By Siphesihle Dlamini
Five members of the Zion Church have been sentenced to three months imprisonment with an option to pay a fine of E700 each for the brutal assault of 41-year-old Sicelo Maseko.
The incident, which occurred on October 1, involved the use of slaps, sticks, and kicks multiple times. The accused individuals, namely Lucky Mngometulu, Mongi Khumalo, Mduduzi Maseko, Sibusiso Magongo, and Thulani Maseko, all pleaded guilty except for Thulani, who claimed to be at home during the incident and denied any involvement. Interestingly, Thulani is the complainant’s uncle.
According to the complainant’s account in the National Court, he and his brother were returning home late when the altercation took place. Upon entering their house, the complainant left his brother outside momentarily. However, his brother’s terrified cries for help prompted him to arm himself with a knobkerrie and rush outside.
To his surprise, he found the accused already inside their home. The accused individuals allegedly expressed their desire to assault the complainant, claiming that his possession of a weapon implied a willingness to engage in a fight. When the complainant questioned their motives, they forcibly dragged him out of the house. In a disturbing turn of events, Mongi, one of the accused, even resorted to strangling the complainant’s sister-in-law when she attempted to intervene.
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Once outside, the group subjected the complainant to a barrage of slaps, beatings with sticks, and the knobkerrie, as well as kicks. They then dragged him to their residence, where the assault continued until he was left weak and battered. Shockingly, after the assault, they callously poured cold water on him before leaving him there, turning their attention to the complainant’s brother, who had been left at home.
The complainant told the National Court that he believed that the root cause of this violent encounter was his father’s continuous requests for him to intervene and calm the noise observed in the Zion community’s church sessions held at their home.
In the defence’s submission, the accused individuals claimed that the complainant emerged with a knobkerrie, ready to strike. They argued that they had only acted in self-defence. However, the National Court President, Prince Mgebseni swiftly condemned their actions, declaring it to be a punishable offence.
