SOLDIERS SHOOT ALLEGED CAR SMUGGLER DEAD

The white Toyota Hilux D4D which was being smuggled into the country, from South Africa, parked among other vehicles at the Nhlangano Police Station.

NHLANGANO – Soldiers manning the borderline separating Swaziland and South Africa, along Mshololo area, shot and killed a suspected car smuggler on Wednesday night.

Lieutenant Colonel Madoda Mkhatshwa, Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF) Spokesperson, told this publication that the army personnel were trying to stop a vehicle which had gained entry into the country through an illegal entry point late on Wednesday, when they shot and killed one of the occupants after the driver did not heed the warnings.

The officers shot and killed a passenger, while the driver managed to flee.
The army spokesperson said the officers opened fire because they feared for their safety when the driver simply drove straight towards them when they tried to intercept the automobile, a Toyota Hilux D4D, at around 11pm.
He said the pair was a threat and possibly armed, which left the officers with no other option but to pull the trigger.

“The officers fired the shot only to hamper further movement, as the person behind the wheel continued to drive, despite warnings against that,” said Mkhatshwa.
Police officers later arrived at the scene and whisked the badly injured man to the Nhlangano Health Centre, where a doctor declared him dead upon arrival.
Sources at the health facility informed this publication that the man was shot in the head, the back and his pelvic area.

The corpse was later transferred to a local morgue. An investigation revealed that the car was reported stolen, at gunpoint, at Magudu area near Nongoma in the KwaZulu Natal province of South Africa.
A handbag and baby toys were found inside the car, suggesting that the car may have been forcefully taken away from a female owner.

The vehicle was later towed to the Nhlangano Police Station, where it is currently kept for safety, pending further investigations.
Police declined to release the deceased suspect’s name, pending notification of his next-of-kin.
The identity of the driver who fled the scene was also withheld by the police, who said such a move may interfere with their investigations.

Assistant Superintendent Khulani Mamba, Police Information and Communications Officer, acknowledged receiving a report on the incident.

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