A GRIEVING Madlankala mother has claimed that the bodies of her two children were mutilated in December last year. She said tiny pieces of flesh had been removed.
During the recent interview with the Zululand Observer, Thandi Lembede said before the funeral, they discovered that small parts of the children’ bodies were missing.
The bodies of Lindokuhle Madlankala (9) and his cousin, three-year-old Nosiphiwa were found in a shallow grave in November last year.
It was discovered the girl was strangled to death, while the throat of her cousin was slit open.
‘We noticed that the tip of Lindo’s tongue was cut and the piece was missing, and whoever did this, also tried to take out my daughter’s eye,’ said Lembethe.
The children’s uncle Khulekani Msindo was arrested in connection with the murder, after police searched his room and found blood and a traditional drinking bowl with muthi and blood.
The family claimed to have left the children with their uncle when they went missing.
The Madlankala community chanted outside eSikhawini Magistrate’s Court demanding to see the accused uncle, but he requested to remain in custody.
Meanwhile Empangeni SAPS spokesperson Captain Mbongeni Mdlalose could not confirm or deny these allegations.
‘I can not confirm anything right now, because I have not read the autopsy results from the doctor. That statement will clear things because if anything was done to the bodies, it will be revealed,’ said Mdlalose.
The case against the uncle was remanded to 21 January for further investigation.
17 NOVEMBER 2013
Madlankala family seek justice
THE traumatised Madlankala family say they seek justice after the brutal killing of their two children last month.
Sadness ruled the court once again when the accused uncle appeared before the magistrate at eSikhawini District Magistrates court.
Khulekani Msindo was arrested and charge with two counts of murder last month, after his niece and nephew were found dead and buried in a shallow grave inside an unfinished roundeval at his home.
Police reported that Nokulunga Msindo (3) was strangled to death, while cousin 9-year-old Lindokuhle’s throat was slit open.
According to the parents, the children were left in their uncle’s care where they went missing, and later their bodies were discovered in a shallow grave.
Police searched Msindo’s room and found blood stains and a traditional drinking bowl filled with muthi and blood.
The Msindo family members said they were still grappling to come to terms with a barbarous deaths of the children and hoped justice will be served.
The girl’s mother Thandi Lembede, told the Zululand Observer that the whole family is still saddened, but have put their faith onto God’s hand and plead with him to intervene through out the whole court case.
‘Even today I can’t believe my baby girl is gone. We put everything to God now and pray that the justice system will find the perpetrator guilty and that they receive a heavy sentence’, said a tearful Thandi.
The Madlankala community members came out in numbers to support the family.
Last month they sang and chanted outside the court building, demanding to see the suspect; however the uncle requested to remain in custody.
The case was remanded to 21 January next year for further investigation.
28 NOVEMBER 2013
‘Keep me in jail’ – uncle
OUTRAGED Madlankala community members protested outside the eSikhaleni court building to oppose the bail application of the man accused of killing two children last week.
While the community chanted outside, the accused, Khulekani Msindo (35) requested to remain in custody at eSikhawini District Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
Police officials had to intervene when an angry mob demanded to see Msindo when he was transported to the holding cells.
‘We don’t want him to get bail, but we want to see him. The community can sort him out,’ said one furious resident.
The case was remanded to 12 December.
27 NOVEMBER 2013
‘Sangoma’ uncle in court today
THE man arrested for killing two eSikhaleni children will appear in court today.
The bodies of Lindokuhle Madlankala (9) and his cousin, three-year-old Nosiphiwa were found in a shallow grave last week.
Speaking to the Zululand Observer, Nosiphiwa’s grieving mother, Thandi Lembede said the last time she saw her daughter was when she was playing with her father. She went missing later that day at 5pm.
‘I thought she was playing with the other neighbourhood children outside, but when it became dark I got worried and looked for her. We then went out with other family members and conducted a search. But there was no sign of my daughter,’ said Thandi.
The police report stated that Nosiphiwa had been strangled, while Lindokuhle’s throat was slit open.
Their uncle was arrested after the police searched his room and found blood stains, muthi and traditional bowl (ukhamba) filled with muthi and blood.
‘I cannot believe she’s gone and I will never see that small beautiful bubble face again,’ said Thandi.
25 NOVEMBE2013
Witchcraft link in children’s killing
IN what was is believed to have been a witchcraft-related killing, the ‘sangoma’ uncle of two murdered eSikhaleni children has been arrested after their bodies were found in a shallow grave.
The distraught Madlankala family is still in shock following the savage slaying of Lindokuhle (9) and his three-year-old cousin Nosiphiwa.
Nosiphiwa was reportedly strangled to death, while the nine-year-old boy’s throat was cut open.
Police said the little girl went missing at around 5pm, and the family undertook a search to find her, leaving the young boy with an uncle.
Lindokuhle’s mother, Nokulunga, said her son had cried when they left him, begging her not to leave him with her brother.
‘He cried and begged me not to leave him. When we came back Lindokuhle was also missing. We asked my brother about his whereabouts, but he did not give a straight answer,’ said the tearful mother.
The eSikhawini police were called and a search conducted, but there was no sign of the missing children. A missing person’s case was opened.
Later, according to a police statement, the little girl’s father inspected the family’s yard and noticed a newly dug grave in a half-built rondavel.
The police were called back and the two bodies were recovered, leading to the uncle’s room being searched.
There police found blood stains in the room, a bloody knife and a traditional bowl (ukhamba) which had muthi and blood inside.
The 35-year-old uncle was arrested and charged with two counts of murder. He will appeared in court for a formal bail application in due course.
