RENOWNED LAWYER KNOX NXUMALO PASSES AWAY

MBABANE – Renowned senior attorney Knox Mshumayeli Nxumalo has passed on.

Nxumalo’s death was confirmed by his daughter Winile, who said the family was saddened by the passing on of his father. She requested not to comment further as the family was still trying to deal with logistics. “There is nothing further that I can say except to confirm the death for now. The family will meet and make proper announcements at the right time. We are still trying to come into terms with everything that has happened and we will issue all the necessary details when the time is right,” she said. Sources close to the family revealed that Nxumalo died in the early hours of Saturday morning while in bed. The sources revealed that he violently coughed while they were sleeping at about 3.30am and that was when his wife discovered that he was not well.

Ambulance

She called one of the family members, who arrived immediately and an ambulance was called to ferry him to hospital, where he was certified dead and taken to Mbabane Burial in the morning. The source said though he was occasionally pensive on the night before, Nxumalo appeared very healthy and had spent time with his family watching television before going to bed. “There is nothing that could have given us a sign that he was going to depart. He watched television and drank his favourite tea as usual. This was a shock and the family is devastated. I am sure his elder daughter will handle all comments,” said the source.

The legal community through the Law Society of Swaziland (LSS) mourned the sudden death or the famous lawyer. Secretary of LSS Charity Simelane said though they had not received any formal confirmation from the family, they were shocked at the news. She said Nxumalo was a fountain of wisdom for the society of lawyers and his death would have rippling effects to the profession. “We have not received anything official from the Nxumalo family yet, but by all accounts it seems to be true. We are, however, deeply saddened by the news of his passing and we send our deepest condolences to his family, friends and the entire legal profession.

Void

“The law society has lost one of its members armed with rich experience in the legal field. His loss will leave a huge void within the legal fraternity and may his soul rest in peace. At this time we shall not say more as we would like to give the family time to deal with their loss,” said Simelane.
Nxumalo was once a partner at Robison and Betrams law firm and he handled many high profile cases. He was one of the most experienced lawyers in the country. He was once appointed Acting Judge of the Supreme Court together with seven other senior attorneys. The newly-appointed acting judges included Law Lecturer at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) Maxine Langwenya and Legal Advisor in the Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Development, John Sipho Magagula. Others were Mabandla Manzini, Zonke Magagula, Cyril Maphanga and Robert John Cloete.

Represented

Nxumalo served in numerous Boards and represented many high profile entities and individuals as their attorney. He was among the most remembered legal heads in the country and handled a number of controversial cases and family estates. He had accepted Christ as his Lord and Saviour at the time of his death and was serving in church. Nxumalo’s death comes after the assassination of another member of the legal fraternity, human rights lawyer Thulani Rudolph Maseko. Maseko’s death shook the nation and international community and was one of the greatest loses to be suffered by the profession. He was shot dead three times in the head and through the heart by an unknown assassin while watching a football match with his family in his house.

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