‘Bhubesi’ no-show, warrant of arrest issued
MBABANE – For the second day running, Patrick ‘Bhubesi’ Shongwe did not come to court for his murder trial.
Yesterday, Principal Crown Counsel Lomvula Hlophe applied for a warrant of arrest and Judge Cyril Maphanga granted it. The police, according to Hlophe, had to have an instrument with which to look for Shongwe, who is also a police officer.
The officer is facing a charge of murder in that he allegedly killed his lover, Lindokuhle Dolly Mlangeni, on December 26, 2018, who was a nurse based at Hlatikhulu Government Hospital. Shongwe’s trial was scheduled for Monday and yesterday.
On Monday, he did not show up to court and his representative, Advocate Lucas Maziya, who is instructed byAzi Hlatshwayo of Sibusiso B. Shongwe and Associates, told Judge Maphanga that they were having a bit of a problem with the accused. He revealed that they were not aware of Shongwe’s whereabouts, but he had assured them that he would be present in court.
Postponed
The matter was postponed to yesterday and he did not attend as well. The court issued a warrant of arrest. Shongwe is out on bail.
The instructing attorney, Hlatshwayo, said he called the accused on Sunday and he promised that he would definitely be in court on the following day. He said on Monday while in court, he called the father of the accused and told him that his son had not arrived in court. His father, according to Hlasthwayo, told him that he had left presumably for the High Court .The father is said to have promised to call the attorney later on and he did not, according to Hlatshwayo.
The instructing attorney stated that he called Shongwe’s father yesterday in the morning and he told him that his son did not come home the previous day. His attorneys said they were unable to reach him on his cellphone since it was unavailable on the network.
“We seem to be having a problem with our client. We have been waiting for him since morning. When he was called last night, he said he was going to use public transport. I think he is on his way. His cellphone is off,” Maziya said on Monday.
Shongwe was granted bail after he filed a second application and told the court that he wanted to be released from custody to consult traditional healers due to an illness that affected his private parts.
His initial application for bail was dismissed by High Court Judge Maphanga. He filed an appeal at the Supreme Court which he later withdrew. He then filed another application for bail at the High Court. He alleged that new circumstances had arisen on the basis of which he sought to be released from custody on bail.
Danger
In opposing the application, the Crown submitted that Shongwe was a flight risk and that his life was in danger as some members of the public were reportedly baying for his blood after the incident. Narrating events leading to his arrest, Shongwe stated that on or about December 29, 2018, he learnt from Swazi (Eswatini) News that he was being sought for the murder of his girlfriend.
According to the accused, he then called his sister and Musa Kunene, who is a Member of Parliament (MP) for Zombodze Emuva, to come and fetch him so they could hand him over to the police. He said the MP told him that he was busy, but could be in a position to hand him over the following day.
Shongwe narrated that on December 30, 2018, the MP came together with his elder sister and took him to the Nhlangano Police Station, wherein he was handed over to the authorities. He submitted that he was then arrested and charged with the offence of murder of Mlangeni and other two offences. Shongwe told the court that on January 1, 2019, he appeared at the Nhlangano Magistrates Court where he was remanded back in custody pending committal to the High Court.
He is also alleged to have told one of the witnesses that he intended to commit suicide because he had done a terrible thing.
Shongwe is alleged to have also communicated with the witness on December 24, 2018, about the money and on Christmas Day, the accused informed her that Mlangeni had purportedly embarrassed him by denying him entry into her flat and had further given him only E1 000. Shongwe is alleged to have returned to the police academy where he was taking part in a course for police officers in the Traffic Department.