Pretoria - A 20-year-old woman who allegedly orchestrated a hit on her parents and siblings, who were brutally killed in their home in December 2016, will now undergo psychiatric evaluation.
Onthatile Sebati and alleged hitmen Kagiso Mokone, 23, and Tumelo Mokone, 23, appeared in the Brits Magistrate's Court on Thursday, where their case was postponed to 18 January, North Gauteng regional spokesperson for the director of public prosecutions Lumka Mahanjana said.
“Appearing in court, the affidavits of the three accused were read and they acknowledged that they understand that they are facing schedule 6 offences, however, they asked the court to be released on R1,000 bail each,” said Mahanjana.
“The state asked for the matter to be postponed as the report received from the department of social development recommended Sebati should be sent for psychiatric assessment at the district surgeon.
“The court granted the postponement to 18 January 2022 for psychiatric assessment and the accused are remanded in custody,” Mahanjana added.
The trio is facing four counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition and theft.
Onthatile, then aged 16, allegedly hired hit men to kill her parents and siblings in Mmakau, east of Brits, five years ago. Her father Constable Sello Sebati was attached to the Hebron police station.
“It alleged that [Onthatile] Sebati went outside to dispose of water and she heard gunshots inside the house. A 42-year-old father, a 40-year-old mother, a 19-year-old pregnant sister and a six-year-old brother were all shot dead,” said Mahanjana.
According to the South African Police Service, Sebati claims that she rushed to investigate, but the gunmen allegedly shot her in the thigh and fled the scene with a family car, a Chrysler Voyager.
She then alerted neighbours, who informed the police. The police found the bodies of her father, aged 42, her mother Mmatshepo Sebati, 41, her sister Tshegofatso, 22, and younger brother Quinton, aged six, in a pool of blood. Tshegofatso was seven months pregnant. The unborn baby also died.
The Chrysler Voyager was later found abandoned in the bushes at Black Rock Section, Mmakau.
Two men were arrested in January 2017, but the high court in Pretoria acquitted them due to lack of evidence.
Sebati and her two co-accused were arrested on 17 and 18 December 2021, after she handed herself to the police and confessed to being behind her family’s killing. The alleged hit men were arrested in Brits and Soshanguve, respectively.
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