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‘PUBLIC TRANSPORT USED TO MOVE FIREARMS’

06/02/2023 08:43:00 Times Reporters

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MBABANE – Some of the guns that were used during the attacks by members of the Swaziland Solidarity Forcers were reportedly conveyed in public transport.

This is according to a statement that was reportedly recorded by Sibusiso Nxumalo, when he was arrested by the police. Nxumalo is a member of Swazis First Democratic Front (SFDF).
He disclosed that the guns would be hidden in 50kg bags full of mealie-meal and mats (emacansi). He also stated that they sometimes slept on mountains or forests after an ‘operation’.
According to an impeccable source, in his statement, Nxumalo mentioned that one day he was called by one of the members of the SFDF, who invited him to a meeting in Manzini.

Waited

The accused (Nxumalo) said the other member of the underground forces was driving a BMW sedan and they proceeded to Lugaganeni where they waited for ‘Putin’, who was purportedly also part of them. “’Putin’ arrived in Mdumiseni Bus Service and he was carrying a 50kg of maize meal (umgcakazo) wherein we inserted the firearms inside. The big Galil gun was wrapped in a mat. We proceeded to Ekukhanyeni with him and took the guns and went to hide them in a forest next to a river,” alleged Nxumalo. He said after hiding the guns, they went to Manzini. The accused narrated that after two days, they went to Luve where they found other members of the underground forces; ‘011’, ‘13’ and ‘04’.

“We proceeded to the place where we had hidden the guns and we were each given instructions on how we were going to attack and burn a homestead of Motsa, who is a police officer. The reason for attacking Motsa was that he was ill-treating Swazis,” alleged the accused. He narrated that when they reached the Motsa homestead, they got a call from their commander, (name withheld). He said the commander told them that Motsa was the police officer who was killing emaSwati. Nxumalo disclosed that when they reached Motsa’s homestead at Ekukhanyeni, one of them was carrying a five-litre container with petrol and he was carrying a Star pistol. He alleged that ‘13’ was armed with a small Galil, while Marcelino Khumalo was armed with a big Galil.

Alarm

“Upon arrival, we knocked at the door and found his wife who raised the alarm when she saw us. The neighbours tried to intervene but one of us fired two live rounds at them and they ran away,” said Nxumalo. He said they then proceeded to burn two houses and a Totoya Hilux. The accused alleged that Khumalo fired three gunshots in the air. He narrated that when they were done, ‘13’ told Motsa’s wife that they were not interested in killing them but they wanted to kill the police officers who were not giving them democracy. He continued to state that they then went to a place where they got guns. According to Nxumalo, at that place they found a certain executive member of the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO), who had parked his Toyota Corolla. “He then picked us, while others boarded the BMW. He (name withheld) drove us to one of his friends at Croydon and along the way we met a white Toyota GD6 and a police van. At Croydon, we met his friend, who is a leader of one of the SWAYOCO branches. He gave us a room to sleep,” alleged the accused.

It was further his narration that when they woke up, they planned the burning of the homestead of Chief Justice (CJ) Bheki Maphalala. Nxumalo said they organised a mat from the SWAYOCO leader to wrap the guns. He alleged that at Croydon, they bought chicken at around 2pm and the executive member of SWAYOCO organised a Toyota Tazz, which was used as a surveillance car to avoid roadblocks ahead of them. Nxumalo went on to state that they travelled to Mkhuzweni in northern Hhohho in the Toyota Tazz. He said at Mkhuzweni, they met a man from Mgobodzi who was driving a maroon Nissan sedan. He alleged that the BMW they were travelling in had developed a mechanical problem, hence the need to get another car to transport the guns.Nxumalo claimed that he was the one responsible for taking pictures after they had burnt structures.

“We boarded Mdumiseni transport with Marcelino and Smally and we were carrying the guns which were wrapped in mats which we were given by (name withheld)’s friend,” he said.
Nxumalo said they proceeded to Mbelebeleni where they arrived at around 8pm. He alleged that upon arrival they found ‘07’, who took them to a nearby homestead and he told them that there was no one staying there. According to Nxumalo, they were checked by a certain Mngometulu who is a member of SWAYOCO. The accused related that at around 8pm, with Marcelino and the Mngometulu man, they proceeded to the CJ’s homestead and along the way they met another member of the underground forces, who gave them E200 each for bus fare.

He stated that when they went to the CJ’s homestead, they were all armed and one of them was carrying a five-litre container with petrol. The accused alleged that upon arrival, they circled the CJ’s homestead and some of them knocked on the doors, checking if some of the occupants were police officers who had been deployed to guard the homestead. “We then took out the occupants from the houses and then fired live rounds in the air while one of us was sprinkling petrol on the houses. After setting the houses on fire, we then proceeded to the kraal where Mercelino and the other guy who was with us, shot the cattle,” he said. Nxumalo alleged that they then went to a nearby bush where they were watching police officers shooting in the air. He said they went to sleep on a mountain and early in the morning, they boarded a bus to Manzini. Nxumalo said he then proceeded to Matsapha where he stayed.

“We then proceeded to Pigg’s Peak for another operation via Shaka Mountain to get firearms. I was with (name withheld) and another member,” stated the accused (Nxumalo). He alleged that on that day, they were travelling in a car which had been allegedly rented by SWAYOCO executive member from his friend who was a lecturer at SANU. He recounted that upon arrival in Pigg’s Peak, they left the firearms at a homestead of a certain man, who was an uncle to one of them.

Petrol

Nxumalo narrated that on the following day, he together with another member of the underground forces, went to Pigg’s Peak CTA to check if there were security guards there. He said when they went there, they were all armed and he was carrying matches, while ‘13’ was carrying two litres of petrol. “Upon arrival, we cut the fence with a bolt cutter and gained entry. We burnt the cars we found thereat and one of us fired some shots at windows. We then ran into the forest. While in the forest, we got lost and we spent the night there as we could not find the way out,” alleged Nxumalo. He claimed that the following morning they called the man and he came to pick them up as they were lost in the forest. He alleged that they went to the man’s house, where they stayed for some days and they proceeded to Mgobodzi, where they planned to kill soldiers at Zibonele Army Barracks. Nxumalo alleged that the guns were already at Mgobodozi and they were conveyed thereto by the man.

“He (name withheld), well known as Magongo, rented a white Ford Ranger to transport us to Zibonele Army Barracks and also to transport the guns,” said Nxumalo. He informed the police that when they went to attack the army base they were all armed. The accused said they were transported by another Magongo man. “Upon arrival, I started recording immediately as some of those I was with started firing gunshots at the soldiers. After having fired several shots, we then ran away. While we were shooting, Marcelino hurled insults and further said ‘sesikhona phumani’. He claimed that as they ran away, along the way, Marcelino tried to shoot a sedan which was next to the army base. Nxumalo related that they went to a certain homestead where they spent the night. He said that was the last time he saw the guns that were used during their operations around the country. Nxumalo claimed that he went to Mahlabatsini, Matsapha where he rented a flat.

“That was the end of my story with those guys. In January I was phoned by my neighbour, who told me about guns which were owned by his uncle. He said he wanted to give me the guns because he knew I was a member of the Solidarity Forces,” said Nxumalo. The accused alleged that his neighbour led him to a certain homestead where the guns were being kept. He said they then took the firearms and went to nearby bushes to hide them. “The firearms were a 12 bore rifle and a pellet gun. I then organised (name withheld) to come and fetch them in the Ford Ranger. We proceeded to a mountain at Fairview next to Soweto. We then dispersed and never met again,” he claimed. (Names withheld as the implicated people have neither been arrested nor charged)