MTN evidence contradicts cop’s claims in Thabani inquest
MANZINI – A police officer claims that he was at RFM Hospital on the day before Thabani Nkomonye’s body was found, yet MTN evidence proves that his signal was connected to network towers in Matsapha.
RFM is the acronym for Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital.
Constable Bhoncozi Kunene is the officer who claimed that he went to RFM Hospital, much against MTN records that revealed that from 00:24am until 8am on May 9, his phone picked signals around Matsapha and not RFM Hospital. The records were presented by MTN Eswatini Business Intelligence Data Operations Officer, Mangaliso Zabo Mhlanga before Coroner Senior Magistrate Nonhlanhla Dlamini yesterday.
Mhlanga was explaining the cell global identity of the officer of the law and its technicalities to Lawyers Mangaliso Nkomondze and Mduduzi Mabila.
Constable Kunene had mentioned that they went to RFM Hospital to check up on some victims of an accident that night, and to check if Nkomonye was not among those admitted. The officer said they instructed one officer Msibi to check but he later returned with a response that Nkomonye was not there, but there were only those who were involved in an accident around Engen Mahhala.
Vehicle
He went on to say at around 5:30am on Sunday morning before knocking off, he checked on the deceased’s vehicle and found that it was safely parked at the station. The officer said he communicated with one Sergeant Sithole and informed her of their interest to go back and search for the unknown driver who was driving the Mazda 2 which was involved in an accident at Nhlambeni.
He said the sergeant decided to hand over that duty to the officer who was taking over the shift. He added that only he was allowed to go back to search with the other two officers. He said on that Sunday they knocked off and only came back to work on Wednesday.
However, the MTN business intelligence data operations officer said the officer’s network was picked around Matsapha and it was strong. Meanwhile, the MTN employee said it was detected when the officer first received his call, it was first connected to Dwaleni and then later to Nhlambeni. His location was said to be around Matsapha.
Another inconsistency was highlighted by Lawyer Mduduzi Mabila on Constable Kunene’s evidence, to the effect that he informed the coroner that after not finding Nkomonye, they went to RFM Hospital the following day to check if there was no one who was brought in from the accident which happened at Nhlambeni. Mabila pointed out that the constable omitted this evidence when recording his written statement. The lawyer was of the view that this was odd considering that it was crucial information.