Isolezwe, Page 5, 31 Jul 2012
Nontuthuko Ngubane, reporting from Pietermaritzburg
Maritzburg family living in fear
The family of a child from Sweetwaters near Pietermaritzburg, who was murdered and had her eyes removed, fears for its life because the one accused in this case has still not admitted that he was the one who committed this heinous act. Yesterday Mzokhona Sibisi (32), who claimed to be praying for Ayanda so that he would save her, appeared for the fourth time in court – but the hearing of the case has still not begun because he has not yet obtained a lawyer.
Ayanda Sibiya (12) was found murdered in a water tank in Sweetwaters, bound hand and foot and with various parts of her body removed.
It was the first time that Ayanda’s mother, Ntombenhle Sibiya (32) was present in court since the accused began to appear on this charge.
A family member who didn’t want his name to be published said that they are living in fear because they don’t know whether the others who helped ‘Mzo’ to murder their child were still at large.
“We are fearful now because we don’t know whether there are still other murderers at large. The fact that this case is not commencing is really upsetting us. We don’t know why this person’s family has not appeared. Even if there are people from Msinga who say that they saw the newspaper with his name, his family has still not appeared after such a long time,” said this member of the family.
As usual whenever Sibisi appears in court, he was smiling and chatting again with other accused sitting next to him.
When asked by the Magistrate whether he was still going on for this long about the issue of his lawyer, he replied in English, saying that he was still waiting to be put in touch with his family so that they would sort out the matter of the lawyer.
“The investigator of the case was not there the whole week at the police station in which I was incarcerated. For this reason I was unable to get my cellphone with the numbers of my family. Up until now I have not yet managed to communicate with them (at home) so that we can chat about this issue of the lawyer,” said Sibisi, speaking in court.
Previously the Magistrate requested that he be returned to Plessisslaer so that he could be near to the investigator of the case, but the police station released a document to the effect that the accused should not be returned to them but should be kept at New Prison because of danger to him at that police station.
The Magistrate directed that the accused be returned to New Prison and communicate with the investigator of the case so that he could be able to get hold of his family quickly.
Community members who were filling the court in order to attend this case left feeling very irritated.
Many were accusing Sibisi of murdering his family, since it has not appeared even after a long time has passed with him in jail.
He said that he was from eMpangeni in the court, but people close to him said that he had once said that he was from Mphophomeni.
Occult Zulu 