Zandile Khumalo, sister of singer Kelly Khumalo, has ignited controversy following a cryptic Instagram post that many believe is linked to the death of advocate Thulani Mngomezulu.

Mngomezulu, who represented accused number one in the high-profile Senzo Meyiwa murder trial, passed away recently, as confirmed by his family. Shortly after the news broke, Zandile shared an Instagram post that read:

“Ithi lengoma ‘bathintha thina bazofa baphele imikhonto yethu ingcolile, sizinsizwa webafana!!!! Ubosiphathisa okwezikhali zamaNtungwa.'” which means: “Those who touch us will die, and their weapons will fail because our spears are stained (with blood); we are brave warriors, boys! You will handle us like the weapons of the AmaNtungwa tribe.’”

The timing of the post has drawn widespread attention, with critics interpreting it as a reaction to Mngomezulu’s death. The post has since sparked heated debates on social media, with some accusing Zandile of insensitivity.

The Khumalo family has not released an official statement addressing the matter. The controversy adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing Senzo Meyiwa trial, which has already captured national attention.

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Many people have been intrigued by a viral video depicting a woman and her family storming a church wedding where her husband was marrying another woman.

The first wife was seen in the video presenting church officials with documentation that the man was still lawfully married and also presented their children as technical proof that they are still husband and wife.

The woman’s ‘new wife,’ according to sources, was her principal bridesmaid at her wedding and the incident occurred in Sierra Leone over the weekend.

Some Sierra Leonean internet users stated that the alleged bestie and new wife used black magic on the original wife, making her mentally ill every time she entered her matrimonial home.

Speaking on the incident, @allthingsanto wrote:

“I’m a Sierra Leonean. Let me add something. And new wife happens to be best friends with the “ditched” first wife. They ate together, did everything together. Okay y’all know what besties do now. First wife proves to be fine and ok every time she’s at her family house but as soon as she goes to her matrimonial home, she runs mad. Sad!

“Info gathered from an interview that featured the elder sister of the first wife.“

Also speaking in line with multiple reports on the new wife and tagging her the lady’s bestie, another netizen @lubr_ian said:

“Stories have it that the bride was infact the chief bride’s maid at the wedding of the first wife and the groom. The bride allegedly did black magic that will make the first wife go mad any time she enters her matrimonial home.”

Sierra Leone Monday began three days of national mourning for victims of Friday’s deadly tanker explosion.

President Julius Maada Bio made the declaration on Sunday night in a televised address in which he described the incident that left about 100 people dead and 90 others in hospitals as a national tragedy.

Mr Bio was out of the country when the incident happened but returned home from Britain, where he had been attending the COP26 climate conference. He cancelled a trip to Ghana on Sunday for the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) heads of States summit.

The President visited the victims in hospitals and the site of the explosion in Wellington, an industrial area of the capital Freetown.

“I saw our brothers and sisters who are in extreme pain. They shared with me their anguish and I reassured them of my government’s commitment to continue supporting them during these difficult times,” he said.

He added: “Moments like these bring us closer as a nation just as they have in the past. We will endure, pull through and persist as a nation. Flags shall be flown at half-mast. Prayers shall be said for the deceased and the injured throughout Sierra Leone on Friday 12th November and Sunday 14th November, respectively.”

Medical supplies

The official death toll as of Sunday had risen to 99, with more than 90 others hospitalised, some in critical condition.

President Bio said the Ministry of Health would scale up its responses on medical and psychosocial care for victims and their families.

Foreign medical specialists are expected to jet in to assist local doctors, Health minister Dr Austin Demby said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) will airlift emergency medical supplies with the first batch of 6.6 tonnes of equipment and medicines expected in the country in coming days, Dr Demby said.

Identification

Meanwhile, the authorities have mounted verification and identification exercises which they say will be followed by a decision to embark on burial of the dead.

Mr Bio promised to set up a presidential task force that will look into the cause of the incident and recommend appropriate actions to avoid future occurrences.

Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio has dismissed persistent criticism for his visit to Guinea earlier this week, saying that the state visit was in the interest of his country’s national security.

President Bio spent part of his day on Monday, October 11 in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, holding talks with the leadership of the military junta.

A presidential statement said he embarked on the visit at the invitation of junta leader Col Mamady Doumbouya. The statement further added that the meeting was meant to discuss matters of security concerns to Sierra Leone.

However, supporters of the opposition in Sierra Leone heavily criticized the visit, saying that

Bio’s action amounted to undermining the decision of the regional bloc ECOWAS, which had slammed sanctions on Guinea for the September 5 coup which brought Doumbouya to power.

However, President Bio in an interview with CNN on Thursday dismissed the suggestion and said that he made the visit with the consent of “few members” of the bloc.

Guinea is a neighbor. We do quite a lot of things together. We have security arrangements that are falling apart. I needed to sort those out,” he said on the sidelines of the ongoing EXPO2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, adding that “my national security is what’s most important to me,” he stressed.

President Bio also questioned ECOWAS’ stance on Guinea, noting that while he stood by the bloc’s position in condemning the coup, which he echoed in an official statement, he thought it was a wrong move to isolate the military leadership.

The Sierra Leon presidency said that part of the agenda to be discussed between President Bio and Col Doumbouya was the protracted dispute over ownership of the small border town of Yenga.

In a meeting between president Bio and Guinea’s former president Alpha Conde last year, the issue was nearly resolved. At the time, officials in Sierra Leone said several security agreements had been reached, including joint border security patrols. President Bio said not only has the implementation of those agreements been stalled but also the security situation in the border areas had worsened.

President Bio added that technical experts from the two countries were scheduled to meet in the coming week as agreed during Monday’s meeting.

Bio became the first head of state to visit Guinea after the ECOWAS’ sanction, a decision that was reached at its extraordinary summit in Accra in September.

ECOWAS demanded that the military returns the country to civilian rule within six months.

According to the Sierra Leonean leader, sidelining the junta would have the potential to prove counterproductive, stressing that they should be listened to and provided with the help they need to transition to civilian rule, rather than being sidelined.

President Bio also promised to take the matter up with the other heads of state.

“I think I need to have a frank conversation with the rest of ECOWAS. We cannot help the situation by isolating Guinea. We have to be there. We have to talk to the people who are currently in charge in Guinea, understand what they want to do, and influence them to do in a manner acceptable to the international community,” he said.

Bio is in Dubai with a large delegation that includes government officials, artists, and cultural performers with the goal of showcasing the country’s investment potential.