Family disappointed in SA justice as Palesa Madiba murder-accused back in court

The family of murdered University of Johannesburg (UJ) student Palesa Madiba is upset that it is taking so long for her alleged killer to be brought to justice, eNCA reports.

Murder-accused Dumisani Mkhwanazi appeared in court on Monday, where the case was referred to the High Court in Johannesburg.

Mkhwanazi is the uncle of a friend of Madiba’s, Tshidi Mkhwanazi, at whose home her remains were found in a shallow grave in December 2015. She had spent a weekend at her friend’s home in Phiri, Soweto prior to her disappearance in 2013.

Madiba would have graduated from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in 2014. She was 19 years old and in her second year at university when she disappeared.

Her aunt Malesela Moshidi told eNCA about the pain the family has endured.

“It’s like you live on the surface,” she said, adding that as much as family members may have tried to avoid dwelling on the pain, “unfortunately it keeps coming back”.

This pain is worsened by the belief of Moshidi and other family members that Palesa’s friend Tshidi and the Mkhwanazi family knew the truth about what happened and protected Dumisani.

READ MORE: Palesa Madiba – Gone but not forgotten

“The sad part with them was how insensitive they were,” she said.

“Even when … Palesa’s remains were found, the grandmother kept saying [in Sesotho]: -‘I don’t even know what they want here, because a dog is buried in the back, there is no human being there,” Moshidi said.

Dumisani was arrested on July 29 this year in Protea, Soweto, where it was reported that he was hiding from authorities. He made his second appearance in the Protea Magistrate’s Court in August, facing charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice.

His neighbours have described him as a “dangerous” person who was always armed with a pistol. They expressed fear when asked for interviews, while others wanted to remain anonymous.

“That boy is dangerous. We are all afraid of him. We all knew that he killed that little girl (Madiba) and prayed that police were going to arrest him,” said an elderly woman who stayed in the area.

“Dumisani grew right under my nose. He was a very naughty child and everyone can confirm that. I have also known Palesa for many years, she grew up visiting her friend Tshidi for years. I thought they were related until news broke that she disappeared from my neighbour’s house without a trace. I blame elders of that house, there is no way that they didn’t know what happened to Palesa,” she said.

(Compiled by Daniel Friedman. Background reporting, Makhosandile Zulu and News24 Wire.) 

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