A warder who claimed that he was instructed by a well-known bishop to shoot and kill four people has been arrested and charged with attempted murder.
Menzi Sihle Mkoko (25) of Ngwempisi, working for His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS), appeared before Magistrate Justice Mzizi at the Manzini Magistrate’s Court on Monday following the alleged shooting, facing four counts of attempted murder.
The offences were allegedly committed on December 14, 2025 at Mankayane Town Centre.
On the first count, Mkoko is accused of wrongfully, unlawfully and intentionally attempting to kill Sifiso Dlamini by shooting at him. On the second count, he is alleged to have attempted to kill Mxolisi Fortune Dlamini. The third count relates to the alleged attempted murder of Ayanda Khumalo, while the fourth count concerns the alleged attempted murder of Nokulunga Simangele Sacolo.
During his brief maiden appearance, Mkoko was not asked to plead. Instead, he was remanded into custody until July 8, pending his committal to the High Court. Meanwhile, statements recorded and submitted before the court revealed startling allegations surrounding the events that led to the shooting incident.
Mkoko stated that on the day the alleged offence occurred, he was attending a church service at a prominent bishop’s church in Mankayane.
The bishop’s identity is known to this publication, but cannot be disclosed at this stage for ethical reasons.
Mkoko, who is alleged to have doubled as a part-time bodyguard of the bishop, alleged that while the church service was in progress, a vehicle occupied by four people parked along the main road adjacent to the church premises. It is said the occupants had arrived to collect a church member after making prior arrangements.
One of the vehicle’s occupants was also a member of the church.
He claimed that after noticing that the vehicle had remained parked near the church for an extended period, the bishop became suspicious and instructed another congregant to establish who the occupants were and what their intentions might be.
According to Mkoko, the bishop believed that there were individuals plotting to assassinate him and feared that the people inside the vehicle were hired hitmen. However, the church member who had been sent to investigate allegedly returned without obtaining any information, claiming he was too afraid to approach the vehicle.
“The bishop then handed me his firearm and instructed me to shoot to kill because he believed the people inside the vehicle were hitmen who had been trailing him for some time,” alleged Mkoko.
He further claimed that after receiving the firearm, together with two other church members, they approached the vehicle. Upon noticing them, the driver of the car allegedly sped off, triggering what Mkoko described as a dramatic car chase through Mankayane.
According to Mkoko, they chased the vehicle until they caught up with it at a junction within Mankayane town. He said it was then that he allegedly opened fire, striking one of the tyres and the bonnet of the car, before fleeing the scene after the shot vehicle had landed on the pavement.
Following the shooting, Mkoko claimed that with his two companions, they went into hiding at Fairview, Manzini, before later relocating to the mountains of Nkhaba. While in hiding, he alleged that he attempted to attend a service at another church but received information that the police were searching for him at the venue. Fearing arrest, he claimed he abandoned the visit.
Mkoko further alleged that as police investigations intensified, they then fled to Ermelo in South Africa, where they remained for some time.
Before crossing the border, he claimed that the bishop instructed them to switch off their cellphones at all times so as to avoid being tracked by law enforcement authorities. However, Mkoko alleged that they ignored the instruction and continued using their phones, a move he claimed angered the bishop.
He further alleged that the bishop subsequently devised a plan to have them killed in South Africa in an effort to silence them and eliminate evidence that could implicate him in the shooting.
“Fortunately, one of my relatives overheard him speaking to someone over the phone about obtaining an illegal firearm that will be used by hitmen to assassinate us in South Africa. So the relative made us aware of such a plan,” Mkoko alleged.
Fearing for his life, Mkoko claimed that he decided to return to the kingdom and surrendered himself to the police. He alleged that his decision to hand himself over to the police ultimately led to his arrest and prosecution on the four counts of attempted murder.
The allegations against the bishop remain untested in court, and no charges have been brought against him.
