government or the police’s priority, just like any other high profile cases.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: