I WAS OFFERED E300 000 TO CHANGE STATEMENT - ‘NCAZA’

MBABANE – Mbuso ‘Ncaza’ Nkosi has alleged that Sipho Shongwe’s wife, Vuyiswa and his son, Sifiso, offered him E300 000 to change his statement in the murder case.

Nkosi (41) was continuing with his testimony as a State witness during Shongwe’s trial for the murder of Victor Gamedze, which occurred on January 14, 2018. He told the court that a number of people tried to influence him not to testify against Shongwe, alleging that some people paid him a visit in prison where he was serving a sentence of 10 years for attempted murder while others called him. He alleged that most of these people had been sent by Shongwe to try to convince him against testifying against him (Shongwe). Nkosi alleged that he was approached even after January 10, 2022, which was when he went to the High Court of Eswatini for the first time following his extradition. On that date, Shongwe’s trial did not proceed and it was postponed and Nkosi was taken back to South Africa.

Returned

He then returned to Eswatini on Sunday. Yesterday, Advocate Michael Hellens, who represents the State, asked Nkosi if there had been other attempts to interfere with him regarding testifying in the murder case. He had told the court about Advocate Ntabiseng Mohomane, whom he said had been sent by Shongwe to offer him and Siphiwe ‘Tata’ Ngubane R2 million worth of drugs and E700 000 upfront if they did not testify against the accused (Shongwe). Mohomane, according to Nkosi, allegedly also wanted them to sign affidavits to the effect that they no longer wanted to come to Eswatini to give evidence in the matter. The witness stated that after he had returned to South Africa, following his arrival in the country on January 10, 2022, one Mveli Dlamini, who is his friend from Eswatini, told him that he wanted to talk to him. Nkosi said he was communicating with Mveli through WhatsApp. He alleged that Mveli told him that Vuyiswa and Sifiso were offering E300 000 for him to change his statement.

“This was a week after I was in Eswatini on January 10, 2022,” said Nkosi. He further informed the court that he and Mveli communicated through voice messages or voice notes, which he captured and forwarded to the lead investigator, Senior Superintendent Sikhumbuzo Fakudze. He said there were about 20 such voice messages. He submitted that in 2019, after he had been arrested in South Africa for the murder of Gamedze, Sifiso informed him that a bus had been delivered to his (Nkosi) parental home. He said this was after Farouk Meyers, who was last year murdered in cold blood, had paid him a visit in prison. He alleged that Sifiso called him regularly trying to convince him not to testify against Shongwe and even sent him E10 000 for toiletry. He said he received the calls while in prison on his smuggled cellphone. Nkosi submitted that Sifiso did not want him to come to Eswatini to testify against his father.

Better

Nkosi said in 2018, he had been called by one Aziz, who told him that there was a bus from Shongwe. He said Aziz informed him that he knew he had a newborn and the bus would make the baby’s life better. He stated that he did not know Aziz but his name was familiar in the township. Nkosi said when Aziz called him, he was at his (Nkosi) parental home driving the bus and he left documents in the bus, which the witness gave to the court yesterday. The documents had a Matsapha United FC emblem and SwaziBank and Premier League of Eswatini on them. He said he asked his mother to make copies of those documents, which now form part of the exhibits. Nkosi said he did not know what became of the bus.

He further told the court that after January 10, 2022, Sifiso, Aziz and Shongwe’s friend Mpho allegedly came to Soweto and Aziz took them to Ronny (Nkosi’s friend). He alleged that they informed Ronny that they wanted to see him regarding changing his statement. He said they wanted him to state that he was not hired by Shongwe but by Farouk to kill Gamedze and also state that he knew the accused only by name. He said they would give him money. This proposal, according to Nkosi, was made to Ronny. Nkosi said he got this information from Ngubane. He submitted that Ngubane told him that it was up to him to decide what to do and advised him that if he took the money, it would be a problem. The witness said he contacted the head of the prison, Mthethwa, who said he should allow them to come to the prison and they would put them in an office where the conversation would be recorded. It is alleged that since Sifiso was afraid to come to prison, Mpho would come. However, according to Nkosi, none of them came.  

Visited

Another person who visited Nkosi in prison, according to him, was Farouk. The witness told the court that Farouk told him that he had paid an officer who was in charge in Pretoria, and that he should not say that he was the one who shot Gamedze but implicate Ngubane. Farouk, according to Nkosi, told him that he would then make sure that Ngubane would die wherever he was. He said he told Farouk that ‘sizobona’ and he (Farouk) gave him E300 and left. He said he called Ngubane and warned him to be careful of what he ate. When he testified also as a State witness last year, Ngubane submitted that he was once poisoned in prison. Sipho Mnisi, who is Shongwe’s former lawyer, allegedly tried to convince Nkosi to not come to Eswatini to testify, alleged the witness. Nkosi said he had called Mnisi previously before he was arrested and he wanted to speak to him but he allegedly refused. Nkosi said when Mnisi called him, he reminded him that he was arrogant when he called him previously but now wanted him to entertain him.

Attempts

He alleged that Mnisi said they should speak like gentlemen ‘and I said I was not interested and had left everything to be dealt with by the law’. Nkosi said he informed the Eswatini investigators and prosecutors about the alleged attempts to prevent him from coming to the country. Between late 2019 and 2020, Nkosi said, while being transported by prison officers from court, where he appeared for a remand hearing, they were followed by an Audi and a BMW. He said the occupants of the two vehicles were not sure in which vehicle he was in, and one of the officers signalled to make them aware that they had seen them and the two cars drove off. Yesterday, Nkosi gave the court names of four individuals whom he said Sandile ‘Dzodzo’ Zikalala/Luthango alleged were involved in the plot to kill Gamedze. He said the people were Sthofen, Mike, Mamba and Zakes. The matter continues today.

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