MOMBASA, Kenya – Umkhokheli weqembu lenkolo elisolwa ngokubulala abantu ngokuthi bazincitshe ukudla baze bafe, uPaul Mackenzie, labanye abangu-28, batholakale belamacala okubulala ngumthethwandaba weKenya ngoMvulo, kulandela ukufa kwabantwana abangu-190 lomuntu omdala oyedwa. Lokhu kuyingxenye yezehlakalo ezimbi kakhulu ezibangelwe ngamabandla ezenkolo eminyakeni edluleyo.
Umfundisi lo wabotshwa ngo-2023 ngemva kokuba amapholisa ethole umbiko owawuveza okwakwenzakele. Ngemva kwamaviki athile, iziphathamandla zaqalisa ukuthola izidumbu ezigqitshelwe emangcwabeni angatshoniyo egangeni eliseShakahola, eduze laseningizimu-mpumalanga yeKenya.
Abatshutshisi bathi uMackenzie lebandla lakhe leGood News International Church babemise ibandla elalifundisa ngokuphela komhlaba. Kuthiwa balaya abalandeli babo ukuthi bangadli kunye labantwababo, baze bafe ukuze bayefika ezulwini umhlaba ungakapheli “bayohlangana loJesu”.
Indaba le isithathe isikhathi eside isematheni eKenya kusukela kwatholakala amangcwaba abantu abanengi.
Kuvele imibuzo ngokuthi uMackenzie wayeqhubeka njani ngomsebenzi wakhe lanxa iziphathamandla zasezimbonile kusukela ngo-2017, ngesikhathi amapholisa ehlola izakhiwo zakhe. Ngo-2019, iziphathamandla zavala ibandla lakhe, ngemva kwalokho wathuthela ehlathini leShakahola, ngokutsho kwamapholisa.
UMackenzie uwaphikile amacala okubulala, esithi kazange abambe ngamandla abantu abafayo ukuthi bangadli. Kodwa umthethwandaba uthe lokhu yikucatsha ngomunwe.
Yena labanye abatholakale belamacala bazagwetshwa mhlaka 6 Lwezi. Ummeli wabo, uLawrence Obonyo, omele uMackenzie kanye labanye abanengi abatholakale belamacala, uthe ulaywe ukuthi afake isicelo sokudlulisela icala phambili ukuze liphinde lihlolwe.
UFrancis Wanje, oleminyaka engu-62, wafelwa ngamalunga ayisificaminwembili emuli yakhe, okugoqela abazukulu bakhe ababili, ngenxa yenkolo le. Utshele abezindaba zeReuters ukuthi isinqumo somthethwandaba simenze wathokoza njalo samnika ithemba lokuthi umthetho usasebenza.
“Banengi abazafunda kulokho okwenzakale lamuhla. Kulamabandla ezinkolo yonke indawo, kodwa amanye awo alenjongo ezimbi. Ngakho kuhle ukuthi umphakathi uqaphele kakhulu,” kutsho uWanje.
Kubikwa sekutholakale izidumbu zabantu ezedlula 400 egangeni leShakahola.
Izidumbu zabantwana ezinengi zasezisesimeni esibi kakhulu, okwenza kwaba nzima ukuzibona ukuthi ngezabobani. Kwaba lezingu-26 kuphela okwaba lula ukuthi zaziwe ukuthi ngezabobani. Ukuphenywa ngokufa lokhu kusaqhubeka.
Umehluli uDiana Kavedza Mochache uthe ngesikhathi sokulalelwa kwecala okwathatha amahola angaphezu kwangu-8, kwezinye izehlakalo abantwana babesehlukaniswa labanye abantu njalo bengaphiwa ukudla abazali babo bekhangele.
Umqondisi wezokutshutshiswa kwamacala, uRenson Ingonga, utshele intatheli ngemva kwalokho eHigh Court eMombasa wathi: “Lesi yisinqumo esingcono kakhulu ebesingasithola.”
UMackenzie ubekhona emthethwandaba, egqoke iyembe le-polo elilemigqa kanye lebhulugwe elibomvu, ehlezi eceleni komkakhe, laye ongomunye wabasolwa ecaleni leli.
Kwathi uma umehluli ebiza ibizo lakhe, kazange akhulume, waqhubeka ekhangele emkhathini.
Icala leli selibangele ukuthi kube lezikhalazo zokuthi amabandla ezinkolo lezinye inhlanganiso zenkolo ziqondiswe njalo zihlolwe kakhulu. Lokhu kwenzakala elizweni lapho inkolo edlala indima enkulu empilweni yomphakathi.
Umongameli weKenya uWilliam Ruto wathi ngo-2023 iziphathamandla zikahulumende kwakumele zibe lamandla okuvimba ukufa kwabantu laba. Wathi uyavuma ukuthi njengomongameli ulomlandu ngalokho okwenzakalayo.
Abantu ababelolwazi oluqondileyo ngebandla leli batshele iReuters ukuthi uMackenzie wahlela ukuthi abalandeli bakhe babulawe yindlala ngezigaba ezintathu. Esigabeni sokuqala kwakuzakufa abantwana, kulandele abesifazane labesilisa abasakhulayo, ekucineni kube ngamadoda aseleyo.
UMackenzie, owayesebenza njengomtshayeli wetekisi, wayevimbela amalunga eqembu lakhe ukuthi ahambise abantwabawo esikolo kumbe ukuthi baye esibhedlela nxa begula, esithi indawo lezi ngezikasathane.
Amalunga eqembu leli ayehlala ezindlini zesikhatshana ezazakhiwe ngamapulastiki langotshani. UMackenzie wayehlukanise indawo leyo yaba yizigaba ezaziphiwe amabizo aseBhayibhilini, afana leJerusalema kanye leJudiya.
Ukuhlupheka kwabalandeli bakhe kwaqalisa ukwaziwa kakhulu phakathi kukaMbimbitho ngo-2023, ngesikhathi indoda eyayihlala endaweni le ibikela amapholisa ukuthi umfowabo lomkakhe babulala abantwababo ngokubancitsha ukudla egangeni, belandela imilayo kaMackenzie.
UMackenzie wabotshwa kodwa wakhululwa ngebheyili. Izihlobo zabafayo zithi ngemva kokukhululwa kwakhe wahle wasondeza usuku ayetshele abalandeli bakhe ukuthi umhlaba uzaphela ngalo.
Amapholisa aphinda ambopha ngoMabasa ka-2023, aqalisa ukuhlola iganga ngendlela ehlelekileyo njalo emba amathuna abantu abanengi.
UMackenzie usabhekane lamanye amacala aphathelane lokufa kwabantu egangeni leShakahola, okugoqela amacala aphathelane lokuba ngumthengisi, lawo awaphikayo.
Abatshutshisi bathi ngesikhathi evalelwe, wayelaya njalo ngokubulawa kwabantu abangu-52 esigabeni seKwa Binzaro, esingaba ngamakhilomitha angaba ngu-30 nxa usuka eShakahola. UMackenzie uwaphikile amacala lawo.
Reuters
