SENZO HAD REASON TO KILL JOMO - MAXWELL

MBABANE – There is now fingerpointing regarding who killed Jomo Khumalo.

The accused, Maxwell Nkambule, yesterday told the court that he was on good terms with Khumalo and alleged that it was Senzo Sithole, the State witness, who had a reason to kill him. He alleged that Sithole and Khumalo shared a woman and they did not see eye-to-eye.

On the other hand, Sithole told Judge Ticheme Dlamini that Khumalo was allegedly murdered on the instruction of Nkambule. 

He said Nkambule allegedly told him that he wanted Khumalo dead because he blamed him for being responsible for burning his Iveco mini-bus.

He alleged that according to Nkambule, Khumalo’s permit had been suspended and he burnt the mini-bus belonging to the accused in retaliation. They were both members of the Interstate Kombis Association.

However, yesterday Nkambule alleged that Sithole was the one who was responsible for the murder of Khumalo. 

He alleged that Sithole, the State witness, and Khumalo were in love with the same woman, whom he said was a police officer. 

Instructed

This was during cross-examination yesterday by Nkambule’s representative, Advocate Lucas Maziya, who has been instructed by Osborne Nzima of Nzima and Associates.

Advocate Maziya said, according to Nkambule, he was on good terms with Khumalo and differences only existed between him (Khumalo) and the interstate association, and not with him (accused) personally. 

Sithole said this was not true. He told the court that the accused had allegedly informed him that he was not in good terms with Khumalo because he, instead of concentrating on the business of the interstate association, was always on his case, fighting him personally. Sithole disputed that there was bad blood between him and Khumalo, whom he referred to as sibali (brother-in-law) .

Nkambule alleged that he had no reason to hire a hit man to kill Khumalo. Sithole said that was not true because he had travelled with Nkambule to Johannesburg to fetch the alleged hit man, Xolani Nkosi, after the accused allegedly stated that he wanted Khumalo dead.

“He had no reason to hire a hit man because they were on good terms and even if he thought that Jomo was involved in burning his mini-bus, his vehicles were insured, so he had no reason to kill him,” said Advocate Maziya.

Nkambule alleged that Sithole, personally, could have reasons to eliminate Khumalo because they were allegedly in love with the same woman and were not on good terms. 

Sithole explained that he was not a member of the interstate association and he had no reason to fight Khumalo. 

Enemies

He also explained that he and Khumalo were not enemies, as well as his relatives, Bambumuti and Machocolate, were on good terms with him. 

The two were also involved in the interstate association.

Nkambule went on to allege that the vehicle in which Khumalo, his wife and children were travelling when he was killed, a Mazda Demio, belonged to the said woman he claimed the two were in a relationship with. Sithole said he knew nothing about what Nkambule claimed.

The accused alleged that the Mazda Demio was in Khumalo’s possession because he had taken it from the female police officer he said the two were in love with. Nkambule alleged that Khumalo took the car from the woman after he discovered that she was in a love relationship with Sithole. 

“Jomo discovered that she was also going out with you and he took the car from the woman because he was so angry that he had spent money towards purchasing the vehicle. 

“The woman is a police officer,” said Nkambule, through his representative. According to Nkambule, Sithole allegedly had every reason to get Khumalo killed because he benefitted from the use of the motor vehicle. Sithole said this was not true and he was not aware of it.

“You are the one who is responsible for Jomo’s death. You killed him, not at the behest of the accused. You had your own personal score to settle with him,” added Nkambule.

This, according to Sithole, was not true. The witness said he was not aware if Khumalo’s wife got shot when her husband was killed. 

He also told the court that he was not aware who drove Khumalo’s vehicle after he had been killed. 

The woman in question, according to Nkambule, was the one who Sithole had earlier told the court that he had seen at the staff canteen at Matsapha Correctional Services in the company of Khumalo, who was travelling in a Ford Ranger on November 10, 2019. 

That woman, according to Sithole, was not the one Khumalo was travelling with when he was murdered.

Maziya asked Sithole if he did not find if strange that at Ntabamhloshana, where he took a nap while they waited for Khumalo at the main road, he was woken up by the alleged hit man, who showed him the vehicle which the deceased was driving when he was killed. 

Pursued

He said Nkosi told him that he had seen Khumalo driving the car and they pursued it until he was shot near the Manzini Traffic Circle. The advocate also asked Sithole why he did not mention in his statement that when they returned from Johannesburg on November 10, 2019, allegedly to fetch the hit man, they went to a tavern after passing Witbank. 

Judge Dlamini questioned the advocate if he expected any person to mention that when recording a statement. Maziya said he saw no reason why it should not be mentioned. 

The judge said suspects were advised not to say things that would incriminate them. 

In response, Sithole said he was still confused. He said it was after his charges had been withdrawn and the court warned him that he was expected to tell the whole truth that he mentioned it in his evidence-in-chief.  Sithole has completed giving the court his testimony. 

The matter has been postponed to March 22, 2021.

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