Uncle surrenders murder suspect to cops
MANZINI – Mthobisi ‘Mlomo’ Nhleko, a murder suspect who is also facing robbery and theft charges, has been surrendered to the police.
The 30-year-old suspect, who is accused of shooting dead a son of a complainant in a robbery case which is pending before court and had been on the police’s most wanted list for theft since January 29, 2022, was surrendered to the police by his uncle, Enoch Nkambule yesterday morning. Nhleko allegedly committed the robbery and murder at Endlinilembi, Ntondozi in the Manzini Region.
Nkambule surrendered his nephew at the Manzini Police Regional Headquarters (RHQ). He said after reading an article about his nephew being wanted for murder in Eswatini News (a sister publication to Times of Eswatini), dated May 21, 2022, he spoke to him and he agreed to be surrendered to the police.
He said Nhleko was residing in his maternal homestead at Buseleni, Nkwene in the Shiselweni Region and asked the family to call them (police) whenever Nhleko arrived home.
However, Nkambule said he once called the law enforcers, but they told him that Nhleko had always ran away from them. He said the police said Nhleko evaded arrest even when they fired warning shots.
“They said if he does not want to surrender himself to them, they do not have a problem. But they warned us that if we love and care for him, we should surrender him to the nearest police station because he might get hurt,” Nkambule said.
Reason
Therefore, he said it was for that reason that he decided to talk to his nephew about surrendering himself to the police. He said when surrendering him yesterday, the police thanked him and also informed him that Nhleko could be slapped with several charges.
Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the matter. She said the suspect faced charges of murder, robbery, together with housebreaking and theft.
According to our sister publication (Eswatini News), a 59-year-old businesswoman, Kate Lukhele of Endlinilembi, was on the run as she believes that she was wanted by Nhleko, who shot dead her son who was a key witness in a robbery case which she opened against the suspect.
Lukhele alleged Nhleko robbed her of E2 500 and some of her wares. She said Nhleko was subsequently arrested for the robbery and was later on released on bail. While out on bail, she alleged that he started terrorising her son as he would go into her shop, where she was selling fruits and vegetables, and take whatever he wanted. She claimed that in one instance, Nhleko assaulted her son and stripped him naked.
Later on, in February 2022, she said her son wanted to carry out a citizen’s arrest on Nhleko as he was tired of being abused by him. She alleged that afterwards, Nhleko took the keys to her business and when her son tried to stop him, he drew a gun and shot him in the stomach.