“It has been a long and torturous three years [as we were] waiting for the truth to come out. We finally have closure because although my son's killers denied and fought to run away from conviction, the state found them guilty on eight counts.”
These are the words of toddler Nkosikhona Ngwenya's mother Nompumelelo Ngwenya after three men accused of killing her son and her teenage niece, who was living with albinism, were found guilty of their murders.
Gabisile Shabane, 13, and Nkosikhona were kidnapped from their home in Hlalanikahle township in Emalahleni on January 28 2018.
Handing down the judgment on Wednesday in the Middelburg magistrate's court, judge Heinrich Braukmann said the accused had a common goal of killing and harvesting the children's body parts with the intention to make powerful muti to enhance their businesses.
“That is my judgment and observation of the incident, rituals and orchestration of the brutal killing.”
Nkosikhona was thrown into a river along the N4 highway.
Ngwenya said her mother Annah Shabane was emotional after the judgment was handed down.
She said she hoped the verdict will teach all traditional healers and all people who still believe in the myth of killing people living with albinism to get luck and enhance businesses by harvesting their body parts.
“My sister Gabisile and my son died a very brutal and tragic death after they were helplessly taken from us in our home while sleeping and tortured before death. We pray to find healing and move on, although the cuts run very deep.”
She said there was still another child living with albinism who was very close to Gabisile and little Nkosikhona.
“We always have to explain where the other two went because he was already three and speaking when they died.”
Thokane Msibi, 36, Knowledge Mhlanga, 28, and Brilliant Mkhize, 26, have been found guilty on eight counts, including the double murder and two counts of pointing a firearm at Gabisile's mother during the kidnapping.
“I also find them guilty on two counts of forcefully removing the children from their home and taking them to Cullinan [outside Pretoria] against their own will. I find them guilty of killing the children in Cullinan at Msibi's farm near Pretoria and throwing a 15-month-old to his death,” Braukmann said.
The trio were also found guilty of chopping Gabisile's body and violating it and harvesting her body parts – head, hands, body fat and heart.
Braukmann said the three had tried their best to distance themselves from the murder.
The trio were described as misleading by the court and accused of delaying tactics.
Themba Thubane and Mfanasbili Gamedze were also accused in the matter.
Thubane allegedly committed suicide in prison after pleading guilty to the murder and apologising to the Shabane family.
Gamedze was also reported to have killed himself in a prison in Eswatini.
Bauckman said the men showed no remorse.
Acting secretary of the ANC and MEC for social development Lindiwe Ntshalintshali said justice has been served.
“The unfolding details of this case left our jaws dropped. Listening to how the killers had fed her beers mixed with break fluid to drug her before killing her was very hard to stomach.
“The family had to be assisted with extra security and CCTV cameras to protect them and the remaining child living with albinism. They were all just vulnerable females living alone, hence they were targeted.
“It was even shocking to find out that some of these killers were professional teachers with BA degrees but they believed that killing innocent children would make them rich.”
The trio are expected to be sentenced on Thursday.
