Thulani’s death was not reported to Umphakatsi

MBABANE - The late Human Rights Lawyer Thulani Maseko’s death was not reported to the Umphakatsi of kaLuhleko, Bhunya.

A family member, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed to this publication that the Maseko clan did not report the death incident but elected to handle the matter at a family level.

“We saw no need to report the death of our brother to the Umphakatsi and we decided to handle the sad incident on our own, besides, the indvuna yemcuba is our neighbour,” explained the family member.

It is worth noting that during the burial of Maseko, the Umphakatsi representative was not present when he was called to make remarks during the send-off ceremony. The people present during the funeral were heard mumbling among themselves asking in hushed tones what had happened.

It is normal practice in Eswatini that whenever there is a funeral, especially on Swazi Nation Land, a member of the is expected to be among those who make remarks.

Usually, the pastor conducting the funeral service sees through the burial ceremony and is mandated with calling the speakers who would be making remarks.

Those who are on the list of speakers are normally the deceased’ parents, in-laws, children, friends and colleagues representatives, who are then followed by the Umphakatsi’s representative.

The human rights lawyer, who was also the chairperson of Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF), was brutally killed, allegedly with an assault rifle by an unknown person or people on January 21, 2023, while watching a televised soccer match at his parental home.

He was then buried on January 29, after a memorial at Esibayeni Lodge, where his life was celebrated by relatives, close friends, members of various political parties and those from international organisations, all across the globe. A family member and also a

(Inner Councilor) of the area Muzi Maseko confirmed that there was no representative of the “Yes, we had no Umphakatsi representative and I made remarks as I am also a of the area,” confirmed the

When pressed hard on reasons for the absence of the the

council.

“The faction, which opposed the installation of the reigning chief, automatically became Dlamini’s enemies after his appointment.

“After he was appointed, he became a target of the opposing faction and he even received numerous death threats,” the relative said.

The sources have disclosed to this publication that Thulani was part of the faction that believed that the current and the newly-installed chief was not the rightful heir to the late Chief Manshinanga.

“Thulani’s faction believed that the biological son to Chief Mshinanga, Vile Maseko, together with his biological sisters, did install the rightful successor for Chief Mfanawenkhosi

umphakatsi representative, the Bucopho said they expected the yemcuba to report the death of Thulani as he was a neighbour to the Maseko homestead, where the brutal murder occurred on that fateful Saturday night.

The Indvuna Yemcuba of the kaLuhleko Chiefdom under Chief Zulwelihle Maseko, William Mangwe referred this reporter to the Maseko family.

“The death of Thulani happened at a time when I was bereaved myself and as a result, I was not present during the burial ceremony on January 29. Speak to them, especially the on why the Umphakatsi representative was not present on that day,” the indvuna opined.

The untimely and brutal death of Thulani has been followed with a cloud of controversy as there are currently numerous narratives on who might have had the motive to kill him.

in 2007 and that was supported by all the Masekos,” pointed out the source.

However, last year, His Majesty King Mswati III blessed over 40 chiefs from numerous communities that had been without leaders for the past decades and Chief Zulwelihle was among them.

“I was among those who were arrested in 2014 by the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) after the death of the late Zephaniah Dlamini.

“We still don’t know who killed Thulani and it is noble that we allow the police to do their investigations thoroughly. Thulani was the one who was instrumental and eventually secured our release in the same year,” said the resident.