MBABANE:Senator Isaac Magagula, the former National Commissioner of Police allegedly ‘fueled’ tension between the late Victor Gamedze and convicted murderer Sipho Shongwe by handing over R24million heroin drugs to Gamedze.
Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of certain varieties of poppy plants.
State Intelligence information leaked to this Swaziland News suggests that or around November 2017, police intercepted Shongwe’s drugs at Oshoek boarder but Magagula, the then National Commissioner who was allegedly on Victor Gamedze’s payroll subsequently handed over the drugs to Gamedze who then bragged to businessman Sipho Shongwe that, the drugs “has been handed over to him by the National Commissioner”.
The highly classified State Intelligence information further suggest that, after the shooting and killing of Victor Gamedze, the then National Commissioner who had privileged information about the conflict between Gamedze and Shongwe instructed Sikhumbuzo Fakudze, the then Hhohho Regional Crime Branch Officer(RCBO) and the late Deputy Commissioner-Investigations Sam Mthembu to immediately activate and/or “red-flag Sipho Shongwe’s passport in the Home Affairs Immigration system so that, he could be arrested should he attempt to escape to South Africa”.
Indeed, Sipho Shongwe, the then Matsapha United Director was eventually arrested while attempting to escape through the Oshoek Border.
But on or around 15th January 2018, shortly after the shooting and killing of the businessman at Ezulwini, the then National Commissioner Isaac Magagula allegedly held an urgent meeting at the Police Headquarters with top State detectives led by Sam Mthembu and Sikhumbuzo Fakudze to discusss an approach to the investigation.
During the meeting, Magagula told the State detectives that, he was convinced that, Shongwe was the prime suspect in the killing of businessman Victor Gamedze.
One of the detectives recorded the meeting and the recording was subsequently kept secretly in State Intelligence computers at the Police Headquarters with other recordings stored as a back-up on late detective Deputy Commissioner Sam Mthembu electronic files.
During the meeting, Magagula allegedly highlighted that, Shongwe was in a serious conflict with Gamedze and according to the then National Commissioner, Sipho Shongwe was suspecting that Gamedze was the one who gave the police a tip-off about the smuggling of drugs.
But when addressing the detectives, the then National Commissioner decided to hide critical information suggesting that, he then took the R24million heroin drugs for himself and handed over same to Victor Gamedze who allegedly paid him more than R1million.
The information regarding Magagula’s handing over of the drugs to Gamedze emerged during Sipho Shongwe’s interrogation or questioning but the detectives sabotaged that information.
It is alleged that, Gamedze called Shongwe with his 76061700 number bragging that, his drugs were now in his possession and that, he won’t do anything as the National Commissioner was on his payroll.
A questionnaire was sent to the former National Commissioner Isaac Magagula however, he declined to comment about these allegations.
On another note, Sipho Shongwe was subsequently found guilty of killing Victor Gamedze after the South African hit men Simphiwe ‘Tata’ Ngubane and Mbuzo ‘Ncaza’ Nkosi he allegedly hired, testified against him.
Former National Commissioner Senator Isaac Magagula(pictured: supplied).