Mthandeni tells family he left because he felt unsafe

NGWEMPISI – Former Ngwempisi Member of Parliament Mthandeni Dube told his family that he left home because he felt unsafe.

Dube’s home is situated at Fakudze under Ngwempisi Inkhundla. His wife, Zanele, said she was not at the Dube homestead on Sunday, September 13, as she had visited her family. However, when she returned home, Dube was nowhere to be found. She said Dube later called her and told her that he had left home because he felt unsafe.

“While I was away, I received a message from him saying he was not at home because he felt unsafe,” she said. True to his word, Zanele said she did not find Dube when she returned home later that day. She said Dube had not told her beforehand that he intended to leave the homestead. Zanele said she had taken her mother home after the latter had visited the Dube family. Asked whether Dube had called since leaving, she said he had not. Dube’s disappearance has also left Zanele feeling unsafe, she said, amid visits by people seeking information about her husband. “I also do not feel safe anymore because there are many people who are coming home to ask me questions,” she said.

Zanele said she did not know the people who had been visiting the homestead, as she was often away attending to family errands when they arrived. “Whenever I come from town, I find tyre tracks of motor vehicles that came here and turned,” she said. “I somehow feel that there will be many people coming here at home, which gives me a scare. I definitely do not feel safe now. I don’t know what so many people are looking for here because my husband is not home. There is nothing they will get from me,” she said. Zanele said she had also taken time to open the door when journalists from this publication visited the family last Friday. She said she was relying on God for strength and had not yet met with the wider Dube family to decide what should be done about her husband’s disappearance. Dube was released from Matsapha Correctional Centre on November 5, 2025, under the 2025 Special Royal Pardon, after spending about four years behind bars. His release was subject to 11 conditions, including restrictions on his movement, political activities, media interaction and public speaking. At the time of his release, His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS) Commissioner General LaMakhosini Phindile Dlamini said 12 inmates had been conditionally released under the Special Royal Pardon, with the beneficiaries required to serve the remainder of their sentences under community service and other conditions.

Dube had been arrested alongside former Hosea Member of Parliament Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza. The two were charged with terrorism and murder arising from the 2021 civil unrest.

Dube was convicted and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment. Following his conviction and sentencing, Dube was granted conditional release, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence outside prison while performing community service. The conditions imposed on him included that he remain under the periodic supervision of HMCS and remain at his approved place of residence. He was also required to obtain approval before changing his residence and to comply with reasonable directions issued by Correctional Services. Another condition prohibited him from committing any offence or misconduct and from possessing an offensive weapon. He was also prohibited from leaving the Kingdom of Eswatini during the period of his conditional release. The conditions further required him to surrender his passport or other valid international travel document and prohibited him from applying for a new passport or travel document. If he wished to travel, he was required to make a formal request to the commissioner general for consideration. Dube was also prohibited from affiliating with a political organisation or participating in political or similar activities. The conditions further prohibited him from participating in press or social-media activities, social gatherings, public presentations or public speaking until the expiry of his sentence.

Mthandeni’s mother Kesta explaining how she misses her son.

The conditions stated that any breach would render him liable to forfeiture of his conditional release and return to custody to complete the remainder of his sentence. Dube’s disappearance came after an audio recording was circulated online in which comments about the late Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala were allegedly attributed to him. The alleged interaction with an online publication was significant because of the restrictions placed on Dube’s participation in press and social-media activities. HMCS subsequently appointed an enquiry team to investigate the audio recording and establish the facts surrounding it.

The team visited Dube’s homestead at Ngwempisi, but could not find him. According to earlier reports by this publication, family members who were at the homestead told the officers that Dube had left several days earlier for an unknown destination. HMCS Deputy Spokesperson Baphelele Kunene said Commissioner General Dlamini had appointed a team to investigate the matter. “Any questions that may arise will be addressed by the investigation,” he said. The investigation followed the circulation of an alleged audio recording, in which remarks about the death of Maphalala were purportedly attributed to Dube. There have since been allegations that Dube left the country and travelled to South Africa.

However, his actual whereabouts had not been established by the family at the time of the latest reports. A relative previously told this publication that the family remained in the dark about Dube’s whereabouts. “We are still in the dark on his whereabouts and we pray and hope he is safe and alive,” the relative said. The latest information from Zanele is that Dube told her he had left home because he felt unsafe. She said she had not received any further communication from him after that message.

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