Residents, who ran into the Hlobane Constable arrested for murder and attempted murder on a Friday night two weeks ago, admitted that they felt a grim sense of foreboding when they encountered him earlier
in the day.
Samkeliswe Thango, an aunt of Bonginkosi (Ntibane) Dlamini’s (the teenage boy who was shot dead), said it was clear the day was going to end badly from that morning, when the Constable was heard causing a ruckus at the church situated next to the tuck shop where the murder took place.
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Zama Mtshali, the teen’s neighbour, heard that the Constable had been drinking that afternoon.
A friend of the victim’s family, who asked not to be named for fear of victimisation, confided that when he saw the Constable at around 5pm, the officer was incapable of walking a straight line, his speech was slurred and he appeared uncharacteristically argumentative.
The distinct crack of gunfire drew a crowd of curious and concerned onlookers to Cebolethu tuck shop at 7.30pm on Friday night.
“I was among the people who ran to the tuck shop to see what was going on,” said the friend of the victim’s family.
“Inside the tuck shop, we found Bonginkosi lying in a pool of blood and the Constable was insisting that he was, ‘only playing with that young man.’ He said the gun went off accidentally. How do you play with a gun? The community was so angry.”
SAPS communications officer for the Zululand Cluster, Captain Nkosie Gwala, confirmed that the Constable had been arrested and is being detained in a Hlobane police cell.
“The deceased, 15-year old Bonginkosi Dlamini was shot to the right of his chest and the bullet exited through the right shoulder. The bullet also hit security guard, Bonginkosi Zubani, on his right thigh and the bullet head damaged Mr Zubani’s cell phone,” reported Captain Gwala.
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“It is believed that the victims were shot by a police Constable who serves under Hlobane SAPS. The firearm was seized and a case of murder and attempted murder was opened at Hlobane SAPS, however
the motive of the shooting is yet unknown.”
A small group of residents met over the weekend to discuss the incident and the impact it would have on the relationship between the police and the community.
During the meeting, it came to light that they had been given conflicting explanations for what had occurred. Some were told that the teen had pulled the gun from the Constable and he had accidentally shot himself. Others had heard that the Constable had been interrogating the teen about a stabbing incident when the gun was fired. On Sunday morning, the group marched to the police station and demanded answers from SAPS. At first, the residents complained that an officer, who met them at the entrance of the police station, suggested that if they were angry they should drink some water cool off.
When given the opportunity, the residents raised a number of concerns in a meeting with Detectives commander, Capt Zungu, including complaints of ‘bad behaviour’ among police officers. They were assured that their grievances would be escalated to the SAPS management in Ulundi.
“Police are supposed to protect us… Not kill us,” pointed out one Hlobane resident.
“If they want to kill us, they are going to kill all of us, because the community stands together.”
Bonginkosi Dlamini was a grade 8 learner at Gelekedle High School. Friends and family say his
parent’s grief is overshadowed by their anxiety over not having the money to give their child a proper burial
