TRIAL OF THE CENTURY: WE PIECE TOGETHER HOW AND WHY VICTOR GAMEDZE WAS KILLED (PART I of III)
In the early evening of the 14th of January 2018 businessman and Mbabane Swallows boss Victor Gamedze was shot dead shortly after buying water at the Galp Filling Station in Zulwini.
News of his death reverberated the entire country minutes after the trigger was pulled. By the time Gamedze was pronounced dead at the Medisun Clinic, where he was rushed to shortly after he was shot, the entire spectacle had already dominated every social media trend and was a subject of discussion at every household, tavern, church, club and just about everywhere.
Even before the police could name their suspects it was almost universally agreed that Gamedze was not short of enemies who had motive, but perhaps no opportunity or a questionable one, for wanting him dead.
After all, Gamedze had enemies everywhere. This could be owed in part to the perceived brash manner in which he dealt with his foes and those he crossed paths with and in some instances those who were just jealous or envious of his success.
Slain businessman Victor Gamedze
Politically, he had upset a number of people in the way he had outfoxed many into the inner ambit of the royal court. Being within earshot of the King and having the country´s ruler on speed dial came with a lot of financial, political and strategic power that Gamedze exploited to its full potential.
He also had a bitter fallout with a number of business people, especially after outmuscling a lot of interested players, leading to him opening up Swazi Mobile and having a license to trade in the mobile telephone industry space.
In the 'underworld', he had people who despised him too, at least if the utterances of eventually convicted Sipho Shongwe, as captured by Judge Maseko in his judgement, are anything to go by.
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For example, at the centre of this is someone Gamedze had known for some time, Sandile 'Dzodzo' Zikalala. According to the court papers it was Zikalala who was the key player in Gamedze´s eventual death something that might be interpreted to mean that even with his own acquaintances he had made new enemies.
Sandile Dzodzo Zikalala
The whole court judgement reveals that hours before his death “Dzodzo” met Gamedze at the Somhlolo Stadium (where his club Mbabane Swallows was playing) and hugged him like a friend and Gamedze reciprocated heartily completely oblivious that this was a signal to his eventual killer, Mbuso "Ncaza" Nkosi, that this was their target.
The trial couldn’t reveal why “Dzodzo” agreed to be part of the plot to kill his “friend” except to surmise that he had had a fallout with Gamedze. Even in football, where Gamedze was a powerful and influential figure, he had crossed paths with Matsapha United Boss, Sipho Shongwe.
Shongwe was frustrated with Gamedze and disapproved of how he was running the Premier League of eSwatini. He met one of his footballing childhood friend, Steve Horton, in the company of businessman Mike Mamba to complain about Gamedze. In fact, he did more than complain, he made some threats to kill him.
The puller of the trigger Mbuso Ncaza Nkosi
The two were later made state witnesses to justify the motive that Shongwe always harboured hopes to kill Gamedze. The two confined their reasons for Shongwe wanting Gamedze dead to mere issues of football.
Quite strangely, Mamba couldn't keep such a threat to himself, he told Gamedze that his life was in danger. Perhaps not fully trusting Mamba, Gamedze called Horton to confirm that indeed Shongwe was threatening to call him.
From there on the battle between the two had gotten deadly with others going as far to allege that it was a case of "who strikes first".
But according to the two killers-turned-state-witnesses, “Ncaza” and Simphiwe “Tata” Ngubeni, the reason Shongwe wanted Gamedze dead was not related to the administration of football as alleged by both Mike Mamba and Bhembe.
According to the testimony of “Tata”, Shongwe was frustrated that Gamedze was blocking the movement of his drugs and that he always had stashes of cash in his car that they needed to rob.
According to “Tata”, he was recruited into the “job” solely to rob Gamedze of the cash “that was always in his car”. He was therefore taken aback to learn that Gamedze had been killed in cold blood and appeared not to approve of the trickery that got him into the Gamedze mess.
Simphiwe Tata Ngubane
Meanwhile, his accomplice “Ncaza” claimed to have been coerced into the job. He claims to have been recruited into the hit by Eldorado Park gang leader boss Farouk Meyer. He says it was Meyer who introduced to him “Dzodzo” at first identified as “Charlie” and Shongwe.
When the idea of a hit was sold to him “Tata” claims he first flatly refused only for Shongwe to threaten his family. His attempts to call Meyer to help him as he felt under duress didn’t help because Meyer never picked up his calls.