A blue pillow, allegedly used by murder-accused pastor Nkosingiphile Zwane during the sexual assault and alleged murder of his four victims, has become a key piece of evidence in the quadruple murder investigation.
This emerged during Zwane’s appearance before Manzini Principal Magistrate David Khumalo yesterday, where the Crown successfully applied for the continued detention of two exhibits — a blue pillow and plastic sheeting — to allow investigators to conduct further forensic examinations.
Zwane did not oppose the application and the court granted the request. He was remanded in custody until July 15.
According to sources close to the matter, the pillow was recovered inside the Apostolic Faith Church International at Mfabantfu, where the alleged crimes are said to have taken place. They alleged that Zwane forced his victims to lie on the pillow before sexually assaulting them. He is said to have also strangulated the women with a rope before covering their bodies with the plastic sheeting to conceal them from anyone entering the church, hence the application moved by the Crown to have it detained as part of evidence.
The sources further alleged that Zwane later returned under the cover of darkness to drag the bodies to a nearby water canal, situated a short distance from the church, where they were allegedly dumped.
However, it is worth noting that these allegations remain untested and have not yet been proven in court.
Meanwhile, during his initial court appearance last week, the prosecution made four applications, all of which Zwane did not oppose. The court authorised his continued detention pending the completion of investigations, while investigators were also granted permission to retain exhibits recovered from the scene including clothing belonging to the deceased, identity documents and mobile phones for forensic analysis.
The court further authorised investigators to obtain blood samples from Zwane, along with samples from the recovered exhibits, for laboratory testing. Post-mortem examinations on the deceased were also approved.
Zwane faces four counts of murder in connection with the deaths of Bongiwe Phetsile Mkhonta, Samkelisiwe Shabangu, Noncedo Mohale and Nolwazi Nonhlanhla Langa. It is alleged that he used Facebook to lure the women by promising some of them employment opportunities before persuading them to travel to Matsapha. Upon their arrival, he allegedly took them to his church, where they were sexually assaulted, strangled to death and their bodies dumped in a nearby water canal.
In addition to the murder charges, Zwane is facing two counts under the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act of 2028 involving his former girlfriend, Nonhlanhla Magagula.
The first offence allegedly occurred on or about May 4, at Mahhala in the Manzini region, where Zwane intimidated Magagula by causing her to fear that she would be sexually violated, an offence under Section 6 of the Act.
The second charge alleges that on the same day he assaulted her by cutting her hand with a sharp object and strangling her, a conduct said to have endangered her safety and wellbeing, in contravention of Section 77(1)(a) of the SODV Act.
The case has been postponed to July 15, as investigations continue.
…Zwane’s relatives, church members, women groups in court
Emotions ran high at the Manzini Magistrate’s Court yesterday as supporters and critics of murder-accused Pastor Nkosingiphile Zwane gathered for his latest court appearance.
The public gallery in Court Four was filled with church congregants, relatives and interested members of the public, many of whom arrived early to secure seats before proceedings commenced.
Family members and congregants closely followed the proceedings, offering visible moral support as Zwane appeared before the court.
After the hearing, several relatives and church members were seen speaking to Zwane outside the courtroom while he remained under close guard by plain-clothed police officers. Some offered words of encouragement before he was escorted back into police custody.
However, support for the accused was matched by anger from another group of women who had attended the proceedings out of interest in the case.
The women said they felt compelled to witness the court process because of the gravity of the allegations against Zwane. Although they were not related to the alleged victims, they said the accusations had deeply affected them as women.
“If it were up to us, the police would hand him over so we could teach him a lesson,” one woman remarked. The women argued that anyone accused of targeting women in such a brutal manner should face the full consequences of the law.
They said the allegations had united them in solidarity with the victims and their families. Some of the women repeatedly chanted the slogan, “Wathint’ abafazi, wathint’ imbokodo”, a well-known expression meaning, “You strike a woman, you strike a rock.” The phrase is commonly used to symbolise women’s resilience and unity in the face of violence and oppression.
Zwane remains in custody after being charged with the alleged murders of four women as well as additional offences under the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act.
