Schoolboy arrested for murder
In a quiet street in Tasbet Park Extension 3 children are playing carefree and their laughter can be heard everywhere. They know about the young girl that was found murdered, but they are oblivious to the pain and heartache that folded over the Mtsweni’s house like a thick blanket.
A 17-year-old boy appeared in Witbank Magistrate’s Court earlier this week on a count of murder.
The boy, who may not be identified because he is still a minor, was arrested on Friday, November 9 after the decomposed body of 14-year-old Ntokozo Mtsweni was found in a reed plantation next to the N12 highway.
His next court appearance will be on Monday, November 19.
The boy is a learner at a local high school and he stays with his parents near the Mtsweni’s house.
For Ntokozo’s parents the reality has not struck yet.
Ms Helen and Mr Jeremiah Mtsweni still struggle to come to terms with the untimely death of their darling daughter.
Ms Mtsweni said Ntokozo left at approximately 13:00 on Sunday, October 21 to visit a friend in Tasbet Park Extension 1.
“She said they made plans to do their maths together,” Ms Mtsweni said.
But Ntokozo never reached her friend’s house. When she did not return home that evening, her parents started phoning around frantically.
“I phoned Ntokozo’s cell phone several times but it was on voicemail,” Ms Mtsweni said.
Later that evening Mr Mtsweni received a message from his daughter’s phone. But it was not the message he has been praying for.
Instead a stranger SMSed him demanding R400 000 ransom for the safe return of Ntokozo.
“Dear Mr/Mrs U have made my life a living hell. Mr u toke a lot from me it is time u pay me back. Now u robbed me y whole life and u thought u would get away with it,” is a part of the message send.
“We never slept and early on Monday morning we went to Greendale School where Ntokozo was a learner and asked her friend if she saw her yesterday. She said Ntokozo never showed up,” Ms Mtsweni said.
For the parents the hell of not knowing where their daughter was, became worse when Mr Mtsweni received another SMS from his daughter’s phone wherein the stranger warned them not to go to the police if they value their daughter’s life.
As days dragged on the search for Ntokozo never stopped.
“During the second week of her appearance the boy who was arrested came to our house and enquired about Ntokozo and asked if she was found already. Never in my wildest dreams I thought my daughter’s alleged murderer lives only a few feet away from us,” Ms Mtsweni said choking on her tears.
When the police brought the news that Ntokozo may have been found, Ms Mtsweni prayed that it would not be her daughter lying on a cold slab in the mortuary.
Wiping a single tear running down his cheek, Mr Mtsweni said when they described the clothes they found he knew, yet he could not make himself believe that it would be Ntokozo.
Ms Mtsweni said her daughter’s laughter is missing in their home. “Ntokozo was a bright young girl and very outspoken. She dreamt of becoming a technician one day. When we purchased a new television or anything that needed installation we knew Ntokozo would be there first to unpack and install it.”
Clutching his hands together Mr Mtsweni whispered, “If only we could get another chance to see her only once, just to tell her we love her.”
An investigation by the Serious and Violence Crimes Unit, who have taken the docket over, lead to a young man who had Ntokozo’s phone in his possession. He said the boy, who is believed to have killed Ntokozo, sold him the phone for only R60. After they arrested the suspect he showed them where to find Ntokozo’s body.
The post mortem done on Tuesday, November 13 could not determine the exact cause of Ntokozo’s death because of the severe decomposition of her body.
