A Ga-Riba Village tavern owner, Nkomo Matenche and his accomplice, Noah Makola, appeared in a fully packed Praktiseer Magistrate’s Court in Burgersfort on August 29, facing charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice.
The two were denied bail and were remanded in custody. Their cases were postponed to October 30.
They are suspects in the disappearance of a 17-year-old girl from Ga-Riba, Khomotjo Matenche, who has been missing since 2018. Nkomo is a distant relative of the missing teen.
On August 22, the Limpopo police discovered human remains, suspected to be those of Khomotjo, in a demolished pit toilet at Ntepane Primary School also in Ga-Riba.
The remains have not yet been positively identified and forensic investigations have yet to determine the identity and cause of death.
Steelburger/Lydenburg News understands that a well-known prophet in the Sekhukhune area, Prophet Tshepo, allegedly prophesied to the community that some human remains were hidden at the primary school. He allegedly mentioned the names of both accused in his prophecy.
The community accused Matenche of being involved in Khomotjo’s disappearance, and set his house, vehicle and tavern on fire on August 18, and the tavern’s stock of alcohol was looted.
The Limpopo police’s spokesperson, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, said they had dispatched a team of police experts to conduct an investigation on the school premises on Wednesday night, August 21, and discovered the remains.
The newspaper learnt that the prophet had also visited the area on August 24. He urged the community to seek the services of a powerful sangoma to cleanse the evil spirits at Ntepane.
In a video on Facebook, he is heard alleging that a couple of kids had been buried in shallow graves at the school and at Matenche’s home.
Some community members and traditional leaders from Ga-Riba and other villages in Tubatse expressed their concerns that the cases of missing children in their communities seem to be increasing.
The Limpopo police commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has welcomed the arrests and urged the community to remain calm and allow the police to do their work.
Police investigations are ongoing.
