NKHABA – “I called my son, not knowing that he was the one who had shot himself at Lobamba Police Station.”
These were the words of Linda Dlamini, whose son, Ndumiso, shot himself dead at his duty station yesterday morning. Linda said he called Ndumiso after seeing a Facebook post stating that one Zakhele Dlamini had shot himself while on duty at Lobamba Police Station.
He said when he called Ndumiso; his phone rang unanswered. Linda said he made the call after being contacted by the mother of Ndumiso’s child.
The senior citizen explained that the mother of the child called and asked him to rush to Mbabane without specifying the reason for the urgency.
“I asked her if her call was regarding the child before I responded that I could not leave my laundry and go to Mbabane. I told her I had planned to go tomorrow, and that was when she told me to call Ndumiso urgently,” he said.
He added that, while pondering on what had happened, his brother informed him that he had seen a police van around Majotini. They then saw the police van at his neighbour’s residence.
He said the police then drove back and went directly to his homestead. Linda suggested that the arrival of the police heightened suspicions that the circulating news involved Ndumiso.
“I heard my brother saying that the police should not confirm our suspicions,” he said.
Linda said the police greeted them, introduced a pastor, and invited them to pray. He said this invitation for prayer confirmed their suspicions.
Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the report of the police officer who reportedly shot himself at the duty station.
Vilakati stated that the police were so distressed by the incident that the National Commissioner of Police, Vusi Manoma Masango, established a committee to investigate the underlying causes of such incidents.
Family denies financial struggles behind suicide
NKHABA - The family of Ndumiso Dlamini, the police officer who reportedly shot himself at Lobamba Police Station, has dismissed claims that he was experiencing financial difficulties.
This follows online reports suggesting that Ndumiso took his own life after receiving information indicating a likely salary increment delay.
However, in an interview yesterday, his family stated there was no basis for such claims, emphasising that Ndumiso had a share of his mother’s estate awaiting him. “Ndumiso was employed as a police officer and was due to receive his share of his mother’s estate soon. There is no way he could have had financial problems that would have led him to end his life,” said his father, Linda Dlamini, who was interviewed alongside Sabelo Dlamini.
He explained that, apart from his employment and pension benefits, Ndumiso had invested a significant amount of money in a financial institution, which his mother had advised him to do to secure his future.
Linda, who lost his wife in September last year, said his son died while he was still recovering from his wife’s death. He recounted a strange feeling prompting him to renovate his homestead, which he did not realise was a premonition. “I had hired a painter to paint my house, and my brother was here to take measurements of the gate because we were about to have my wife’s tomb unveiling. However, I cannot continue with the project now,” Linda said.
He added that the family still questions why Ndumiso ended his life. They attempted to find a note but found none. Linda said his last conversation with his son was when he advised him to get new eyeglasses after losing the previous pair. He recalled that Ndumiso told him not to worry, as he had his own money, when he offered to buy him the glasses during their last conversation. “My son was very reserved and was deeply affected by his mother’s death, as they were very close. His roommate told me that he once found Ndumiso crying loudly in the kitchen while calling upon his mother,” he said.
He had just relieved colleagues
NKHABA – Ndumiso Dlamini, the police officer who reportedly shot himself at Lobamba Police Station, is said to have ended his life just after relieving his colleagues.
According to his father, Linda Dlamini, the family was informed that his son woke up at around 4:30am, took a bath and prepared for duty. He said they were told that Ndumiso then left for work, where he took an R5 rifle, and departed as someone on patrol. “We were told that Ndumiso returned and took a pistol before leaving to patrol. We were informed that one of his colleagues followed him and heard a gunshot before discovering him on the ground,” Linda explained. He said during an inspection of Ndumiso’s body at the mortuary, they found a gunshot wound to the forehead.
An undated picture of the late Ndumiso Dlamini, who reportedly shot himself dead with a pistol while at his duty station, Lobamba Police Station. (Courtesy pic)