fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Article

Flurry of phone calls at time of ANC leader’s murder, court hears

Dailydispatch · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · · 494 words · By Lulamile Feni
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Ready to play
Daily briefing

What to know about Flurry of phone calls at time of ANC leader’s murder, court hears

More than 20 phone calls were exchanged between two of the accused in the murder of ANC leader Mncedisi “Sncane” Gijana in the minutes around the killing, the Mthatha High Court, sitting in Lusikisiki, heard this week.

Claims checked 12
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

More than 20 phone calls were exchanged between two of the accused in the murder of ANC leader Mncedisi “Sncane” Gijana in the minutes around the killing, the Mthatha High Court, sitting in Lusikisiki, heard this week.

Why it matters

The state alleges that one of the numbers belonged to Mzukisi Ndamase, who prosecutors claim orchestrated the murder from prison using a smuggled cellphone.

Common ground

The court previously heard that Songezo Mashiya Vuma, the youngest of the accused, allegedly led the operation at Gijana’s Lubhacweni village home in KwaBhaca on August 19 2024, while taking instructions from Ndamase by phone.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailydispatch.co.za/news/2026-05-26-flurry-of-phone-calls-at-time-of…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4
info Single Source 4
help Insufficient Evidence 2
schedule Pending 2
help
Claim 1: “Mfiki said he extracted information from an MTN SIM card found in the device”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute this claim.
help
Claim 2: “Warrant Officer Lungile Mfiki... testified about the forensic extraction of data from a cellphone allegedly found in Ndamase’s prison cell”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute this claim.
check_circle
Claim 3: “Songezo Mashiya Vuma, the youngest of the accused, allegedly led the operation at Gijana’s Lubhacweni village home in KwaBhaca on August 19 2024”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm Songezo 'Mashiya' Vuma is the youngest accused and that he confessed to the killing of Mncedisi 'Sincane' Gijana under orders from Ndamase.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — “We were ordered by Mzukisi Ndamase to go and look and kill Sincane,” Vuma said in his confession. He said Hintsa remained outside while he and Ndende entered the house, where they initially held two …
https://thekasiboy.co.za/songezo-vuma-confess-to-have-killed…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Families welcome arrest of last Lusikisiki massacre, but… Vuma went on the run with his co-accused, narrowly escaping arrest when Ndende and Hintsa were apprehended in Port Shepstone. Abi was nabbed i…
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/courts/lusikisik…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The youngest accused in the Lusikisiki massacre, Songezo “Mashiya” Vuma, has confessed in court. He told the Mthatha High Court how the killing of ANC leader Mncedisi “Sincane” Gijana happened and who…
https://www.tiktok.com/@our.side.theirs/video/76034052764940…
schedule
Claim 4: “the September 2024 Lusikisiki massacre, in which 18 people were killed at two neighbouring homesteads in Ngobozana village”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 5: “Six men — Ndamase, Siphosoxolo Myekethe, Aphiwe “AP” Ndende, Bonga “Rico” Hintsa, Vuma and Mawethu Nomdlembu — have pleaded not guilty”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 6: “the Mthatha High Court, sitting in Lusikisiki, heard this week”
CORROBORATED
Web search results explicitly mention that Mzukisi Ndamase cross-examined a witness 'at the Mthatha High Court sitting in Lusikisiki'.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The magistrates' courts are the lowest level of the court system in South Africa. They are the courts of first instance for most criminal cases except for the most serious crimes, and for civil cases …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magistrate's_court_(South_Afri…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mandela Makaula (born 6 May 1964) is a South African judge who is currently serving in the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court of South Africa. He joined the bench in 2010 after two decades in pra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandela_Makaula
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The N2 is a national route in South Africa that runs from Cape Town through George, Gqeberha, East London, Mthatha, Port Shepstone and Durban to Ermelo. It is the main highway along the Indian Ocean c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N2_(South_Africa)
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 7: “Ndamase, who was arrested in November 2024 while already facing charges linked to the Lusikisiki massacre”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for this claim are generic Hindi news headlines and do not contain any information regarding Mzukisi Ndamase's arrest in November 2024.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · आज की ताजा खबर (Latest Today News in Hindi): Get Here all the Today's Breaking News in Hindi, Latest News in Hindi, Aaj Ki Taaja Khabar, Breaking News at jansatta.com
https://www.jansatta.com/latest-news/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Read the latest and breaking Hindi news on amarujala.com. Get live Hindi news about India and the World from politics, sports, bollywood, business, cities, lifestyle, astrology, spirituality, jobs and…
https://www.amarujala.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · हिंदी न्यूज़ - Read Breaking Latest News in Hindi (हिंदी समाचार / ताजा ख़बरें) of India & World on Politics, Business, Bollywood, Health, Lifestyle, Sports, Education across the World at I…
https://www.indiatv.in/
info
Claim 8: “More than 20 phone calls were exchanged between two of the accused in the murder of ANC leader Mncedisi “Sncane” Gijana in the minutes around the killing”
SINGLE SOURCE
While web results confirm the existence of a trial involving Mzukisi Ndamase and the killing of Mncedisi Gijana, none of the provided evidence mentions the specific detail of 'more than 20 phone calls' exchanged in the minutes around the killing.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago ... ... accused person in Montshiwa' death. Since my arrest to date ... TWO CO-ACCUSED TO LUZIRA PRISON OVER ALLEGED MURDER OF KENNETH WATOM AKENA.
https://www.facebook.com/Boston25News/posts/what-you-are-is-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Oct 31, 2024 ... Watch as Mzukisi Ndamase, accused of plotting the murders of 18 people in Lusikisiki, ... Mncedisi Gijana killing, Mthatha High Court trial ...
https://www.tiktok.com/@newzroom405/video/743187706245087565…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Oct 13, 2025 ... ... on Kebble's murder, but was convicted of drug trafficking, and received only a fine. “In the end, the only person that was really ...
https://www.facebook.com/ssbcnews/posts/the-panel-for-select…
info
Claim 9: “Investigating officer Sergeant Sbulele Mngcandubana testified that call data records from MTN showed “the heaviest phone activity occurred in the minutes Gijana was being kidnapped and killed””
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for this claim are irrelevant (discussing Canadian medical kidnapping and general phone activity in car crashes) and do not mention Sergeant Sbulele Mngcandubana or the specific testimony regarding MTN records in this case.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Medical kidnapping is now legal in Canada.The frightening part is that governments increasingly frame all dissent through the lens of public safety, misinformation, extremism, instability, or mental h…
https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/international-news/canada…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Sign in to review and manage your activity, including things you’ve searched for, websites you’ve visited, and videos you’ve watched.
https://myactivity.google.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Phone activity and digital evidence help investigators reconstruct crash timelines, clarify responsibility, and support claims for distracted driving victims.
https://impakter.com/phone-activity-distracted-driving-inves…
info
Claim 10: “investigators obtained records covering the period between 7pm and 9pm on the night of the murder”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for this claim are about a graphic novel series called 'InvestiGators' and are completely irrelevant to the criminal investigation of the Gijana murder.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The goofy graphic novel series that follows the super spy alligator duo the InvestiGators as they travel through the sewers and fight the forces of evil.
https://investigatorsbooks.com/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Written by John Patrick Green, InvestiGators is a collection of 10 books starting with InvestiGators and ending with Weather or Not.
https://bookroo.com/books/series/investigators
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — You are more than welcome to edit in the InvestiGators Wiki! Case Files! Tackle tricky cases in this solve-along Investigators adventure, along with everyone's favorite sleuths Mango and Brash! Specia…
https://investigators.fandom.com/wiki/InvestiGators_Wiki
check_circle
Claim 11: “prosecutors claim orchestrated the murder from prison using a smuggled cellphone”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results state that Mzukisi Ndamase is alleged to have orchestrated the massacre/killings while behind bars/from prison.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — May 20, 2026 · The accused also face charges linked to the murder of ANC Alfred Nzo ... Mzukisi Ndamase is alleged to have orchestrated the Lusikisiki massacre ...
https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/daily-dispatch/2026…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Nov 24, 2024 · The alleged mastermind of the Lusikisiki Massacre, Mzukisi Ndamase, is demanding to be furnished with the names of witnesses in the mass murder ...
https://www.facebook.com/TimesLIVE/posts/recording-of-a-phon…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jul 29, 2025 · Ndamase, who is currently serving a life sentence for murder, is accused of orchestrating the massacre while behind bars.The trial is being ...
https://www.facebook.com/brieflyza/posts/alleged-mastermind-…
check_circle
Claim 12: “the state alleges that one of the numbers belonged to Mzukisi Ndamase”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results link Mzukisi Ndamase to the orchestration of the Gijana killing and the Lusikisiki massacre, with one source explicitly stating the state alleges he orchestrated the killings from prison.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Firearms used in both the Lusikisiki massacre and Gijana’s killing have been linked to Ndamase, who allegedly orchestrated the attacks from prison.
https://www.dailydispatch.co.za/news/2025-08-29-massacre-acc…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Mzukisi Ndamase is legally representing himself in court and cross-examined the witness on Wednesday at the Mthatha High Court sitting in Lusikisiki.
https://www.ewn.co.za/2025/09/18/lusikisiki-massacre-alleged…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Vuma said they telephoned Ndamase before killing Gijana. “Mzukisi said we must not kill him before he talked to him.The state alleges that Ndamase orchestrated the killings from Wellington prison in M…
https://thekasiboy.co.za/songezo-vuma-confess-to-have-killed…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.