Times Of Swaziland: LAWYER FOUND DEAD IN FLAT, STAGED SUICIDE SUSPECTED

LAWYER FOUND DEAD IN FLAT, STAGED SUICIDE SUSPECTED
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Mbongiseni Ndzimandze and Kwanele Dlamini on 23/03/2022 08:33:00


MBABANE - In what is believed to be a staged suicide, a lawyer was yesterday
found dead in his house at Fonteyn.
The body of Zwelakhe Hlophe (29) of Hawane, who is the son of Supreme Court
Judge Nkululeko Hlophe, and Industrial Court Judge Lorraine Hlophe was found in
the bathroom of his flat by some of his neighbours on Monday at 6:30pm. His body
was found in a sitting position between a toilet seat and bathtub, with a pyjama
belt tied around his neck and the burglar bars of a window behind the toilet.
Zweli’s body was found dressed in black trousers and a waistcoat, a white
shirt and a bib, which is how lawyers dress when appearing at the High Court.
According to a source, Zweli, as he was popularly known, was supposed to meet
his mother in town, but he did not show up. His mother, according to the source,
proceeded to his rented flat at Fonteyn and found the burglar door ajar. The
door is said to have been locked and when Judge Lorraine called him on his
cellphone, he did not pick up.
Challenge
The source also said the thought was that Zweli probably had financial
challenges at the time and his mother had transferred a certain amount of money
to him via Mobile Money, which he had not withdrawn when he met his death. This,
according to the source, was an indicator that he did not leave the house since
then. The deceased is suspected to have been in the house at the time. Those who
discovered his body are said to have found the door unlocked. This was despite
the fact that his mother had found the door locked on Saturday and the burglar
door slightly opened. The source stated that on Sunday, they noticed that the
burglar door was still in the same position and on Monday, they opened the door
and found that it was not locked. The question is, according to the source; who
had then unlocked the door and where did the key come from?
In Zweli’s motor vehicle, there were some of his clothes, some of which were
torn, including a black waistcoat, and a mud-stained bib, as well as a short
wooden stick. Inside the house, the wardrobe appeared to have been ransacked and
some of his clothes were missing. Police, who attended to the scene, took
cupcakes and a Coca-Cola soft drink which was in a two-litre container. The
investigators also took Zweli’s cellphone, which might have information that
could lead them to a breakthrough in their investigations. Zweli’s death was
confirmed by his father, who said they were leaving everything in the hands of
the police to do their investigations. It has been reliably gathered that a
post–mortem will be conducted at the Mbabane Government Hospital to determine
the actual cause of his death.
A number of lawyers took to social media after learning about the death of
Zweli, and described him as a jolly, hardworking lawyer, who was willing to
assist anyone. Among those who were found at the scene yesterday, was Senior
Lawyer Mangaliso Magagula of Magagula & Hlophe Attorneys, where the deceased
worked. Others were the deceased’s grandfather and sister Zinhle.