E15 000 BAIL FOR DIVINE STABBING SUSPECT

MBABANE - One of the persons accused of allegedly attempting to kill Divine Healing Ministries Co-founder, Pastor Vusi Dlakudze, has told the court that the allegations against him were trumped-up.

This, Bonginkosi ‘Bobo’ Ginindza, 34 of Makholweni mentioned in his application for bail at the High Court. He did not deny that he was present on June 2, 2019 when the offence was committed outside the premises of Divine Healing Ministries.
However, he alleged that he did not take part in the attack.

He informed the court that he will plead not guilty to the charge of attempted murder when the matter goes to trial.
Ginindza submitted that he has a watertight defence to the charge as, “these are trumped-up allegations emanating from my presence with the assailants yet I did not participate in the action.”

The veracity of these allegations is still to be tested in court.
Ginindza, who was arrested with Siphiwo ‘Zuma’ Motsa (30), Dumsile Nyamane (29), and Khanyisile Simelane (36), for allegedly stabbing Dlakudze in the head and shoulder, told the court that he had heard that the Crown intended to oppose their bail application since the pastor was still in hospital.

He said in that case, the Crown was at liberty to amend the charges and bail be fixed within the range of capital offences. He mentioned that he was not a flight risk since he turned himself in to the police after he learnt that they (police) were looking for him.

The father of two said while he was at work on June 6, 2019 at Faster Traders in Manzini, he received a phone call from the mother of his children who informed him that the police were looking for him.

He said he reported at the police station after work and he was arrested. He appeared at the magistrates court with his co-accused on June 7, 2019 and they were remanded in custody until June 12 and June 19, 2019.

Ginindza’s bail application was heard by Principal Judge Qinisile Mabuza yesterday and he was granted bail fixed at E15 000. The court ordered him to pay a sum of E5 000 in cash and provide surety for the balance.

The pastor was reported to have been driving a Honda sedan when a seven-seater mini bus approached him.
The pastor is said to have noted that the seven-seater was somehow being driven recklessly but he never paid much attention to it.
This happened while the pastor was driving through Matsapha on his way to Manzini city.

When he realised that the mini-bus was right behind him, he drove fast and headed towards the church with the hope of locking himself inside.

Occupants

Dlakudze turned towards Fairview when he was approaching the Nazarene traffic lights, however, the mini-bus, which had four occupants, two females and males, took the same direction. It is believed that the suspects were irked by that the pastor was the one who allegedly first drove negligently when driving past them.

When Dlakudze got to the entrance of the church, he parked his car on the driveway and while attempting to open the gate, he was allegedly dragged out of the car by the suspects, who were carrying knives and bush knives.

The pastor was dragged and severely assaulted with the weapons on the head, face and all over the body.  He was further assaulted with kicks and fists, stabbed several times, hacked and left with gaping wounds.

A while later, the church’s security guard, who had not witnessed the incident but heard weird voices, saw the pastor’s vehicle and rushed to the main entrance.

Before he could even get here, the assailants’ vehicle sped off and when he got to the scene, he saw the pastor lying helplessly on the ground and in a pool of blood.

He raised the alarm and together with other members of the public who were passing through the church, he called the police.
Dlakudze was rushed to the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital, where he was admitted.

On the following day, one of his children, who is also a well-known businessman who owns a fleet of trucks, Nkamba Logistics, had him transferred to the Manzini Clinic, where he is currently recuperating.
Allegations are that one of the suspects owns a drinking spot in Matsapha and the suspects were highly intoxicated when the incident occurred.

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