Police investigations continue after Katlehong family loses home

The saga of a Katlehong man who has been living in a bush at Alberton for 10 months after his house was burnt down by angry community members accusing him of rape and murder in 2020 is continuing.

The detective of Katlehong North SAPS, Col Botha, confirmed that police are investigating the case.

Botha could not share further information as the matter is still under investigation.

More details will follow once the police share more information on the story.

Background Story

The Mazibuko family were caught in an unfavourable situation that led to the loss of their house and everything they owned to the fire, after angry community members burnt down their home, at Motloung Section, on August 13, 2020.

This follows Masilo Mazibuko (57) being accused of the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl who was found dead in the back opposite yard of his house.

Masilo and his two sons, Karabo (17) and Lerato (28), as well as his two daughters, Refiloe (35) and Ntswaki Hlahatsi (23), have been homeless for nine months.

They fled to Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, in August last year as they feared for their lives after community members threatened to kill them.

Mazibuko explains what transpired

Masilo said on August 13, they woke up to a corpse of a girl child at the back opposite of a neighbour’s house.

“I was called by a man shouting my name in the morning. When I went outside to see what was going on, the man said he overheard people saying there was a body of a dead young girl in the backyard of my back opposite neighbour. He asked if he can get in my yard to see.

“I told him we could go investigate together.”

He said they found the body before the police arrived, and when they did, he thought it was better for him to go home.

“As I was sitting in the house, the police knocked on my door. They said because my house was near the crime scene they have to search both houses for any evidence.

“I allowed them to come in with the dog squad. When they were done searching, they told me they did not find anything. They were followed by the forensics with detectors, searching for blood traces,” he said.

The forensic investigation did not lead to any suspicion of foul play.

“After that, a police officer asked me to go outside, stating that they wanted to search the house properly. “When I got outside, there was a crowd of people screaming I should take a DNA test because I do not have a wife in my life, otherwise they would burn my house,” said Masilo.

Masilo added that a woman named Thoko advised him to go and take the DNA test because the community was angry and they would burn his house.

“I went to the police station along Sello, the person they found me with at the house and two others; there were four of us, accompanied by at least hundreds of community members.

“They demanded the police take our DNA tests on arrival,” he said.

“The police told us that I am not a suspect because the body was not found in my house and as a result, they cannot run the DNA test on me because it is expensive,” Masilo said.

According to Masilo, the police said they could only run the test for free if he was a suspect.

He said he wanted to do the DNA test to clear his name and prove his innocence to the community.

The police kept him at the police station overnight for his safety from mob justice. The following day, he found his house burned to ashes.

“When Sello and I went to the house the following day, everything was gone. That is how my family and I became homeless,” he said.

They returned to Alberton on January 2021 after hiding for four months in Pretoria. They are forced to live in a horrible, unsafe and unconformable situation at a bush near the Alberton town.

They survive cold nights by making a wood fire to keep warm and rainy days and nights sleeping under a bridge with blankets. After a month of living in an unbearable situation, Masilo suggested that the children go back to the township to live with relatives.

He was left to survive in the bush alone. He is still caught between a rock and a hard place about the community, especially not knowing if it will accept him.

The community members’ views

Kathorus MAIL visited Masilo’s home in Katlehong to see the situation the house was left in.

We found that everything was burnt to ashes. The entire house is damaged and without a roof, part of the walls have fallen, windows are broken and the doors and window frames have been stolen.

During our visit, we attempted to get an understanding of what transpired from the nearby houses. So, we went to five houses.

The people in those houses refused to comment, stating that they did not see anything while others said they were not home when the incident occurred.

Two men agreed to speak to Kathorus MAIL only on grounds of anonymity.

The two men who live in the same street as Masilo said they witnessed the community burning the house.

They said the community is not saying Masilo is guilty because it does not know if he committed the crime or not. They added that people who were involved in burning the house were not from their street.

One man said that the child who died was a friend of his daughter, adding they usually played together at the park.

“We looked for the girl the whole night after she disappeared until the following day when we heard that there’s a girl who was found dead in the morning,” said the man.

He said the community is still angry because no suspect was found.

The other man said Masilo must not attempt to return to Motloung because the community will kill him.

He said if the investigation suggests that he is innocent, the police will call a meeting with the community to give people feedback about the case.

The two described Masilo as a loner who did not get along with anyone in the community.

“I remember we once had a challenge with electricity, we asked every household to contribute towards fixing the electricity issue.

“He refused to pay and we had to force his tenets to pay because everyone contributed something, and no one really liked him because he was not involved in the community.

“That is why we did not even help when the house was burning, everyone was just standing and watching the house burn,” said one man.

Masilo distanced himself from the allegations and explained his version of the story.

“Yes, we had challenges with electricity and the community asked us to contribute, but it becomes a headache as it was a continuous thing.

“I suspected something was wrong because we always injected funds to fix the problem but they would come back to ask for more.

“They once came to me and asked me to go house to house to collect R25 from each house as we needed R1 000 to pay the technician. I managed to collect R150.

“They suggested that we borrow money from a Somalin tuck shop owner who only agreed to give us the money on conditions that he will personally hold me responsible for paying it back.

“The shop owner said he did this because I was the only person he knew and who supported the shop,”
He said once the electricity was restored, the community distanced itself from contributing towards paying back the money. He paid back the money from his own pocket.

Masilo was self-employed. He was a gardener, builder, welder and tiler. He also relied on rent money from his 10 tenants.

He said most people in the community did not like him because he did not have a wife and he did not attend their events and ceremonies.

“Most people in the community are young. I don’t know most of them, I know their parents and grandparents.
“They hate me because I lived in a big house with my children and I was always home,” he said.

The story behind the story

The 57-year-old homeless man said this whole thing was a set-up to frame him. He said it started in October 2019 when two boys who called themselves ‘inkabi’ assaulted him.

He said he was doing his garden and fixing his fence when two boys approached him and started assaulting him with a steel metal iron.

He further said the boys are brothers of the young girl who was murdered. He believes they were sent by their mother who was flirting with him and would do anything to get his attention.

He said the woman wanted to become his partner. She usually sent her child to bring him food but Masilo fed the food to his dog, citing that he did not know what was in the food, he added.

“My hands were swollen. I went to the hospital and later opened a case, and the boys were arrested and released on bail. “We continued attending the court case. It went on for the whole year until the magistrate said, ‘I allowed the case to go on for a so long because I thought you would handle the matter between yourselves and consider apologising to the old man.’

“They refused, stating that I do not deserve their apology. The magistrate said if that is the case they will each be convicted for five years because they attacked me at my house. The magistrate ordered the two to get lawyers to represent them,” he said.

“Their state lawyer told me that when he questioned the pair on why they assaulted me, they said I provoked their mother.

“He told them that the statement will get their mother arrested because it will appear as if they were sent by her. He advised them to say they were acting under the influence of alcohol when they assaulted me so that they have a better chance of settling the matter outside.”

Masilo said their lawyer approached him again, saying his clients requested to pay him to drop the case.

“I agreed and demanded R20 000 to drop the case. They agreed to pay the money so I dropped the case. The whole year passed without me receiving any payment from them,” said Masilo.

“The magistrate advised me to reopen the case should they not pay me. I am assuming when they saw that I was about to act on the advice, maybe they influenced the community and the whole thing started.

“That is when we woke up to a corpse of the eight-year-year-old girl and I was blamed for that. I think the family knows what happened to the child, it is just looking for a scapegoat,” he said.

Officials comment

The Katlehong SAPS media liaison officer, Capt Lesetja Mathobela, said these are two separate cases.
He confirmed that the case of rape and murder of the eight-year-old girl was reported to the Katlehong North SAPS, but the suspect was never found.

“The four suspects who were arrested were later released because there was no evidence linking them to the crime. The police ran DNA tests on three suspects and none of them matched the evidence found on the girl,” said Mathobela.

“The fourth person, who is Masilo, was not a suspect at this point and his DNA was not tested,” he added.

Mathobela added that the case is underway and the police are still looking for the suspect.

“The case of malicious damage to the property of Masilo is separate. The case was closed because the police could not find individuals responsible for setting the house on fire as it was an act of the community,” said Mathobela.

A way forward

Masilo said Sgt Twala offered to do a DNA test to help him prove his innocence.

“The results come back negative but there was no way I could return to the community because the police did not complete their job. They did not clear my name in the community. The police have to call a community meeting to give them facts about the case,” he said.

Mazibuko said he will reopen the case. He wants to prove his innocence and clear his name.

He said his family was badly affected by the incident as they endured the cold, rainy season living on the streets.

“I want my house to be fixed, my children are scattered in the township living in fear. I can’t sleep at night because I don’t know where some of my children are, whether they are safe, have eaten or have a roof over their heads.
“My last born son was attacked in Thokoza two weeks ago when they found out he was staying at a relative’s house,” said Masilo.

Karabo said that his life has dramatically changed and his future is being shadowed.

“This has badly affected me. I use to have friends, used to feel safe and had freedom of movement. I am still in school, but I cannot attend anymore. I was attacked by the community while I was at school.

“Right now, I am always indoors for my own safety. I can’t go outside anymore, and I am really worried about my future.

“I passed Grade 10 and after that, I could not go back to school. I want to go back to school, get my matric certificate and go to college to study engineering,” he concluded.

The Mazibuko family needs your help

The family is pleading for food, clothes and blanket donations or any form of donation that communities afford to assist with, including building material to rebuild their home.

To make donations, contact Joyce Cele on 063 078 7051 or Karabo on 065 512 3087.

Masilo does not have a cellphone. He is currently making a living as a car guard at one of the shops in Alberton. Anyone can pledge to the family.

Banking details

Account holder: Masilo Leonard Mazibuko
Account number: 510 253 4329
Branch code: 078 910
Bank: Tyme Bank.