Durban - A teenager was expected to appear at the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court following the murder of a 92-year-old grandmother. Nomakhubu Mtshali was found buried in a shallow grave last week.
Nompumelelo Mchunu said her grandmother had gone missing on Friday: “We found her body buried on Saturday, in the yard of her home, after looking for her the day before.” She said her grandmother’s body was discovered after they noticed her pinafore sticking out of the ground. Upon further investigation, it was established that it was their grandmother.
She was found with her legs bound together and a gaping wound on her face. Mtshali lived with one of her grandchildren, while her other relatives lived two houses away from her. Mchunu described her grandmother as a loving and hard-working person who spent most days in the fields, ploughing and growing crops. “We are grieving our loss,” said Mchunu.
Local chief Mndeni Nxumalo said he was called to the scene of the incident by his assistants. “When we arrived we found a very sombre mood, with women and men from the area gathered to assess the situation. The police were also present and had begun working,” he said.
He said the prime suspect was an 18-year-old man from the neighbourhood who spent plenty of time with the victim and often assisted her with her fieldwork. He also disappeared shortly after the body was discovered. Nxumalo added that the rate of crime in the area of Matata was generally low, with stock theft being the most common.
He called on the members of the community to exercise calm and patience during this period. “It is important for members of the community to calm down, rationalise and to disregard the mere thought of taking the law into their own hands.
“They should just allow the police to investigate properly. I also call on parents to raise their children the right way and instil as much discipline as possible in order to avoid events of this sort from happening again,” said Nxumalo.
Department of Social Development spokesperson Mhlaba Memela conveyed condolences to the family of the deceased. He added that social workers would be deployed to the family in order to provide psycho-social support and any other additional assistance that would be needed.
Memela further encouraged communities to take a stand against the abuse of the aged. “We would like to encourage communities not to be quiet when they see old persons being abused or staying alone. We always call on the citizens to inform the department about such situations so we can get involved by removing older persons and taking them to a safe place,” he said.
He urged families who were unable to take care of their aged family members to make contact with the Department, in order to receive assistance. “Taking an old person to an oldage home should always be prioritised because the old person will be safe and the family will be able to visit at times,” he added.
Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala confirmed the arrest of the suspect. “We can confirm that on August 31, Inanda police arrested an 18-yearold suspect for murder. The suspect was arrested in the Bhambayi area where he was allegedly hiding. He will appear in the Ntuzuma Magistrate’s Court soon,” she said.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE