MBABANE – A suspected hitman and a traditional healer are at the centre of the State’s case against Mashumi Andreas Shongwe.
The two, according to the prosecutions provided crucial details purportedly linking Mashumi to the murder of his wife, Tigezile Magongo, who was a police officer.
The High Court has set down Shongwe’s murder trial for October 27, 2026 following the presentation of an indictment by the director of public prosecutions (DPP), accusing him of allegedly killing Magongo at their Extension Four home in Nhlangano on November 30, 2022.
In the indictment filed by Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Lomvula Hlophe, the State alleges that Shongwe, either individually or jointly with other persons acting in furtherance of a common purpose, intentionally killed Magongo and thereby committed the crime of murder.
The State’s case is contained in a composite summary of evidence presented before the High Court.
According to the Crown, the alleged murder plot involved the recruitment of hitmen, a payment arrangement of E100 000 and the involvement of traditional healers before Magongo was eventually shot.
The alleged hitman and traditional healer are expected to be among the witnesses who will testify during the trial.
The Crown alleges that during the last two weeks of November 2022, Shongwe travelled to Piet Retief in South Africa where he met a relative who was later allegedly approached to assist him in finding people who could kill Magongo.
According to the State’s summary of evidence, Shongwe allegedly told the witness that he had problems with his wife, accusing her of having secret love affairs with other men.
The allegations are contained in a summary of evidence and remain untested in court. The accused is yet to give his side of the story.
The Crown alleges that Shongwe told the witness that Magongo was plotting to kill him first and that he wanted to kill her before that happened.
The State alleges that Shongwe requested assistance in finding hitmen and indicated that he was prepared to pay for the service.
The witness reportedly contacted a hitman in Shongwe’s presence. The hitman is said to have agreed to take the job on condition that his travelling expenses and payment would be taken care of.
According to the indictment, the alleged hitman demanded E100 000 to execute the killing.
The Crown further alleges that Shongwe told the hitman that he only had E30 000 available at the time and would pay the balance after the job had been completed.
According to the State, Shongwe later met the intermediary at Makhwelela and handed him E31 000.
The prosecution alleges that the alleged hitmen travelled from South Africa to Eswatini after arrangements were made for their transportation and accommodation.
According to the summary of evidence, the alleged hitmen travelled to Piet Retief where they met the intermediary before crossing into Eswatini through the Machobeni informal crossing point.
The State further submitted that while the intermediary crossed through Mahamba Border Gate, the alleged hitmen entered the country through the informal route and were collected by a person reportedly hired by Shongwe.
They were allegedly taken to KaMjuda Lodge where they stayed.
The Crown also informed the the court that the intermediary gave them E1 000, which was used to pay for accommodation.
The State mentioned that the hitmen were provided with information regarding Magongo’s residence, her movements and the registration details of her Toyota Corolla.
According to the Crown, the initial attempts to kill Magongo were unsuccessful because the alleged hitmen encountered difficulties.
According to the State, the alleged hitmen informed the intermediary that several disruptions prevented them from carrying out the plan, resulting in them spending more nights at the lodge.
The Crown states that Shongwe then arranged for the alleged hitmen to consult a traditional healer at an area known as Mthombe.
The prosecution informed the court that the traditional healer provided them with traditional medicine and instructed them to perform a ritual at a graveyard.
According to the summary of evidence, one of the alleged hitmen later returned to Magongo’s home with two accomplices.
The State alleges that upon arrival, they found Magongo returning home.
The Crown submits that the alleged shooter attempted to shoot her while she was opening the gate, but the firearm malfunctioned after the magazine fell out.
The State alleges that Magongo drove towards a shelter inside the yard, where the shooter followed her and shot her inside the vehicle.
The assailants, according to the Crown, then escaped. Magongo’s daughter, who was inside the house, called the police emergency line 999 after hearing gunshots.
Police officers reportedly arrived at the scene approximately 10 minutes later.
The Crown further alleges that another important witness is a traditional healer who claims that Shongwe later approached him for cleansing.
Shongwe, who is represented by Ben J. Simelane, allegedly visited the healer together with his sister and son. The healer reportedly told investigators that Shongwe requested herbs to cleanse himself of bad luck and also because he was contesting elections.
It is alleged that during this meeting, Shongwe reportedly told the healer that the people who shot his wife had been hired by him because he was not on good terms with her.
The State alleges that Shongwe later contacted the healer complaining that he was being followed by a police officer, prosecutor and judge.
According to the Crown, Shongwe reportedly requested herbs to make the murder case ‘die a natural death’.
The healer allegedly requested two cattle as payment, but the State points out that Shongwe never returned.
Accordig to the Crown, the murder occurred against the background of years of marital disputes between Shongwe and Magongo.
According to the summary of evidence, the couple had experienced problems relating to purported harassment, assault and violence. In 2016, according to the Crown, Shongwe married a second wife while Magongo remained his first wife.
The Crown alleges that tensions increased after this arrangement.
According to the indictment, Shongwe and Magongo had an altercation at the family home in Extension 4 in 2016, during which Shongwe allegedly carried a firearm.
The State supposes that Shongwe accused Magongo of having an extra-marital affair and ordered her to leave the family home.
The Crown, according to the indictment, claims that Shongwe threatened to shoot her, but two men who were present intervened.
The State stated that Magongo refused to leave, stating that she had contributed towards acquiring the property.
The Crown further alleges that Shongwe packed her clothes, loaded them into a vehicle and instructed the two men to transport her to her parental home at Lobamba, Emvesheni.
The State alleges that Magongo later obtained a protection order against Shongwe from the Nhlangano Magistrates Court.
According to the indictment, an interim order was granted on June 20, 2016, and confirmed on June 28, 2016, ordering Shongwe to keep peace with Magongo.
It is alleged that Magongo later informed her daughter that she had been receiving death threats from unknown people.
The State also alleges that before the murder plot, Shongwe had previously tried to obtain a firearm.
According to the summary of evidence, Shongwe requested a witness to assist him in sourcing a firearm.
The Crown further informed the court that Shongwe later sent the witness to Durban with E8 000 for travel expenses and E20 000 to pay a person who was expected to provide firearms.
The State alleges that the witness was later hijacked in Durban and lost the money, cellphones and vehicle.
The Crown also supposed that the relationship between Shongwe and the witness deteriorated after the incident. Meanwhile, Shongwe has since resigned from the Governing Board of the Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration Commission (CMAC). His resignation was accepted by Labour and Social Security Minister Phila Buthelezi effective July 29, 2026.
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