WOMAN DITCHES LOVER, HE KILLS HER

MBABANE – A motor mechanic has been arrested for allegedly killing his girlfriend after she left his rented flat following a misunderstanding and got married to another man five days later.

Mandela Ciniso Mlotjwa (28) of Motshane is facing a charge of murder. He is alleged to have killed Zinhle Magagula of Mahlanya. “It is alleged that I murdered one Zinhle Magagula; may her soul rest in peace,” he said in his bail papers. Mlotjwa was arrested by Malkerns police on October 10, 2022 at Mahlanya in the Manzini Region. He said he was the one who called the police after he hit Magagula and she became unconscious. He remained in police custody and made his first court appearance at Malkerns Circuit Court on October 12, 2022, before Senior Magistrate Nonhlanhla Dlamini.

The magistrate remanded him in custody until October 19, 2022 pending committal to the High Court. He is detained at Manzini Remand Centre where he makes weekly remand hearings. Mlotjwa filed an application for bail at the High Court through his attorney, Gcina Mhlanga of MotsaMavuso Attorneys. In his bail papers, Mlotjwa informed the court that he was in a love relationship with Magagula for almost a year at the time of her death. “So serious was our relationship to the extent that the deceased had her own key for purposes of accessing my rented premises in Matsapha,” Mlotjwa said.

He also informed the court that prior to Magagula’s demise, he had seen her on September 19, 2022 after they had spent a night together at his rented flat. He said on this day, he left her in the flat in the morning when he went to work. “Upon my return from work, I did not find the deceased, but instead found a written note in which she insinuated that I was involved in a love relationship with someone else. I realised that she had taken most of her belongings with her,” he said. According to the accused person, he called her, seeking to establish the basis of the allegations she had made, but they could not find common ground. He said they agreed to meet in person and discuss the matter further.

Mother

He alleged that Magagula did not come back to his flat and he decided to take the remainder of her belongings on September 24, 2022 to her rented flat, which she shared with her mother, at Mahlanya. “Upon arrival thereat, the deceased was not there and neither did I get clear answers concerning her whereabouts from her mother. I began to suspect some mischief on her part,” the accused person told the court. The following day, September 25, 2022, according to Mlotjwa, he learnt from a reliable source that Magagula had been married in terms of Swazi Law and Custom at a certain homestead in Mahlanya the previous night.  “I was baffled. I called the deceased to verify the issue and she confirmed it, save that she sought to explain to me how it all happened. I blocked her number,” Mlotjwa informed the court.

He alleged that Magagula began to call him using different cellphone numbers ‘which I innocently answered only to realise it was her’. He said she eventually convinced him that they ought to meet so that she would apologise to him as well as explain how she ended up getting married. “We eventually met in the morning at Mahlanya after making arrangements telephonically. Our discussion resulted in me slapping the deceased once on the face. She fell on her head facing upwards and became unconscious while visibly having difficulty breathing,” he added.

Mlotjwa said he called the paramedics for help on their toll free number, 977. He said they were not able to come quickly due to fuel challenges and then he called the police. He submitted that the paramedics and police arrived at the same time. The paramedics, according to Mlotjwa, confirmed Magagula to have died and the police arrested him. The accused person told the court that he did not intend to kill her. “I am still asking myself as to what may have really happened that her life could be lost so easily? Perhaps the autopsy report will clear the air in this regard,” he said. The mechanic said he desired to be granted bail. He informed the court that he was not a flight risk. He also said his continued incarceration might result in the loss of his job at R&K Auto Electrical Services. His bail application is before Judge Cyril Maphanga. The Crown yesterday informed the court that it was opposed to Mlotjwa being granted bail. The matter was postponed to next Thursday.

Minor

Judge Maphanga also heard a bail application filed by a man who allegedly had unlawful sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old minor who had earlier on approached him at Mayaluka Bar and requested that he buy her a bottle of Flying Fish cider. Bongisipho Sakhile Mathabela (22) of Big Bend allegedly had sexual intercourse with the minor thereafter. He is accused of contravening the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act No.15/2018. He allegedly committed the offence on September 25, 2022 at Mayaluka Compound. The High Court heard his application for bail yesterday. His application was granted and his bail amount was fixed at E50 000. He was ordered to pay E3 000 in cash and provide surety for the balance.

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