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Fresh leads as cops probe murder and burning of Jouberton teen

Nombuyiselo's aunt Vuyelwa points out where she was found burnt Picture: Naledi Shange
Nombuyiselo's aunt Vuyelwa points out where she was found burnt Picture: Naledi Shange

The man arrested in connection with the murder of a 15-year-old girl who was found murdered and burnt in Jouberton‚ Klerskdorp‚ had other cases pending against him‚ North West police said on Tuesday.

The suspect was out on bail pending a case of rape‚ said Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone.

 Meanwhile‚ police were reportedly chasing fresh leads in the case following allegations that a neighbour‚ also 15-year-old‚ is reportedly one of the last people to have seen her alive.

 Community members told TimesLIVE that the young girl had gone into hiding after seeing her neighbour‚ Nombuyiselo Nombeu‚ bound in the house of a 32-year-old man who lived just three streets away from her.

 On Tuesday‚ the young girl was fetched from her hiding place and returned to her home but was quickly taken away by police as soon as she arrived. She was expected to give a statement on what she saw.

 Earlier scores of local community members arrived at the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court where they wanted to see the accused.

 He‚ however‚ did not appear in court. Instead court orderlies told the angry community‚ many of whom were women‚ clad in ANC colours‚ that the case would only be heard on Wednesday.

 It was not immediately clear why the case had not been brought to the court.

 Meanwhile‚ the Nombeu household was a hive of activity with neighbours and her school teachers coming to pay their respects.

 The victim’s aunt‚ Vuyelwa Nombeu‚ took TimesLIVE on a short walk down the road to where her niece’s smouldering body was found.

 “A lady had come to my house to tell me that there was a body of a young girl found. She said I should come and check if it wasn’t Nombuyiselo‚” said Nombeu.

 At that time‚ they had been searching for almost two days.

 “We went to the place and I could see that it was her judging from the small earrings that she was wearing and the braided hairstyle. She was badly burnt but she was still recognisable‚” said Nombeu.

“The umbrella she had left with was still in her hands and she was still wearing the blue scarf that her grandmother had given her.”

The body was reportedly first noticed by a group of children who were playing in the veld.

When Times Media visited the area‚ a small piece of the sack was found on the scene‚ fanning in the wind.

“She was carried here in a sack. Her head had been placed on a stone and there were two tyres around her body. One around the bottom half of her body and another around the upper part‚” Nombeu said at the scene.

 Oupa Joel Johnson‚ a 56-year-old man from the area‚ told TimesLIVE that in the early hours of Sunday‚ he had seen four men passing through his yard‚ carrying the same sack.

 “I chased them because I saw that they were carrying something.” said Johnson.

 “I ran behind them. They didn’t see that I was following them. They outran me and I walked back home‚” he said.

 After Nombuyiselo’s body was found‚ police came to his yard where they saw the tracks on the ground‚ showing that the sack had been dragged on the ground before it was carried.

 “I am heartbroken. I didn’t see their faces though‚” said Johnson.

Nombuyiselo’s father had passed away years ago. Her mother had left her and her twin sisters‚ Khanyisile and Khanyiswa‚ aged 12‚ with their grandmother‚ Susan.

 The grandmother struggled to contain her emotions.

 “She had a lot of what ifs. She regrets sending Nombuyiselo to the neighbours house that day‚” the aunt‚ Vuyelwa Nombeu‚ told the family.

 “Her sisters also cried a lot. On Saturday they had begged us not to smack Nombuyiselo when she comes home‚ although they were worried about what she had been eating and what she was wearing since it was cold on that day‚” she said.

 The Nombeu family and the family of the accused were good friends.

 Asked if they would consider forgiving the accused‚ Vuyelwa said: “It will never happen.”

Kono Nombeu‚ who was the deceased’s uncle‚ said the family did not blame the relatives of the accused for his crimes.

 

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