CHIEF RANGER MURDER: RELATIVE ARRESTED

SIMUNYE – A 34-year-old relative to the slain Hlane Game Reserve Chief Ranger, George Mbatha (68), has been arrested in connection with his murder.

The man was arrested on Tuesday and is expected to make his court appearance today. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said the police had arrested a 34-year-old man in connection with the murder case.

Killed

George, of Lomahasha, was killed on Monday, execution style, at around 8pm, while in his house situated at the Hlane Game Reserve compound. According to a source, a rifle was used to commit the crime and the hit men fled with it. The source said police only managed to collect the cartridges for forensic investigations at the scene. “The police have information about the hit men and they are being sought. They fled with the gun,” said the source. There was wide speculation that the gun that was used in the commission of the crime had been borrowed from a senior civil servant. However, at the time of compiling the report, the veracity of the allegation had not been established. According to the source, it was not established on how many bullets were fired. Police officers from Simunye Police Station and Siteki, including those from the Scenes of Crime Department, were dispatched on Monday and Tuesday to comb the scene of crime for clues.

Information

It was gathered that senior staff and rangers at the game reserve were requested by the police to come forth with information about the matter. According to another source close to the matter, the relative was arrested after phone calls linking him to the crime were ascertained by the police during their investigations. The relative is currently in custody at Simunye Police Station and is expected to appear at the Simunye Magistrates Court. The source claimed that the relative did not physically commit the crime but he had hired two men to do the job.
“One of the men is from Siteki. The duo is believed to have had all the information regarding the movements of the deceased and the house he occupied at his workplace,” claimed the source.

The source alleged that the now arrested relative had information about George, that he shared with the two men who are believed to have pulled the trigger. “At the time of the commission of the crime, the arrested relative was at home and had shared information about his whereabouts to the hit men. When police got wind that he was linked to the crime, he then decided to hand himself in at Simunye Police Station,” the source claimed. A family member confirmed that a relative had handed himself over to the police on Tuesday afternoon.
“He is in the police station as we speak after handing himself. We didn’t know that he was implicated until one family member confirmed that the police called him,” said the family member. The assassination of the senior ranger came against the backdrop of a family feud whereby the deceased was granted a restraining order by the Simunye Magistrates Court against his wife and children. The restraining order was dated June 14, 2022 and the respondents were his nine children and wife. They were ordered to vacate two homesteads situated at Lomahasha.

Restrained

The interdicted and restrained respondents in this order were; Thembisile Lukhuleni, Sikhumbuzo Mbatha, Sandile Mbatha, Fana Mbatha, Zandile Mbatha, Nomkhosi Mkhonta, Mumcy Ndwandwe, Phumlani Magagula, together with Phetsile Mbatha and Masisi Mbatha. The deceased George normally appeared in lower courts and the High Court to lead testimonies and evidence in cases of poaching. Meanwhile, in November 2019, this publication reported that the ranger, a passionate protector of the country’s national heritage and conservation, had been protecting wild animals for over three decades. He was attacked by a lioness while going about his duties, however, he managed to fight it off.

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