SOLDIERS SHOOT DEAD FLEEING SUSPECTED TRUCK SMUGGLER

DWALILE – A suspected Mozambican truck smuggler had his skull and chest split open after soldiers manning the borderline between Swaziland and South Africa riddled his body with bullets.

The nerve-wrecking incident occurred during the tranquil hours of Friday, at about 3am, when members of the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force (USDF) spotted a white South African registered truck being smuggled through a cut fence in the borderline at Dwalile area, outside Mankayane.

The soldiers are said to have first signalled for the truck to stop but the driver ignored their instructions, prompting them to open fire.
The truck did not stop and the army personnel alerted their colleagues from another base to be on the lookout for a white truck that was approaching their direction.

Upon receiving the message, the soldiers are said to have waited in ambush for the truck.
When they also failed to force the driver to stop, the army personnel sprayed the truck with bullets, some of which are said to have blasted his skull, splitting it open in the process.

Bullets

Other bullets are said to have landed in different areas in the body, including the feet and also leaving another gash wound in the man’s chest.
The man died on the spot, possibly from the serious nature of the injuries sustained.

 Army Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Madoda Mkhatshwa, who confirmed receiving a report on the incident, said documents which were found inside the truck upon inspection suggested that the driver was of Mozambican origin.
“The members of the USDF heard the sound of the truck, and upon inspection they saw it crossing the borderline into the country.

They opened fire when the driver did not stop,” he said.
The truck is suspected to have been stolen from a South African company, as suggested by the inscriptions on its body.
The ultimate destination is believed to have been the neighbouring eastern country of Mozambique.

A call that was made to the Mankayane police station brought investigators to the scene, and the bullet-riddled body of the suspected smuggler was taken to the Mankayane Government Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
The corpse was later transferred to the health facility’s mortuary.

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