“Please don’t kill me”: Chief Msini’s widow shot dead anyway
“Please don’t kill me, I have very young children. Take money. I can transfer you some money now.” These are the words of the wife of slain Mpumalanga chief, Clyde Mnisi, as she begged her murderers to spare her life, moments before they shot her twice in the head in her home in Culcatta, Bushbuckridge, in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Charlene Felicity Mathews, 30, was executed in her lounge just after 1am. Two other people who were in the house escaped with injuries.
Her husband, an alleged rhino poaching middleman, was assassinated on the road near the Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport on March 26. He was buried on Sunday.
Mnisi’s brother Charles told Sowetan the family living in fear after the murders of the couple in just nine days.
“The boys [who were injured during the shooting] heard people in the house and one tried to block the door from opening by pushing a bed against it but when they pushed it open, he jumped out the window and was shot in the leg.
“The intruders went to fetch makoti (Charlene) from the bedroom where she was sleeping with other women on a mattress as part of mourning the recent death of her husband. They took her to the living room [and] she was heard screaming and begging them not to kill her but she was shot twice in the head,” said Charles.
“We are scared. First, they killed the chief and now his wife and also injuring their children, it’s scary. We don’t know who might be behind this but clearly it has nothing to do with the case he was facing in court.
“My brother and I were yet to meet for him to give me clarity in the rhino poaching case but he was killed. We are still waiting for the police to give us updated about the death of the chief and now this,” said Charles.
Mnisi, 37, was set to appear in court on April 17 to face charges, including rhino poaching and money laundering. He was installed the chief of the Mnisi Tribal Authority five months ago.
Provincial police spokesperson Brig Selvy Mohlala said preliminary investigations revealed that armed suspect(s) got into the house and shot three people.
“Police found some cartridges on the scene. A team of investigators has been assembled and have already began with the probe. Part of the investigation will be to establish how the suspect(s) gained entry into the house. The motive for the shooting is unknown at this stage. No one has been arrested thus far,” said Mohlala.
Mathews’ twin brother Blessing told Sowetan that he was shocked and expected a lot from his 30-year-old sister.
“I’m en route to Mbombela to get more information regarding what happened. I was just at her home when we were burying her husband this past weekend and now my very own sister has been assassinated. Charlene was a very nice person from a young age,” said a shattered Blessing.
