The woman accused of pulling off a brazen R4m theft from an SBV depot in Midrand by strolling off with cash stuffed in refuse bags inside a trolley lived a modest life with friends for five months while police were searching for her.
Two weeks after Bathobile Mlangeni, 29, allegedly executed the audacious theft at Mall of Africa in July last year, she sought refuge in a three-roomed RDP house in the township of Buhle Park, near Germiston, under the pretext of being on the run from "an abusive boyfriend".
Mlangeni was on duty at the time of the incident and allegedly cut open two bulk cash bags with a pair of scissors before transferring the money into a number of refuse bags which she placed in a trolley and walked out of the centre.
According to a friend who Mlangeni lived with for a month while on the run from police, she kept a low profile at the RDP settlement for five months.
“She said her boyfriend was abusing her and she did not want him to know where she is and that’s why she asked if she could stay with me for a short while,” Mlangeni’s friend who asked not be named told Sowetan.
She described Mlangeni as a modest and humble human being who showed little sign of having lots of money.
“She did not have a lot of possessions on her. She did not own extravagant items. She only contributed to groceries during her stay,” said the friend.
She said Mlangeni spent most of her time indoors.
“She said she did not want to go to work because her boyfriend knows where she works. I asked her why she didn't open a case and she said her boyfriend is a police officer and would make the docket disappear.
“The only time she left the house was when she went to Germiston, but she was indoors most of the time. She did not talk on her phone in our presence; she would go to the nearby veld and would destroy the SIM card after the call.”
The friend said Mlangeni later found a new boyfriend in the area and moved in with the man. She said she was shocked to see Mlangeni's face on the front page of Sowetan in February and that she was wanted for allegedly stealing money.
Sipho Nwenya, a landlord who rented out a room to Mlangeni and her boyfriend, said she was a respectful and quiet lady who did not bother anyone.
“They lived here from September until December before the couple moved elsewhere. She rarely left the yard because she kept to herself. We were shocked when we saw on the papers that she was wanted in connection with money that went missing,” Ngwenya said.
A source close to investigations said Mlangeni had been with her boyfriend for six months before she vanished again this year while he was at work. The source said police received a tip-off about her whereabouts after her identity was made public.
“We received a tip-off that she was in Buhle Park and we followed up on it. We found her friend who confirmed that she had been living with her, but found a boyfriend in the area and the couple moved in together.
“When we went to the boyfriend, he said he doesn't know where she was. He said she left without saying a word but left a note for him.”
The note read: “It's sad and painful for me to leave you in the dark like this. There is something that is happening in my life that is not going right and I do not want to involve you in it. I am sorry for leaving like this.”
The boyfriend said he had no knowledge of what Mlangeni had allegedly done and was confused by events.
Sowetan visited the boyfriend's place of residence several times but he was nowhere to be found and neighbours did not know where he was.
At Mlangeni’s home in Dlamini, Soweto, her mother would only say she was concerned about her daughter’s wellbeing because they had not seen or spoken to her in over a year.
A childhood friend of Mlangeni, who also asked not to be named, said she was in contact with her after her sister’s wedding in December but the former security guard went quiet after media reports of her alleged theft.
“I was truly shocked when I read about her in the media. I was with her at her sister’s wedding and at the time we did not know that they said she stole money. I know that there were police officers who frequented her house between July and September, but nobody knew why they went to her home so much,” she said.
“She is not someone whom you would say would have done what they say she did. She went to church and led a solitary life.”
Police spokesperson Cpt Mavela Masondo said they were still searching for Mlangeni. “We are appealing to anyone who might have knowledge of her whereabouts to contact Det-Cpt Oupa Miya on 082-333-0525 or Det-Sgt Tumo Mohutsiwa on 082-822-6794.”
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.