By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE: Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini’s powerful and political connected religious cabal, the Jesus Calls Worship Centre(JCWC) has been implicated in the missing corpse of the late Tanzanian national Gladness Kimaro Edje.

As a result, an investigation by the police has been sabotaged, children of the late Tanzanian national are now living in fear, receiving threats from State agents that their residential permits will not be renewed and they might face deportation if they continue demanding justice through the “Foreign Lives Matter” a social media campaign whose objective was to appeal to members of the public to assist in finding the missing corpse.

An independent investigation by this Swaziland News suggests that on or around the 4th June 2020 two months before she died, Gladness Kimaro Edje who was a businesswoman owning a boutique in Manzini received a call from Minister of Home Affairs Princess Lindiwe, the wife of Bishop Kasaro who allegedly threatened her saying “you can run but you cannot hide”, this was after the Tanzanian national left the JC to join God’s Glory Ministries.

Electronic evidence in our possession confirmed by senior sources who were very close to the deceased suggests that the Home Affairs Minister allegedly threatened the Tanzanian saying she would be killed and her body will be thrown in the dam to be feasted by crocodiles. Worth-noting is that on or around September 2020, this publication interviewed Lucky 'Obama' Matsentjwa, a former police officer who was working closely with the then National Commissioner Isaac Magagula who confirmed that some citizens who were reported missing were thrown to the various dams by the police to be feasted by crocodiles while others were allegedly dumped Hlane Game Reserve to be feasted by lions.

On or around the 7th September 2020, shortly after gathering information suggesting that the disappearance of the corpse was implicating high profile people, the High Commission of the United Republic of Tanzania wrote a ‘hot’ letter to Senator Thulie Dladla, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation demanding that the case be investigated as a matter of urgency.

Documents and or correspondence in our possession suggests that subsequent to the letter from Tanzanian High Commissioner in Maputo, Minister of Foreign Affairs Thulie Dladla and Lizzie Nkosi, the Minister of Health issued a joint statement dated 08 September 2020 giving assurance that the matter will be investigated by the law enforcement agencies.

“Following correspondence between the United Republic of Tanzania and the Kingdom of Eswatini, the Ministries  find it fitting to reassure all concerned parties that the appropriate law enforcement agencies are fully seized with the matter, recognising the gravity and urgency needed to bring it to satisfactory end” read the joint statement released by the two Ministers.

On or around the 13th October 2020 in the midst of this investigation, Bubssy Mavuso, the Spokesperson of the powerful and politically connected religious cabal, the Jesus Calls Worship Centre was contacted to give clarify regarding the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of corpse and if its true that there was tension between the deceased and the JC authorities.

Mavuso did not deny that the late Gladness was a member of the church, however, he promised to get more details before responding to our questions.

“Good evening Zweli, your whatsApp message is acknowledged. I will call you tomorrow to get the details” said the JC Spokesperson.

An independent investigation further uncovered that on or around the year 2018, shortly after leaving the JC, the late Gladness Kimaro Edje’s boutique business was systematically frustrated and subsequently shutdown, the persecution went on until she met her dead at Manzini Clinic on or around the 5th August 2020, her body was later discovered missing on the 29th August 2020. 

Reached for comments, Amanda Edje, the daughter of the deceased Tanzanian businesswoman confirmed that her mother informed them as a family that she was consistently receiving death threats from JC authorities. Speaking to this publication on the matter, the daughter said as a result, her father was contacted by the Tanzanian High Commissioner in Maputo after the subsequent disappearance of her mother’s body.

“Our mom told us, the High Commissioner called our dad, you can confirm with the Tanzanian High Commissioner in Maputo” she said. 

When asked to confirm if as a family they did receive threats that the Ministry of Home Affairs will not renew their residential permits if they continue pushing the “Foreign Lives Matter” campaign that appeals to members of the public to assist them find their mother's corpse, Amanda Edje declined to comment, saying as foreigners, it was risky for them to comment about the matter of permits.

But insiders close to the family told this publication that the children were threatened by members of the law enforcement agency that their permits will not be renewed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, worth-noting is that Princess Lindiwe who allegedly threatened the deceased is the Minister responsible for residential permits.

A questionnaire was sent by this publication to Minister Princess Lindiwe, however, she had not responded at the time of compiling this report.

A separate investigation by this publication uncovered that on or around 08 September 2020 subsequent to a report by the Times of Eswatini about the missing corpse, Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini tried to send Government Spokesperson Sabelo Dlamini to engage the family of the deceased so they can refrain from pushing the matter on social media through the “Foreign Lives Matter” campaign.

This is contained in circumstantial electronic evidence in possession of this publication, however, both the Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini and Government Spokesperson joined the fast lane and avoided questions sent to them  by this publication seeking clarity on this matter particularly about the purpose of the meeting that was allegedly arranged with the family of the deceased.

But it has been disclosed that as the matter continues to trigger diplomatic tension between eSwatini and Tanzania, Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini who doubles as the Minister of Police subsequently ordered National Commissioner of Police William Dlamini to parade a E50,000.00 reward for anyone who might assist with information that might lead to the discovery of the missing corpse and arrest of the criminals

This was after His Excellency CGP Phaustine Martin Kasike, the Tanzanian High Commissioner in Mozambique, Madagascar and Swaziland(eSwatini) maintained he wanted the case to be investigated as a matter of urgency.

“The REPS is offering a cash reward to a sum of E50,000.00 to any person or people who can offer positive information towards the location and discovery of the body of the late Tanzanian national-Gladness Kimaro Edje” read the statement released by the National Commissioner.

But it later transpired that the Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini and the police were playing a public relations stunt by offering the cash reward just to diffuse the diplomatic tension, two months later, no arrests has been made and the Home Affairs Minister Princess Lindiwe who doubles as the PMs ‘spiritual mother’ at JC was never questioned by the police, police officers in eSwatini are restricted from arresting close royal family members without permission from King Mswati, the investigation was handled by retiring Deputy Commissioner Sam Mthembu.

An independent investigation by this publication uncovered that after Gladness Kimaro Edje died at Manzini Clinic allegedly due to COVID-19, her body was taken by members of the Royal Eswatini Police Service(REPS) to the TB Centre without any documentation, this was confirmed by senior sources tasked with the family and Tanzanian High Commission based in Mozambique to work on matter and make sure the corpse was found and or those implicated face the law. 

“You don’t just release a corpse without any documentation, this is a delicate thing, even at Dups they tell you that once you misplace your documents you are not going to get the corpse” said one of the senior sources tasked with working on the matter on behalf of the family and High Commission.

But in the midst of strong superstitious believes within the corridors of power in eSwatini that the bodies of Tanzanian nationals bring

 good luck, power and money when used for ritual purposes, it remains unclear what happened to the body of Gladness as even the custodians who were on duty at Manzini clinic and TB Centre were never arrested.

But this publication later gathered that the family with the support of the Tanzanian High Commissioner to eSwatini based in Mozambique, is making necessary arrangements to take the Manzini Clinic, the TB Centre through the Ministry of Health and the police who subsequently sabotaged the investigations to court to force them to produce the corpse.

Reached for comments, Sibusiso Nhlabatsi, a well known human rights lawyer in eSwatini confirmed receiving instructions from the family to take the matter to court, as result, he said  can’t comment further.

“It’s a delicate matter with a lot of questions than answers, but unfortunately, I cannot give a comment because I have been given instructions by the family to litigate for them in court” said the human rights lawyer.