Pietermaritzburg - “If the community had taken his life and he suffered as his victims did, perhaps the families would have found closure.” This was how the family of a triple murder convict – sentenced to five life terms by the Pietermaritzburg High Court this week – felt he should have been dealt with.
The brothers of Njabulo Ndlovu, 29, were so disgusted by what he had done, that they have disowned him. After a night of drinking last month Ndlovu, strangled Zanele Ndlela and her daughter, Simangele, and when her granddaughter, Zenande, 8, caught him in the act of murder, held her down, raped her twice and strangled the child as well.
He faced three counts of murder and two of rape, each receiving a life sentence. Ndlovu had been held at the New Prison Correctional Services but his family received information yesterday they had been moved to a maximum security correctional centre in a different district.
The authorities informed them that he had left his belongings behind, which they were supposed to collect but the family wanted nothing to do with him.
Kwandile Manqele and Lwandile Mngomezulu, Ndlovu’s brothers, told the Sunday Tribune that Ndlovu had put the family in grave danger but were grateful for how the Ndlela family had handled the tragedy.
Mngomezulu said Ndlovu had been living with them for only a month before committing the murders. He had moved from Durban in late May, following his release from custody.
When he arrived in Sobantu, Pietermaritzburg, some family members were uneasy as there had been rumours of Ndlovu having previously committed serious crimes of which he was not found guilty.
“When he was with us he was very quiet and he spent a lot of time alone outside in the shed smoking cigarettes,” he said. “It’s still hard to believe because he seemed honest and respectful.
Mngomezulu said the night before the killings, Ndlovu had received a payment from his job promoting alcohol that the family had organised for him. On the following evening, the family learnt what Ndlovu had done when a crowd of people came to their home looking for him.
“When the police took him away to the Mountain Rise police station, I followed them and asked him if he had done this. He was crying and said he didn’t remember what had happened.
He said he had woken up to find two dead bodies and he panicked,” said Mngomezulu. “He said he didn’t remember anything but in court he told a different story, saying he was in his sober senses.” Mngomezulu was the only family member who attended court and said he was there to support the Ndlela family.
“We are so hurt. As a family, we didn’t know what the right thing to do was, but we went to the Ndlela family to cry with them,” said Mngomezulu. “I was able to speak to Njabulo when he appeared in court and all he did was apologise but we no longer want to associate ourselves with him.”
Manqele said shortly after the murders the family had received threats from the community and for a while they lived in fear. He said if Ndlovu had been experiencing difficulties or had any mental or emotional issues, he should have told the family.
“We were there for him and we would have helped him. I doubt we will ever be able to forgive what he did. I personally will never be able to speak to him again. When correctional services called to inform us that they were moving him to a different prison, I cut the call because to us he longer exists.”
SUNDAY TRIBUNE