Organisations representing people living with albinism said they were not happy that the sentences handed to the three men that killed the Shabane cousins, from Hlalanikahle in Emalahleni, would run concurrently.
Tryphina Nhlapo, founder of Melokuhle Foundation for People Living with Albinism, said: “These killers are still young and might just do 25 years and get out.”
Nhlapo however felt that justice had been served and that this was a victory for people living with albinism.
Thokozani Msibi, 36, Knowledge Mhlanga, 26, and Brilliant Mkhize, 28, were sentenced to life imprisonment each for the murders of Gabisile Shabane and her 15-month-old nephew Nkosikhona Ngwenya on January 28 2018.
Mbongeni Zulu, also living with albinism, said he was very disturbed by the case in the beginning.
“The brutal evidence and unfolding chronicles of the events leading to the murder of Shabane shook the country, but mostly the community in Hlalanikahle was traumatised and angry,” he added.
“I am a human being. Albinos are human beings and we have the same blood colour and body organs that function like anybody else's.
“Why am I being punished for the colour of my skin? My skin colour is not different from white people but no- one targets them,” he said.
Charmaine Mahlangu from Igugu, a foundation for people living with albinism, said SA had never seen such brutality in muti killings.
“Today has marked and made a happy ending in the history of killing albinos. We pray to never ever hear of such killings and we thank the police for doing their work and arresting these thugs on time.”
Community members chanted and danced with the family of the slain children outside the high court in Middelburg.
Their neighbour, Siphesihle Shange, said: “It has been a long three years of running up and down in court and crying with the family, but today the name of the Shabane queen has been cleansed and cleared. We hope the family can now heal and move on with their lives.”
