Rocked the Swazi kingdom
that MTN Swaziland was funding Dlamini to attack Gamedze and, in the process, damage the new kid on the block, Swazi Mobile.
The Mail & Guardian found no evidence to suggest that there is any truth behind this speculation. MTN Swaziland was contacted for comment but hasn’t replied.
Dlamini’s Swaziland Shopping didn’t have a great reputation with many people. It tended towards extremes with splashy scoops and it did have a following but it was viewed by some observers as a gossip rag that didn’t verify its stories.
But Dlamini says one thing separated his newspaper from most of the competition — unlike Swaziland’s major dailies, he was not in the pocket of Gamedze.
Dlamini’s accusations were echoed by Vilane.
“We are also aware of some of the editors having their kids’ school fees covered by Gamedze. Despite all the bad things Gamedze would do, not even on a single day you would find them in the media but the good ones will always be there. Connecting the joints and all that stuff you are left with no other option but to believe that indeed he captured some editors.”
Mbongeni Mbingo, managing editor of the Swazi Observer and chairperson of the Swaziland Editors’ Forum, denies these allegations and says the news and sports sections would often carry critical stories about Gamedze.
“There is no basis in the claims that the Swaziland Editors’ Forum was on an individual’s payroll. This is not possible in such an organisation of individuals who are very professional, have strong views on issues and also have different owners.”
Unusual suspects
Having risen to such prominence, and in such dubious circumstances, there is no doubt that Gamedze had more than his fair share of enemies. So who killed him?
The police and crown prosecution think they have found their man. Murder suspect number one is Sipho Shongwe, arrested on January 19. He was charged with arranging the murder by allegedly getting three hitmen to carry out his dirty work. He denies the charge and says he has a strong case. He is applying for bail.
Shongwe is a Swazi businessperson with a few things in common with Gamedze — most importantly, perhaps, a questionable reputation. He also owns a football team, Matsapha United.
In a pre-trial hearing in February, Shongwe said he owned and managed Gree Air Conditioners, a franchise company, and owned properties valued at $1.29-million.
“According to the principal investigator of the case, Sikhumbuzo Fakudze, there was overwhelming evidence against Shongwe,” reported the Times of Swaziland.
Fakudze is quoted as saying: “I state that, as much as the applicant will plead not guilty to the charge, which is his right, there is overwhelming evidence that he committed the crime of murder he is charged with.”
Shongwe and three others are accused of plotting the murder, two of whom are said to be South Africans and are accused of fleeing back across the border after the trigger was pulled.
“Currently, the police have arrested two of the three suspects who are alleged to have acted jointly with Shongwe to kill Gamedze,” reported the Swazi Observer. “The two are Mbuso ‘Ncaza’ Nkosi and Siphiwe Tata ‘Ntjebe’ Ngubane, who were both arrested while in South Africa.”
One suspect remains at large, Swazi nightclub owner Sicelo “Dzodzo” Zikalala.
The theory goes that Shongwe enlisted these three men to kill Gamedze. But not everyone is convinced of it.
Vilane says he has no intention of undermining the court case but “if you closely analyse the situation you can see that the suspect Sipho Shongwe is just a cover-up to try and impress the public”.
“Sipho is a well-known long-time rival of Gamedze and it is from that basis that he gets arrested but one doesn’t think he is the one who killed him.”
Swaziland police were contacted for comment but haven’t replied.
If the officials have it wrong and Shongwe isn’t the boss behind the killing, who else is in the mix?
This is where speculation gets especially slippery.
Could the king, or people working for him, have been behind the murder of his in-law? Could a business deal have gone wrong, inflaming tempers, perhaps involving the newly launched Swazi Mobile? Could the king have taken seriously the allegation in Swaziland Shopping that Gamedze was plotting to kill him?
“The allegation by Zweli that Gamedze wanted to kill the king might have been taken seriously by the king or those close to him,” says a source, who understandably requested anonymity. “The king, I am told, believes everything said to him. It might be possible the king ordered the hit.”
Attempts were made to contact the king’s private secretary but without success.
Any number of other possibilities remain. Suggestions are that, because Gamedze was so close to the king, many people were jealous of him.
“It might be that someone wanted to assume his position due to his proximity to the monarchy,” says another observer.
In an absolute monarchy, having the king’s ear is a sought-after role. Was there someone, or a group of people, who saw Gamedze as blocking their way into the king’s good graces? In secretive Swaziland, though, such a question often leads to more questions and, ultimately, obfuscation.
Then again, his death may simply have been the result of a petty smalltown dispute gone wrong. As one interlocutor put it sagely: “Don’t get too bogged down in conspiracy theories; they usually prove to be false.”
But perhaps even more important than the identity of Gamedze’s killer is what his death means for Swaziland’s delicate politics. Was Gamedze operating as a parallel source of authority to the royal family? Or was he operating as a “Swazi Gupta”, telling the king how to run his fiefdom? Will his death allow the king to reassert his power? Some bat away these questions while disagreeing even with the premise.
“The king has authority; he isn’t losing any of it to the likes of VG,” says Richard Rooney.
Others stop and ponder, though still agreeing that the king and his family weren’t in any danger of being outwitted by a powerful businessperson, even one with as many tentacles and talents as Gamedze.
“There are no indications that his death would lead to any rearranging of power in the kingdom,” says Swazi Observer’s investigations editor Ackel Zwane, “given that his influences were not visible among power brokers, especially given the complex nature of Swazi politics centred around the monarchy, traditional rule existing alongside a modern parliamentary system”.
Similarly, Makhubu doesn’t see a significant shift of power but he did say Gamedze was one of a kind.
“I don’t think there had been transference [of power] to the extent that this kind of behaviour will continue. I think he took it to the grave. There will be pretenders, but he was on another level that will be difficult to replicate.”
“I do believe that he had stolen our innocence and had deepened the culture of corruption”