Covering the story that shook Eswatini to the core
Six years ago, today, I'm in the Swazi Observer newsroom, typing away as we wrap up coverage of Manzini Wanderers vs Mbabane Swallows, a match we have just witnessed at Somhlolo National Stadium, won by the latter. It's a normal Sunday in the newsroom. Our Editor, the late, great Thulani Thwala, or ‘Mr. T,’ as we used to call him, occasionally shouts, "Asambe sports!," urging us to finish up. There is only a few of us left in the newsroom. A few sub-Editors, proofreaders and one driver, if I’m not mistaken. Sports pages are usually the last to be completed.
Suddenly, my brother and fellow Sports Reporter Sibusiso Masilela, says, "yati batsi sebadubule Gamedze" (I’m told that Victor Gamedze has been shot). There is only one 'Gamedze' but I pay no attention to Sbu because we'd just seen Victor Gamedze (VG) at Somhlolo. I had seen Gamedze only about an hour back, by the tunnels at Somhlolo National Stadium at the end of the match. I had tried to greet him but he hadn't heard me- his focus was on getting the attention of the Manzini Wanderers coach Nyanga "Crooks" Hlophe, once his employee. He was busy shouting, "Crooks, ye Crooks." Before that, he had spent a tense 90 minutes fidgeting in the Royal Box as his Mbabane Swallows ground out a difficult 1-0 victory over Wanderers. For the duration of the game, I had been throwing occasional glances at Gamedze- I'd always been fascinated by rumours that he "coached" his team from the Royal Box, using a phonecalls to the technical team on the bench.
But the thing is, Sbu Masilela is one incredibly reliable journalist. What he gets from his sources is usually truth. True enough, a few minutes later, the mood in the newsroom is changing. Masilela has briefed the Editors and they themselves have now confirmed this rumour with their sources. Suddenly, the direction of tomorrow's newspaper has been turned upside-down. The lead stories for both front and back pages are changing. Mr T summons me and tells me to go to the scene in Ezulwini where Mr. Gamedze has reportedly been gunned down. I will be writing the newspaper's lead (the front-page story). For a moment, I'd stop being a sports reporter. There would be no quick finish on this particular day.
I was assigned one Mr. Malinga to be my driver down to Ezulwini. He had no idea what had happened when we left the newsroom. When we hit that first corner on Malagwane Hill, he asked me where we going and when I told him, "Batsi sebadubule Victor Gamedze Ezulwini" he didn't speak again. Instead, he put on hazard lights and the speed drastically increased. It might have been shock but also the realisation that this was an extraordinary story.
The first thing I remember when we arrived at Galp Filling station in Ezulwini is the sight of one employee with those big yard brooms cleaning a lot of blood from the front of the convenience shop adjacent to the filling station. I was quickly told that Gamedze had been whisked to hospital and at that time, no one new exactly if he was still alive or had passed on. Quite a number of people had also gathered there and among the first I saw were the prominent lawyer and football administrator Bongani "Bhanyaza" Mdluli and Macford Sibandze who was employed by Gamedze's Eswatini Mobile at the time. The only journalist I found on the scene was Eswatini TV's Phathizwe Msibi. The mood was intense and sombre.
I quickly got to work, realising that a lot of the eye witnesses who had been there would soon leave. I spoke first to a petrol attendant- he was understandably afraid to speak, but I assured him that we would conceal his identity. He told me the story of how Gamedze had been a frequent visitor to the filling station. He recounted where he had seen the alleged killer run towards. Next, I spoke to a soccer fan who had been in a queue to fuel his car when he heard the gunshot and saw commotion afterwards.
No one was still quite sure of the status of Gamedze at that point but as witnesses told of the shooting- the proximity of the shooter, aiming for the head and the blood that had been lost, it became evident to me that the worst had happened. Together with Phathizwe, we then approached Senior Police Officer Mcolisi Dlamini who had also arrived on the scene. He gave us a brief but important interview, confirming the incident. Having satisfied myself that I now had more than enough from the scene, I hopped back into the car and up Malagwane we drove, back to the newsroom. Inside the newsroom, I was met by very curios group- the small number who were still at work. I gave them a brief description of what I had found and heard.
But one crucial part was still missing- was Gamedze alive or had he passed on? The worst would soon be confirmed by the family to shocked members of the public who had gathered outside MediSun Clinic that same night- Gamedze had passed on. With this information confirmed to Mr. Thwala, I then sat down to write the most unfathomable story ever.
I finished the first draft but Mr Thwala wanted me to add more. He told me that he wanted the story to paint a picture of who Gamedze was, in particular for readers (mostly international) who wouldn’t have full appreciation of who he was. So, if you read the last few paragraphs of that story, it gives a brief yet important idea of the stature of the man- Premier League of Eswatini Chairman, Eswatini Football Association Vice President, Mbabane Swallows Chairman, Eswatini Mobile Chairman, member of the Royal Board of Trustees. It was also ‘Mr. T’, who added the angles of social media reaction to the news and that part of the Swallows’ fans who had gathered by the aptly named ‘Swallows corner’ in Mbabane, filled with grief at the dead of the night as their worst fears were confirmed.
Once the story was finalised, it was given to proofreaders to have a look and then to the sub editors to layout. But there would be more drama- soon after, a picture of the Observer’s front-page for the next day (15 January), carrying the headline of Gamedze’s passing began to circulate on social media. It was not official so it had been leaked and Mr. T was fuming. That necessitated a change of the front page and a tweak to the story- something, in retrospect, I believe was a wrong move.
In those furious, confusing hours as we finished up the story, we had begun to hear rumours of a car being found around Lundzi which had been purportedly used by Gamedze’s suspected killers. There were other rumours that the suspected killers had been apprehended but we didn’t have confirmation of this. In the heat of the moment and to ‘save face’ after the leak, Mr. T decided that we alter the headline to say that the suspects had been apprehended. That part really didn’t feature in the overall story, just one line.
So, we were done and I was taken to my house just after 1am. I remember that I didn’t sleep that night. At best, I slept in 30 minute intervals. I was properly shocked. Just after 5am, I checked the Observer website to read the story and to the shock of my life, somewhere, somehow, in the final stages of producing the story, someone had decided to add “after being assassinated” in the intro. I had gone for a simple, “shot dead,” and now, the intro had both ‘shot dead’ and ‘assassinated.' Few things made me angrier than this during my time at the Observer. To this day, I still don’t know who did it. The rest of the story was fine.
The newsroom in those days and weeks after Gamedze’s death mirrored the reaction across the country. While everyone was talking about it and shocked, some deeply mourned his passing while others absolutely didn’t care. The impact of the story was quite unbelievable. On 15 January, the day after the shooting, the Observer sold out early in the morning hours. It would be the same story for the rest of the week. Inside the newsroom, we were getting calls from readers who were complaining that the paper had been sold out in their areas. I remember picking up a call from one lady who was based in Manzini. She was willing to drive up to Mbabane to buy my copy. Such was the demand.
That Monday, the 15th, I was in the office at 8am, never mind the fact that I had knocked off after 1am. We had the biggest story in Eswatini unfolding and it needed telling. We were soon told that the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) would be holding a press conference at Sigwaca House that very morning. I was assigned to go there while other colleagues in the news department proceeded to the Eswatini Mobile offices. I have never seen Sigwaca House as dark as it was that day. We arrived just after a short prayer had been held by staff members. One of the everlasting memories from that morning was walking into Sigwaca and standing halfway up those steps leading to the conference area was Sandile Zwane, the always effervescent Swallows General Manger. That morning he looked a man with death written on his face. He understandably looked like he hadn’t slept the previous night.
We then waited for the football bosses to address us. As we waited, the then Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs David ‘Cruiser’ Ngcamphalala soon walked into Sigwaca and was whisked into the EFA President’s office. When they emerged to address the waiting media, a downcast Minister Ngcamphalala, on behalf of the EFA, announced a suspension of all competitive football in the country in honour of Gamedze. The ironman of local football, then EFA President Adam ‘Bomber’ Mthethwa, shed a tear. It was intense. Other local sports associations would follow suit, suspending their activities in solidarity with football. It told you the measure of the man who had been lost.
We went back to the newsroom where our colleagues who had gone to Eswatini Mobile offices told us harrowing stories of a dark place, filled with immense grief. That same day, the Gamedze family called a press conference at one of Gamedze’s homes in Mbabane. I went together with the brilliant Sisho Magagula. There, the family announced the memorial and funeral dates and arrangements. Gamedze’s half-brother, Joseph Souza broke down as he announced the dates in front of the cameras. It was amazing that even in the shock and confusion of what had just happened, the family would be so organised and so forthcoming with information. It would be the theme of that entire period- despite the immeasurable loss, the shock, insinuations, anger- the Gamedze family was pure class in dealing with the public and media.
On Tuesday, we were told that Mbabane Swallows (players and officials) would be going to the Gamedze home in Mbabane to pay their respects and I was invited to cover the ceremony. I was one of the first journalists to arrive there. The small ceremony was held inside one of the big rooms in the main house. Swallows players were uniformly clad in their club tracksuits and sorrow was written on their faces. Club legends Mfan’futhi ‘Taribo’ Bhembe and Etiiene Massoye were there. I also spotted the staunch Swallows supporter Nkhosilenhle ‘Makawosi’ Masuku.
I decided to get to work. I had a camera with me and when I clicked away for the first picture, the club elders seated at the back almost ate me alive. I later realised there had been a communication breakdown. The elders didn’t know the media would be covering the ceremony. Luckily for me, the then Swallows coach Thabo ‘Koki’ Vilakati (MHSRIP) quickly noticed the unfolding issue. He told me not to worry and proceeded to speak to the elders. Within a few seconds, he gave me a thumbs up, signaling that I was free to go ahead and work. Everywhere I looked, sorrow was written on faces. I remember the then young Swallows midfielder Richard McCreesh had his head buried between his legs.
At the end, I tried to get interviews with some of the payers. Most of them respectfully refused. Banele ‘Pupu’ Sikhondze walked away with tears in his eyes. The captain, Tony Tsabedze agreed to give me an interview. He tried to put a brave face on but you could see that he was shaken. I also spoke to ‘Makawosi’ Masuku who lamented the loss of his ‘hero.’
Towards the end of the function, the Swallows elders had formed a queue to greet and pass on their condolences to Gamedze’s widow, Princess Lindiwe. As per custom, her head was covered. I took a few pictures of that. Despite Gamedze’s immense popularity, his wife and family kept a very low profile. Upon my return to the newsroom, the Editor, Mr. T immediately decided that the picture of Princes Lindiwe meeting some of the Swallows elders would go on the front page the next day.
And it did but the Gamedze family was left fuming. Gamedze’s lawyer told Mr. T that the picture had been taken during a private moment. I hadn’t thought of it like that and certainly meant no malice because the picture had been taken in the same room where the entire function had been held. And had I known that the family would not be comfortable, I definitely would not have taken or used the picture. Understanding the sensitivities of the matter and the pain the family was in, I sent an apology to the lawyer.
That entire week was dominated by the VG story. There was reaction from beyond the country. As the weekend approached, I was assigned to be part of the team that would cover both the memorial service at Prince of Wales Ground in Mbabane and the funeral at Gamedze’s home in Siteki. On the Saturday morning of the memorial, one colleague who was part of the covering team came to the newsroom wearing shorts. The Managing Editor, Mr. Mbongeni Mbingo, was baffled as we all were. Mr. Mbingo ordered that colleague to make means to change to something more respectable- there was no time to go back to the house so he had to quickly rush to the shops to buy a trouser.
At the memorial, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates sent representatives. At the funeral service, Their Majesties were represented. The funeral itself was something out of this world. Swallows supporters sang ‘Myekeleni aphumule’ (let him rest), a song they would continue to sing at Swallows matches. In the morning hours at the funeral, I approached one police officer and asked that he help me estimate the number of people there. He took me to his superior and even he failed. It felt as though the whole of Eswatini was there. Keeping with the class they had showed the entire week, the Gamedze family allowed Swallows’ supporters to also pour sand into VG’s final resting place, one final salute to a man who had transformed their club.
Memories fade as time passes and some details become less clear but one thing is for sure, I have never worked on a bigger story and certainly, in the 2010s, Eswatini did not witness any story bigger than the murder of the great Victor ‘Maradona’ Gamedze.
May his soul continue resting in peace.
By: Sibongiseni Zondi
NB: Sibongiseni Zondi writes this blog in his personal capacity. Zondi was the Eswatini’s Observer’s Sports Reporter between October 2017 and August 2018.
Suddenly, my brother and fellow Sports Reporter Sibusiso Masilela, says, "yati batsi sebadubule Gamedze" (I’m told that Victor Gamedze has been shot). There is only one 'Gamedze' but I pay no attention to Sbu because we'd just seen Victor Gamedze (VG) at Somhlolo. I had seen Gamedze only about an hour back, by the tunnels at Somhlolo National Stadium at the end of the match. I had tried to greet him but he hadn't heard me- his focus was on getting the attention of the Manzini Wanderers coach Nyanga "Crooks" Hlophe, once his employee. He was busy shouting, "Crooks, ye Crooks." Before that, he had spent a tense 90 minutes fidgeting in the Royal Box as his Mbabane Swallows ground out a difficult 1-0 victory over Wanderers. For the duration of the game, I had been throwing occasional glances at Gamedze- I'd always been fascinated by rumours that he "coached" his team from the Royal Box, using a phonecalls to the technical team on the bench.
But the thing is, Sbu Masilela is one incredibly reliable journalist. What he gets from his sources is usually truth. True enough, a few minutes later, the mood in the newsroom is changing. Masilela has briefed the Editors and they themselves have now confirmed this rumour with their sources. Suddenly, the direction of tomorrow's newspaper has been turned upside-down. The lead stories for both front and back pages are changing. Mr T summons me and tells me to go to the scene in Ezulwini where Mr. Gamedze has reportedly been gunned down. I will be writing the newspaper's lead (the front-page story). For a moment, I'd stop being a sports reporter. There would be no quick finish on this particular day.
I was assigned one Mr. Malinga to be my driver down to Ezulwini. He had no idea what had happened when we left the newsroom. When we hit that first corner on Malagwane Hill, he asked me where we going and when I told him, "Batsi sebadubule Victor Gamedze Ezulwini" he didn't speak again. Instead, he put on hazard lights and the speed drastically increased. It might have been shock but also the realisation that this was an extraordinary story.
The first thing I remember when we arrived at Galp Filling station in Ezulwini is the sight of one employee with those big yard brooms cleaning a lot of blood from the front of the convenience shop adjacent to the filling station. I was quickly told that Gamedze had been whisked to hospital and at that time, no one new exactly if he was still alive or had passed on. Quite a number of people had also gathered there and among the first I saw were the prominent lawyer and football administrator Bongani "Bhanyaza" Mdluli and Macford Sibandze who was employed by Gamedze's Eswatini Mobile at the time. The only journalist I found on the scene was Eswatini TV's Phathizwe Msibi. The mood was intense and sombre.
I quickly got to work, realising that a lot of the eye witnesses who had been there would soon leave. I spoke first to a petrol attendant- he was understandably afraid to speak, but I assured him that we would conceal his identity. He told me the story of how Gamedze had been a frequent visitor to the filling station. He recounted where he had seen the alleged killer run towards. Next, I spoke to a soccer fan who had been in a queue to fuel his car when he heard the gunshot and saw commotion afterwards.
No one was still quite sure of the status of Gamedze at that point but as witnesses told of the shooting- the proximity of the shooter, aiming for the head and the blood that had been lost, it became evident to me that the worst had happened. Together with Phathizwe, we then approached Senior Police Officer Mcolisi Dlamini who had also arrived on the scene. He gave us a brief but important interview, confirming the incident. Having satisfied myself that I now had more than enough from the scene, I hopped back into the car and up Malagwane we drove, back to the newsroom. Inside the newsroom, I was met by very curios group- the small number who were still at work. I gave them a brief description of what I had found and heard.
But one crucial part was still missing- was Gamedze alive or had he passed on? The worst would soon be confirmed by the family to shocked members of the public who had gathered outside MediSun Clinic that same night- Gamedze had passed on. With this information confirmed to Mr. Thwala, I then sat down to write the most unfathomable story ever.
I finished the first draft but Mr Thwala wanted me to add more. He told me that he wanted the story to paint a picture of who Gamedze was, in particular for readers (mostly international) who wouldn’t have full appreciation of who he was. So, if you read the last few paragraphs of that story, it gives a brief yet important idea of the stature of the man- Premier League of Eswatini Chairman, Eswatini Football Association Vice President, Mbabane Swallows Chairman, Eswatini Mobile Chairman, member of the Royal Board of Trustees. It was also ‘Mr. T’, who added the angles of social media reaction to the news and that part of the Swallows’ fans who had gathered by the aptly named ‘Swallows corner’ in Mbabane, filled with grief at the dead of the night as their worst fears were confirmed.
Once the story was finalised, it was given to proofreaders to have a look and then to the sub editors to layout. But there would be more drama- soon after, a picture of the Observer’s front-page for the next day (15 January), carrying the headline of Gamedze’s passing began to circulate on social media. It was not official so it had been leaked and Mr. T was fuming. That necessitated a change of the front page and a tweak to the story- something, in retrospect, I believe was a wrong move.
In those furious, confusing hours as we finished up the story, we had begun to hear rumours of a car being found around Lundzi which had been purportedly used by Gamedze’s suspected killers. There were other rumours that the suspected killers had been apprehended but we didn’t have confirmation of this. In the heat of the moment and to ‘save face’ after the leak, Mr. T decided that we alter the headline to say that the suspects had been apprehended. That part really didn’t feature in the overall story, just one line.
So, we were done and I was taken to my house just after 1am. I remember that I didn’t sleep that night. At best, I slept in 30 minute intervals. I was properly shocked. Just after 5am, I checked the Observer website to read the story and to the shock of my life, somewhere, somehow, in the final stages of producing the story, someone had decided to add “after being assassinated” in the intro. I had gone for a simple, “shot dead,” and now, the intro had both ‘shot dead’ and ‘assassinated.' Few things made me angrier than this during my time at the Observer. To this day, I still don’t know who did it. The rest of the story was fine.
The newsroom in those days and weeks after Gamedze’s death mirrored the reaction across the country. While everyone was talking about it and shocked, some deeply mourned his passing while others absolutely didn’t care. The impact of the story was quite unbelievable. On 15 January, the day after the shooting, the Observer sold out early in the morning hours. It would be the same story for the rest of the week. Inside the newsroom, we were getting calls from readers who were complaining that the paper had been sold out in their areas. I remember picking up a call from one lady who was based in Manzini. She was willing to drive up to Mbabane to buy my copy. Such was the demand.
That Monday, the 15th, I was in the office at 8am, never mind the fact that I had knocked off after 1am. We had the biggest story in Eswatini unfolding and it needed telling. We were soon told that the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) would be holding a press conference at Sigwaca House that very morning. I was assigned to go there while other colleagues in the news department proceeded to the Eswatini Mobile offices. I have never seen Sigwaca House as dark as it was that day. We arrived just after a short prayer had been held by staff members. One of the everlasting memories from that morning was walking into Sigwaca and standing halfway up those steps leading to the conference area was Sandile Zwane, the always effervescent Swallows General Manger. That morning he looked a man with death written on his face. He understandably looked like he hadn’t slept the previous night.
We then waited for the football bosses to address us. As we waited, the then Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs David ‘Cruiser’ Ngcamphalala soon walked into Sigwaca and was whisked into the EFA President’s office. When they emerged to address the waiting media, a downcast Minister Ngcamphalala, on behalf of the EFA, announced a suspension of all competitive football in the country in honour of Gamedze. The ironman of local football, then EFA President Adam ‘Bomber’ Mthethwa, shed a tear. It was intense. Other local sports associations would follow suit, suspending their activities in solidarity with football. It told you the measure of the man who had been lost.
We went back to the newsroom where our colleagues who had gone to Eswatini Mobile offices told us harrowing stories of a dark place, filled with immense grief. That same day, the Gamedze family called a press conference at one of Gamedze’s homes in Mbabane. I went together with the brilliant Sisho Magagula. There, the family announced the memorial and funeral dates and arrangements. Gamedze’s half-brother, Joseph Souza broke down as he announced the dates in front of the cameras. It was amazing that even in the shock and confusion of what had just happened, the family would be so organised and so forthcoming with information. It would be the theme of that entire period- despite the immeasurable loss, the shock, insinuations, anger- the Gamedze family was pure class in dealing with the public and media.
On Tuesday, we were told that Mbabane Swallows (players and officials) would be going to the Gamedze home in Mbabane to pay their respects and I was invited to cover the ceremony. I was one of the first journalists to arrive there. The small ceremony was held inside one of the big rooms in the main house. Swallows players were uniformly clad in their club tracksuits and sorrow was written on their faces. Club legends Mfan’futhi ‘Taribo’ Bhembe and Etiiene Massoye were there. I also spotted the staunch Swallows supporter Nkhosilenhle ‘Makawosi’ Masuku.
I decided to get to work. I had a camera with me and when I clicked away for the first picture, the club elders seated at the back almost ate me alive. I later realised there had been a communication breakdown. The elders didn’t know the media would be covering the ceremony. Luckily for me, the then Swallows coach Thabo ‘Koki’ Vilakati (MHSRIP) quickly noticed the unfolding issue. He told me not to worry and proceeded to speak to the elders. Within a few seconds, he gave me a thumbs up, signaling that I was free to go ahead and work. Everywhere I looked, sorrow was written on faces. I remember the then young Swallows midfielder Richard McCreesh had his head buried between his legs.
At the end, I tried to get interviews with some of the payers. Most of them respectfully refused. Banele ‘Pupu’ Sikhondze walked away with tears in his eyes. The captain, Tony Tsabedze agreed to give me an interview. He tried to put a brave face on but you could see that he was shaken. I also spoke to ‘Makawosi’ Masuku who lamented the loss of his ‘hero.’
Towards the end of the function, the Swallows elders had formed a queue to greet and pass on their condolences to Gamedze’s widow, Princess Lindiwe. As per custom, her head was covered. I took a few pictures of that. Despite Gamedze’s immense popularity, his wife and family kept a very low profile. Upon my return to the newsroom, the Editor, Mr. T immediately decided that the picture of Princes Lindiwe meeting some of the Swallows elders would go on the front page the next day.
And it did but the Gamedze family was left fuming. Gamedze’s lawyer told Mr. T that the picture had been taken during a private moment. I hadn’t thought of it like that and certainly meant no malice because the picture had been taken in the same room where the entire function had been held. And had I known that the family would not be comfortable, I definitely would not have taken or used the picture. Understanding the sensitivities of the matter and the pain the family was in, I sent an apology to the lawyer.
That entire week was dominated by the VG story. There was reaction from beyond the country. As the weekend approached, I was assigned to be part of the team that would cover both the memorial service at Prince of Wales Ground in Mbabane and the funeral at Gamedze’s home in Siteki. On the Saturday morning of the memorial, one colleague who was part of the covering team came to the newsroom wearing shorts. The Managing Editor, Mr. Mbongeni Mbingo, was baffled as we all were. Mr. Mbingo ordered that colleague to make means to change to something more respectable- there was no time to go back to the house so he had to quickly rush to the shops to buy a trouser.
At the memorial, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates sent representatives. At the funeral service, Their Majesties were represented. The funeral itself was something out of this world. Swallows supporters sang ‘Myekeleni aphumule’ (let him rest), a song they would continue to sing at Swallows matches. In the morning hours at the funeral, I approached one police officer and asked that he help me estimate the number of people there. He took me to his superior and even he failed. It felt as though the whole of Eswatini was there. Keeping with the class they had showed the entire week, the Gamedze family allowed Swallows’ supporters to also pour sand into VG’s final resting place, one final salute to a man who had transformed their club.
Memories fade as time passes and some details become less clear but one thing is for sure, I have never worked on a bigger story and certainly, in the 2010s, Eswatini did not witness any story bigger than the murder of the great Victor ‘Maradona’ Gamedze.
May his soul continue resting in peace.
By: Sibongiseni Zondi
NB: Sibongiseni Zondi writes this blog in his personal capacity. Zondi was the Eswatini’s Observer’s Sports Reporter between October 2017 and August 2018.
Comments
Post a Comment