To be murdered was not supposed to be his fate. So said the family of Mthunzi Wiseman Zwane (26), who was found dead with stab wounds in a river on Wednesday July 6 after he had gone missing, and had presumably been robbed.
This young doctor is one of the students in the province who had the opportunity to study in Cuba in 2015. He had returned to South Africa a year ago to complete his clinical training at the University of the Free State.
His uncle, the family’s representative, Jabulani Zwane, said they could have robbed him of his belongings and spared his life instead, because he had a lot ahead of him.
“It is very difficult for us as a family to accept this, because we know his dreams and plans; he wanted to improve his background. He was left with six months of studying and was already planning what he wanted to do. This is hard to accept, and we do not understand what really transpired. His cousin was studying with him and they had planned to open a private health practice and to buy cars at the same time.”
Jabulani said no one wants to tell them what happened on the day of the incident.
“We last saw him on Sunday July 3 after he was involved in a car accident with his two cousins on his way from our family home in Breyten to the other one in Nhlazatshe, Elukwatini.
“His cousin, who was driving, went running away out of the car immediately after the accident. The other cousin was transported to the nearest hospital and Mthunzi, who had no injuries, said he would stay behind to guard the car, but we never heard from him again. We started searching for him until we he was located in a river on Wednesday. We found him with stab wounds. They had taken his jacket, sneakers and wallet, and dumped him in the Nhlazatshe River.”
Jabulani said they are all shattered. The family said they were also still waiting for the autopsy to determine the cause of death.
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The Mpumalanga MEC for health, Sasekani Manzini, strongly condemned the killing of this young doctor.
“Another attack on and murder of our healthcare workers is a serious concern and a setback to the department and the province. The family and the people of the province have been robbed of a young and talented doctor at the hands of criminals. The family have lost a son. The nation has lost a healthcare worker and a soldier who was ready to come back to the communities to share his expertise in providing healthcare services.
We urged our communities to desist from engaging in violent conduct in the name of addressing disagreements. We call on all law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident.
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“We would furthermore like to send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.”
On Monday July 11, a provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, confirmed that two suspects were arrested in connection with the murder of Zwane.
“One of the suspects, aged 18, appeared in the Chief Albert Luthuli Magistrate’s Court on July 11. The other suspect, aged 17, will appear in court soon,” Mdhluli said.
