CIVIL SERVANT, PUPIL, MAN ARRESTED FOR INYANGA HUBBY’S MURDER

MPOLONJENI – A 45-year-old government accountant was arrested, while in the mourning hut for the murder of her husband, who was a popular traditional healer.

The civil servant, who was based in one of the health institutions in Nhlangano, was arrested on Friday while ‘mourning’ the demise of her husband. It is alleged that her husband drank a concoction (imbita) laced with poison before he was driven to a secluded place, where he was allegedly strangulated and his body was taken to a mortuary. The police are said to have found the wife in the mourning hut at Mpolonjeni and took her to the police station. At the Mbabane Police Station, the police are said to have taken the civil servant’s cellphones and she requested to go to the bathroom.  She is alleged to have used another cellphone, which she had hidden in her brassiere, to call her accomplice and informed him that she had been arrested.
The police also arrested a 22-year-old Form V female pupil and a 47-year-old man, both of Nsenga. The pupil is related to both her co-accused. The man and the pupil were arrested on Saturday at Nsenga, New Mbuluzi.

The traditional healer, Dumisa ‘Bayamzonda Batsakatsi’ Dlamini of Sithobelweni, died on March 11, 2023. A police report states that he was poisoned and strangulated. A post-mortem showed that he had ligature markings and abrasions on his neck and a damaged larynx. There was no body at Dumisa’s  homestead yesterday during a visit by these reporters before noon. His dogs were found lazing about. Some neighbours informed this publication that Dlamini arrived at Group 2, Mpolonjeni about three or so years ago. He is said to have purchased a homestead from a certian family. Some community members informed this publication that they had neither seen Dumisa nor his wife in the area except for his car. Others said they sometimes saw him on Channel YemaSwati, where he used to be a regular feature. When Dumisa arrived at Mpolonjeni, he was married but his wife left him. Members of the community said he married another woman, the civil servant, and paid lobola for her at Ngwenya. The event was broadcast on Channel YemaSwati.

Poisoned

A resident who preferred to remain anonymous, *Musa, said on the fateful day, they heard Dumisa calling for help and some neighbours rushed to his homestead. The traditional healer is alleged to have informed the neighbours that someone had put poison his concoction. Dumisa was allegedly in a questionable state of sobriety on the day in question. Musa said Dumisa was writhing in pain and rolled on the ground. The resident stated that Dumisa’s wife was present when they arrived at his homestead. The wife is alleged to have informed the neighbours that Dumisa had complained that the imbita had upset his stomach. According to Musa, the traditional healer did not appear to be weak, even though he was in pain. Musa alleged that the wife told them that since he was accusing her of poisoning him, she would take the imbita to the police. He said at the time, they did not suspect anything amiss. Musa also said the civil servant requested them to assist her in taking Dumisa to the car so that she could rush him to hospital and they did.

He mentioned that they left after carrying Dumisa to the car. Musa pointed out that they were not sure which direction the car took upon reaching the main road. He said they had since become aware that the wife did not take him straight to hospital and they did not suspect anything was wrong when the she spoke to them until they heard about the arrests. After Dumisa had allegedly been poisoned, according to Musa, they heard that he had earlier on threatened his brother-in-law. Musa said if they had been aware of this information, they would not have assisted Dumisa’s wife, but would have called the police. He said it was better that some people had been arrested.

A member of the council of the area informed this publication that it was a mistake for the neighbours to allow Dumisa’s wife to take him to hospital by herself. *Sizwe said some of the neighbours should have accompanied her to hospital. He also said he did not know Dumisa and his wife. “Nobody visited their homestead. I told her that I didn’t know her husband and that I didn’t know her,” said Sizwe. According to Sizwe, the police arrived at Dumisa’s homestead on Saturday and processed the scene. Some neighbours were present and in the bedroom, said Sizwe, Dumisa’s wife showed the police an imbita in a two-litre container with a red cap. However, in his motor vehicle, which was parked in the yard, according to Sizwe, they found another container of imbita in a container with a white cap.

A police vehicle from the Forensic Department and another were spotted in the area yesterday to further their investigations. The deceased’s sister, said as a family, they were still shocked in the manner in which her brother died and they had left everything at the hands of the police. The wife and her co-accused are expected to make their court appearance at the Mbabane Magistrates Court today. It was reliably gathered that on Friday, she was due to record a confession before a magistrate, but was turned back at the Mbabane Magistrates Court after she indicated that she would seek the services of an attorney. *Not real name to protect them from victimisation.

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