Times Of Swaziland: SUSPECT ARRESTED IN SA BISHOP JG LINDA'S DEATH

SUSPECT ARRESTED IN SA BISHOP JG LINDA'S DEATH
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Sibusiso Shange on 01/04/2025 09:05:00


MBABANE - A year and three months after the death of renowned South African
Bishop JG Linda, police have made a significant breakthrough with the arrest of
his alleged assailant, Nhlanhla Sikhondze.
Sikhondze was apprehended last Sunday and is currently cooperating with the
police in connection with the bishop’s murder. He appeared at the Mbabane
Magistrates Court yesterday, where he began recording a confession before
Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi. The confession was not completed,
however, as Sikhondze spent nearly two and a half hours during the proceedings,
and time constraints resulted in an adjournment.
It is important to note that Sikhondze had been on the police’s list of most
wanted individuals since the discovery of Bishop Linda’s decomposed body in a
stream at Motshane in January last year. The bishop’s lifeless body, which
bore gaping wounds on both sides of the head and to the stomach, was found
approximately four metres from a small stream within a forested area. There are
reports suggesting that the deceased’s tongue was missing.
Robbed
Prior to the bishop’s disappearance, Sikhondze allegedly posed as a good
Samaritan, offering to assist him in locating a filling station. During this
encounter, it is claimed that the unsuspecting bishop was robbed of his motor
vehicle and a firearm, leading to the circumstances of his death.
The body was discovered by local residents who frequently used the footpath
connecting Motshane and Hawane, already in an advanced state of decomposition.
Residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, expressed suspicions that the
bishop had been killed elsewhere and disposed of in that secluded location.
“We suspect that the man was killed and later dumped here because his face
does not look familiar in the area. We observed gaping wounds in the head and
stomach, which gave us the impression that he might have been hacked to
death,” said one resident.
Upon investigation, it was found that the body was dumped about 500 metres from
the Motshane-Pigg’s Peak Public Road, with a distance of approximately 150
metres from the gravel road to the stream where the corpse was located. This
raised questions about the possible movements of the assailants who might have
transported the deceased to the site.
Confusion among some locals about the incident persists due to the isolated
nature of the surrounding farmland and minimal neighbouring properties.
The manner in which the body was discarded has sparked significant concern over
the ongoing incidents of killings and bodies being disposed of throughout the
country.
Corpse
The discovery of Bishop Linda’s corpse comes amid other violent incidents in
the region, including the execution-style murders of two South African men,
allegedly at the hands of their compatriots, near a guest house in Ezulwini.
This was followed by the homicide of Matsapha businessman Sifiso Simelane, whose
body was discovered in Malkerns, an incident believed to be a targeted
assassination by friends. Moreover, Samukeliso Chirwa was found deceased with
his head buried in sand in Ezulwini, a discovery made by a herd boy tending to
livestock.
It is pertinent to mention that Simelane’s alleged killers have been arrested
and charged with murder, and their case remains pending in court, while no
progress has been reported regarding Chirwa’s murder investigation.