NTFONJENI – As thousands of emaSwati gear themselves for the upcoming secondary elections, the people of Ntfonjeni are gripped with fear.
A man who had been missing for about five days was found dead near an area not far from where he lived. He had been reported missing during the week that ended September 2, 2023, and he his body was found in a deserted area, decomposed. The deceased, Sifiso Dlamini’s body was also found without a foot, giving rise to fear that he was allegedly murdered and his foot chopped off for ritual purpose, though this was all speculation. Sifiso was known in the area of Ngcwengcweni near the Ntfonjeni Health Centre. It is within his community that he socially imbibed on alcohol.
Maintenance
Also, he was known for moving from house to house, assisting in maintenance work, for which he normally earned his living. His sister Gugu Dlamini confirmed that indeed, it was her brother Sifiso who was found dead. She said the family was left shocked, especially that during this time of elections, there have been fears in the past of people going missing, only to be found dead later.
Gugu said her brother was last seen on the previous weekend and as per usual he went to visit some watering holes as he was known in the area for consuming alcohol. “When he did not come back home we did not think anything of it as always went away for days,” said Gugu. S,he said it was only a few days later when among themselves, family members began to discus that they should at begin to search for him as he had been gone over two weeks. Gugu said residents feared that something may have happened to Sifiso.
She said they feared because they began to associate his missing with the general elections. In the past, this publication had reported that there had been cases of people being killed for ritual purposes during elections. In fact, His Majesty the King, in one of his recent speeches had warned against the use of human body parts. The belief of using of body parts is practised in many countries not just on the African continent in what westerners call dark magic and Africans refer to as witchcraft. The Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the matter. She said it had been reported to the police. She said the matter was still being investigated.
Snatched
Suspected ritual deaths are not uncommon in the Hhohho Region, though some have been reported during elections. In 2018, a five-year-old girl vanished while she was playing with her friends. It is alleged that she was snatched while with her friends near a river at Matsamo, under Timphisini Inkhundla. According to her friends, a man had allegedly grabbed her while they were playing.
A search conducted by police, using sniffer dogs proved futile, until about five days later, when her body was found in a river and it appeared that her face had been bashed against a hard surface. It was alleged at the time that her face appeared disfigured and it was alleged that she may have been killed for ritual purposes. No one was arrested in the matter, despite an investigation by Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS). The story of the girl was highly reported in both the print and the electronic media and the national commissioner of police at the time described it as a heinous crime.