The family of a man from Thokazi, KwaNongoma, who is said to have been punched by another man with his knuckles, is still in shock.
In this incident which is said to have happened in Majomela, KwaNongoma, last Thursday, Mr. Phumlani Dlamini (24) died.
According to her sister, Ms. Qinisile Dlamini, the incident happened after the match between the Mthombowesizwe High School and the Nongoma LoveLife Youth Center was over.
“It is said that he was attacked by a few boys who he allegedly had a fight with on the long weekend of the first of May. It is said that the team he was targeted for, Mjiva used to play with a team of these boys whose name we do not know, and he scored six goals,” said Ms. Dlamini.
He said that when they heard that the suspects were fed up with these goals, they tried to disturb him on the spot but they broke up and separated.
“As they are going to attack him again on Thursday. On the day he was killed, it is said that he was first hit by one person with a fist, and they separated. While that was being looked at, he was hit again by a second person, with the same fist, and he fell down, convulsed, and fell silent,” said Ms. Dlamini.
He said that when the suspect saw that he had injured the deceased, he took off the belt from his arm and hit him with it.
“We don’t know if he was trying to wake him up or if he was finishing him off,” he said.
He said they suspect that the belt that the suspect was wearing contained a heavy drug, which led to him being able to kill the deceased with his fist.
“It’s sad because my brother was not a violent person. He loved to laugh at himself and loved football. The story of him leaving home to play football and then we receive a message that he has been killed in the sports field, has caused us great pain,” said Ms. Dlamini.
He said what they found was that a stake was being played, and they did not know how much money it was.
He said they received the message from someone he had gone to the ball with, and when they arrived, they found that the police had arrived and confirmed that he was dead.
The Minister of Social Development Ms. Mbali Shinga was to visit the family of the deceased yesterday.
In a statement sent to the media to console family, friends and the community of KwaNongoma, Ms. Shinga expressed her shock and sadness at the incident.
“The incident is a sad reminder that the issue of resolving disagreements in a peaceful manner should be encouraged, especially for young people involved in sports,” said Ms. Shinga.
He said apart from mourning the family of the deceased, they will also provide them with psychological counseling following the incident.
The KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Sergeant Thenjiswa Ngcobo, said the KwaNongoma police arrested a 19-year-old man for murder following the murder of a man.
“He was beaten to death on May 7, 2026 in Majomela,” said Serg Ngcobo.
He said the suspect appeared at the KwaNongoma Magistrate’s Court on Monday.