Tankiso Radebe (18) who was with Ndungwani when he died says the nightmare begun when they were trying to steal empty bottles at one of the houses in Muvhango extension 14. “We went to this one house to steal bottles. A neighbour saw us and started screaming. That is how we were caught. The community then started beating us, saying that we are wrong for stealing from other people’s houses.”
Radebe says members of the community saw two police officers who were in the area and sent the officers to the place where the boys were being beaten. The two boys were told to get into the van. “I thought the police were taking us to police cells but they drove to the N1 and left us on a bridge. They told us to walk home. “We were asking for lifts back home when Mpho was hit by a car.”
Ndungwani’s Aunt, Cathrine Mokoena says, “This is just a nightmare. My brother’s child was taken by two people of the law who led him to his death.”
Mokoena adds that had the police taken the two kids to police cells, “none of this would have happened.”
Sedibeng Ster visited the house of the woman who the two boys had stolen the bottles from but she was not home. The neighbour confirmed that they approached two police officers who were in the area that day and the officers took the two culprits. “We did not call the police station but we did alert two police officers about the incident. They took the boys with them,” The neighbour did not know where the two officers were stationed.
