COPS SHOOT 2 MEN IN FIGHT OVER DAGGA

SITEKI – Police officers yesterday morning shot two men allegedly in retaliation to their aggressiveness and preventing them from leaving a homestead with a female and two bags of dagga.

The police officers were looking for some members of a mob who torched a Toyota Van valued at over E65 000, which was transporting 26 goats at KaShoba area last Wednesday, after suspecting that the goats had been stolen. The shot men are Thabiso Ndzimandze (26) and Thulani Bhengu (30). Thabiso was shot twice in his left leg and Thulani was shot in his left knee. They are both currently admitted to the Good Shepherd Catholic Hospital (GSCH) where they are receiving treatment.

Homestead

Yesterday, at around 10am at KaMkhweli area under Mpolonjeni Inkhundla, police officers under the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at the Siteki Police Station stormed a Bhengu homestead after getting a tip-off that one of the suspects linked in the torching of the van resided there. However, it was alleged that they found a female with a toddler in one of the houses during their search for the family member. It was established that the family member, who cannot be named, escaped after seeing the police van entering through the homestead’s gate. They combed the entire homestead and were confronted by two bags of dagga in one of the houses and they then arrested the female, who is currently in custody. The age of the female could not be ascertained. Bonginkosi Bhengu, a relative, said information he got was that the two shot men were away during the impromptu visit by the police officers.

Return

Bonginkosi alleged that upon their return (the two men), they found the police van on their homestead’s premises and enquired what was happening. However, at that instance, the police were already leaving the premises, walking towards a parked van with the woman and the two bags of dagga. “When they saw the police with the dagga bags and the woman, they enquired what was happening and they were told that they were looking for one of their siblings whom they did not find. They informed the duo that in their search, they found the woman and the two bags of dagga hence an arrest was made,” he alleged. Bonginkosi claimed that a fight then ensued as Thabiso and Thulani wanted the police to leave the two bags behind because they had come for one of their own who was allegedly linked to the crime of the torched van.

However, the police did not hear any of that and continued to their van. “It was at this moment that a fight ensued as one of them attempted to grab the bags of dagga from the officer and told the police to leave the woman behind and arrest him instead. As the heated argument continued, another officer opened fire and the two were shot in the process,” Bonginkosi claimed. Thulani corroborated the claims made by Bonginkosi. “I told them that they should leave the dagga because they didn’t find the person they were looking for but they responded by opening fire and shot Thabiso twice on his leg. While I was still frightened about the gunshots, the police officer then shot me,” he alleged.

Also interviewed about the ordeal, Thabiso shared the same chain of events, mentioning that they were not even armed to be shot in the manner the police officers did. “The person they were looking for had escaped and they then searched the house and found the dagga. Our gripe was why they took it because they came for our sibling not the dagga. We were both unarmed but they shot at us,” he claimed.

Confirmed

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the matter. Vilakati said police officers were looking for someone linked to the torching of a van at the homestead, resulting in the law enforcers finding two bags of dagga which were confiscated and a woman was taken into custody. “Two men prevented the police officers from leaving the homestead and fought them by pelting stones at them as well as closing the gate, threatening to set their car on fire. The police responded by shooting to ensure that they left the homestead and two sustained gunshot wounds on their legs,” she said.

Meanwhile, last week Wednesday, the Toyota Van valued at over E65 000 which was transporting 26 goats was torched by a mob of 20 men from KaShoba area after suspecting that the goats had been stolen. Jobe Ngcamphalala, the car owner from Ncandvweni area under Lubulini Inkhundla, said he spent E19 200 when buying the goats from different homes situated at the KaShoba area. He said he also lost E5 700 cash stashed in a bag together with his tablet and a phone valued at over E3 400. Ngcamphalala, who is a truck driver at the Ubombo Sugar Company, said he also lost documents like passport, public driving permit, blue book of the torched car and his work garments.

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