2 QUANTUMS, VAN BURNT IN ROUTE WARS

MANZINI – Two Toyota Quantums and one Chevrolet Corsa LDV were destroyed by fire, in a suspected arson attack linked to alleged route wars at Kandinda.

The vehicles were parked at the home of a local mechanic when unknown individuals allegedly broke a window and set fire to one of the Quantums. The two Quantums belonged to two businessmen operating different routes, while the Chevrolet was owned by the mechanic. It was estimated that approximately E570 000 was lost in the fire incident, which occurred in the wee hours of Thursday.

Herbert Ntshalintshali, the local mechanic whose home was the site of the fire, explained that he returned from Manzini around midnight feeling sleepy on Wednesday. He stated that he went to bed soon after arriving home and fell asleep. According to Ntshalintshali, he was awakened around 2:10am by the gardener banging on his door. “I thought I was dreaming, but I eventually woke up and found him at the door, alerting me to the fire outside. When we went out, we found one Quantum next to the fields on fire,” he recounted.

Struggled

The mechanic said he managed to move the vehicle he was currently using away from the flames, but struggled to start one of the Quantums parked next to the burning vehicle. Ntshalintshali explained that when he attempted to pull the Quantum with his car, he discovered that the sliding door of the burning vehicle had fallen off onto the other Quantum, igniting it as well. He noted that the fire then spread to his Chevrolet Corsa LDV. Observing the nature of the flames, he suspected that it was not caused by a petrol bomb, but the arsonists had removed one of the sliding windows behind the driver’s seat, which was later found in the fields.“I believe the target was this particular Quantum, as it was the one that caught fire first,” he asserted. Ntshalintshali speculated that the arson was related to a route war involving the Quantum owned by another businessman, which services the Matsapha/Makhungutja route. He indicated that the other affected Quantum was servicing the Sicunusa/Mankayane/Manzini routes.

Escalate

“The situation was intense but eventually calmed down. I suspect people are looking for ways to escalate tensions again, especially since my vehicle had all the necessary documentation to operate,” he stated. He reiterated his suspicions about individuals with whom he had previously been in conflict, suggesting they might be responsible for the attack. Meanwhile, the other businessman whose Quantum also caught fire, confirmed the incident but stated that he could not comment extensively on the matter as he was not present at the time. Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, the Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, confirmed the arson, stating that the value of the fire damage was estimated to be around E570 000.

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