Family suspects jealousy as a motive for his murder. Cops believe more arrests will be made.
South Africa has lost a future medical doctor, someone who was coming to help in its troubled public healthcare system – a bright star who was trained in Cuba and who could have changed his poor family’s life for the better.
But all of that has now gone into the drain as criminals decided to take the 26-year-old Mthunzi Wiseman Zwane’s life so cruelly – stabbing him 16 times and dumping his lifeless body into a river.
This incident happened in the Mpumalanga area of Nhlazatshe, east of Badplaas, where the young man was born and lived.
ALSO SEE: EFF leader in court for Palesa’s murder
Community members believe that Dr Zwane – as he was affectionately known – was a victim of gangsterism in a small village where ruthless gangsters use guns, machetes and knives to terrorise people while high on drugs and alcohol.
Community members say a lot of innocent people in the area get attacked and killed by gangsters, a recent incident being the murder of a station commander, Colonel Beauty Marivate, who was gunned down during a supermarket robbery in the area by 8 men last year December, and the murder of a young graphic designer who was stabbed to death just three weeks ago.
But Dr Zwane’s family suspects jealousy must be a motive for his murder, for a young man who was left with only few months to complete his studies and officially be called doctor.
He began his medical studies in the Caribbean island country of Cuba in 2015. He returned to South Africa in July 2021 to complete his clinical training at the University of Free State, where he was left with only few months to complete his studies.
Dr Zwane’s family said they heard on Saturday 2 July that the car that Zwane was travelling in with a friend from Breyten – which is about 109km from Nhlazatshe – apparently got involved in an accident and injured occupants were said to have been sent to hospital…
The next day on Sunday the family opened a missing person case at Elukwatini police station after they were not able to find him.
“He is supposed to go back to school,” one member said on social media as they pleaded with the public to help locate him for them. “Since he came from Breyten on Saturday and was involved in an accident he disappeared,” the family member said.
His lifeless body was found 4 days later in a river in Nhlazatshe on Wednesday 6 July – with multiple stab wounds, which the family calculates to be 16 holes mainly in the upper body.
ALSO SEE: Warburton gogo found murdered
His uncle Ernest Zwane said they wished investigations can explain the mystery of how their son travelled from the accident scene to the river.
“We are in pain,” Zwane said. “He was killed by heartless people. Thugs in our community murdered him,” uncle said.
Both Mpumalanga police boss Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Manamela and Health MEC Sasekani Manzini have condemned the murder of the “star”.
“A young life was violently cut short by criminals and the nation, as well as the entire world, has been robbed of a young star who could possibly bring solutions to health challenges that we face today,” said Manamela.
Manzini said Zwane’s murder is equal to an attack on the South African healthcare system.
“The family and the people of the province have been robbed of a young and talented doctor in the hands of criminals. The family have lost a son, the nation lost a health care worker and a soldier that was ready to come back to the communities to share his expertise in providing health care services,” the MEC said.
“We urge our communities to desist from engaging in violent conduct in the name of addressing disagreements. We call on all law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident,” said Manzini.
Two suspects – a 17 and an 18 year old – have already been arrested for the murder.
The 17 year old couldn’t appear at the Elukwatini Magistrates Court this week Friday 8 July as he was hospitalised after being badly beaten by community members for the murder of Zwane. Only the 18-year-old appeared in court, charged with murder. They will appear again on 19 July for bail application.
Police spokesman Colonel Donald Mdhluli said Zwane’s lifeless body was discovered by community members on Wednesday 6 July.
He said police can’t rule out the possibility of arresting more people for Zwane’s murder.
(edited by ZK)
Send tip-offs to editor@013.co.za
