MURDER NOT RULED OUT IN LAWYER ZWELI HLOPHE’S DEATH

MBABANE - The likelihood that lawyer Zweli Hlophe was murdered has not been ruled out by two top South African forensic pathologists.

In their preliminary forensic report, Dr Steve Naidoo and Dr Reggie Perumal confirmed the possibility of foul play in the death of the lawyer. The full contents of the forensic report compiled by the South African pathologists will not be disclosed for now as investigations into the death of the lawyer are still ongoing. Zweli, the son of Supreme Court Judge Nkululeko Hlophe and Industrial Court Judge Lorraine Hlophe, died under mysterious circumstances on March 19, 2022. Zweli, who was 29 years old at the time of his death, worked under Magagula and Hlophe Attorneys, a law firm established by his father and Senior Lawyer Mangaliso Magagula.

Suspicion

There is suspicion that he was murdered before his body was placed in the bathroom of his flat to make it look like he had killed himself. His body was found by neighbours at Fonteyn in the bathroom of his rented flat. The corpse was found in a sitting position, between a toilet seat and bathtub, with a pyjama belt tied around his neck and the burglar bars of a window behind the toilet. He was dressed in black trousers and waistcoat, white shirt and a bib, which is how lawyers dress when appearing at the High Court. Those who discovered the body are said to have found the door unlocked. This was despite that his mother had found the door locked on Saturday and the burglar door slightly opened.

The source stated that on Sunday, they noticed that the burglar door was still in the same position and on Monday they opened the door and found that the door was not locked. The question is, according to the source; who had then unlocked the door and where did the key come from? In Zweli’s motor vehicle, there were some of his clothes, some of which were torn, including a black waistcoat, and a mud-stained bib as well as a short wooden stick. Inside the house, the wardrobe appeared to have been ransacked and some of his clothes were missing. Police, who attended to the scene, took cupcakes and a two-litre container of a soft drink. The investigators also took his cellphone, which might have information that could lead them to make a breakthrough in their investigations.

The two forensic pathologists, Dr Naidoo, who is a specialist forensic pathologist and Dr Perumal, in their preliminary report did not rule out that Zweli was murdered before he was hanged.  The renowned South African pathologists were roped in after Zweli’s family moved an application for a second opinion. This was after a government pathologist, although she opined that hanging might have been the cause, concluded that the cause of death was inconclusive. The family decided to move an application for a second autopsy to be conducted by an independent pathologist after finding out that the first one was inconclusive. Mbabane Acting Principal Magistrate Sifiso Vilakati granted the application. Dr Naidoo is the forensic pathologist who assisted the Legal Resources Centre and the Marikana Commission of Inquiry in 2012.  In Marikana, Rustenburg, 34 miners were killed by the police in August 2012 during a wildcat strike at the Lonmin Platinum Mine.  Dr Perumal was part of the defence in the Oscar Pistorious matter. Pistorious was found guilty of killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day in 2013.

Investigations

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said investigations were still ongoing and so far no one had been arrested in connection with the death. Vilakati had been asked about the status of the matter. During Zweli’s memorial service, one of the speakers, Pastor Mndzebele said:  “We want answers on Zweli’s death.” Other speakers described Zweli as brave, fearless, hard fighter, hardworking, jolly and respectful. Senior Lawyer and partner at Magagula and Hlophe Attorneys, Sabela Dlamini, was the first among the speakers to take to the podium. “He was funny and had a sense of humour,” said Sabela, who spoke on behalf of the law firm. He said as Magagula and Hlophe Attorneys; they were deeply saddened by the death of Zweli, who was a pillar of strength in the law firm despite his young age. He joined the law firm as an article clerk in 2016 and in 2017 was admitted as an attorney of the High Court.

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