Buffs’ players shot at after game
MBABANE – Young Buffaloes players are lucky to be alive. This is after unknown gunmen opened fire on the bus randomly with the players inside as they were driving past Mehlwabovu yesterday from their MTN Premier League match against rookies Nsingizini Hotspurs.
The army team’s game was played at the King Sobhuza II Memorial Stadium and ended 1-all. Narrating the incident, one of the players who wanted to be anonymous, said they were still traumatised by the incident.
“Just after we passed Mehlwabovu, we heard gunshots. It was at least three shots if I am correct that were fired at us but all hit the bus without any of us getting hurt. We are lucky no one was injured. We then immediately called for escort and they were prompt as they arrived in less than five minutes to escort us to Matsapha,” said the player.
The player further asserted that they saw the cars from which the gunshots were coming from. “The shots were fired from a black Mercedes-Benz and a black Honda Fit. In fact we saw them; they were parked at the waiting room before Mehlwabovu. When we drove past them, they followed us and started firing shots which is when our bus also started increasing speed and the shots suddenly stopped,” said the player.
It was uncertain whether they were apprehended or not as unconfirmed reports suggested their cars were allegedly stopped at a roadblock mounted at Mkhondvo, after they had sped ahead of the bus. Buffaloes Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sandile Gwebu said he was not at the scene and he was not yet aware.
Meanwhile, Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) Public Relations Officer (PRO) Lieutenant Tengetile Khumalo also said she had not received any news about the shooting. She said she was yet to touch base with the team. On the other hand, Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Inspector Nosipho Mnguni also said she had not received a report of the incident at around 8pm when this report was compiled. However, sources claimed that two of the perpetrators were caught and arrested with the firearms yesterday soon after the incident.
Meanwhile, the security forces teams, Buffaloes, Royal Leopard and Correctional Services’ Green Mamba had not been spared from insults and threats since the unrest started last year in June. In some sectors, these teams ought to be boycotted and this eventually happened in South Africa, Mbombela when Leopard was playing in the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup group stages last year. There were protests by pro-democracy groups at the stadium which also happened when they dominated the national team Sihlangu.
It also must be mentioned that police, soldiers and warders have also been targetted lately by unknown people, some even shot to death.