NELSPRUIT – The family of a six-year-old girl who was brutally murdered five years ago and whose body parts were removed while she was still alive, finds closure following the sentencing of two of the accused.
“We are satisfied although we still expect the state to arrest and prosecute the others who were involved,” said family members of the late Dimakatso Shabangu who was murdered at Masibekela Trust five years ago. Other members of the community were left with mixed feelings while some just marvelled at the mighty hand of God in the matter, some still nursed hopes that the law would reach out and bring all the people involved to book.
On March 7 Judge Colleen Lamont of the Gauteng High Court seated in the Nelspruit High Court found a former member of the community policing forum and businesswoman Ms Stella Zulu (50) and unemployed Mr Sfiso Vilakazi (25) guilty of the murder and kidnapping of Dimakatso.
He sentenced each to life imprisonment for murder and 15 years for kidnapping. Both sentences run concurrently. Lamont also dismissed an application to appeal for a lesser sentence.
According to Lamont, on Apirl 21, 2009 the six-year-old went missing while left in the care of Thabile Mnisi. When her mother returned and couldn’t find the child, Mnisi made her believe the child was at her father. On the following day Mnisi accompanied the mother Goodness Mahlalela to look for the child in various places and when she was not found members of the community were alerted and a search for the missing child began.
The child’s body was only discovered floating at Sibange River by a passer-by who then informed police about the discovery. A post-mortem result shows that she was severely injured before she was killed. The post-mortem reflects the primary course of death before and after injuries which the child sustained as the removal of tissues from the naval until bottom of the thugs, and removal of private parts. It also shows that there were signs of attack on the body caused by animals and reptiles in the river.
