A consultation for a cleansing ritual with a sangoma, a confession statement and bloodied shoes at a guesthouse is how police were able to link three men to the brutal murder of Hillary Gardee.
A source close to the investigation has detailed to Sowetan how one of the accused, Sipho Mkhatshwa, crumbled and confessed to police about Hillary’s murder.
He also pointed out the crime scene where she was brutally beaten, stabbed and shot in the head before her body was dumped in a bush just outside Mbombela, Mpumalanga, about two weeks ago.
Mkhatshwa, 39, Philemon Lukhele, 47, and Albert Mduduzi Gama, 52, are facing charges of murder, rape, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and conspiracy to commit murder.
They appeared in the Mbombela magistrate's court on Monday where they abandoned their bail application.
Hillary, 28, the daughter of former EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee, disappeared while she went shopping on Friday, April 29, and was found dead four days later.
The source close to the investigation has revealed that it was Mkhatshwa who led investigators to the other two accused.
“At this stage our investigation shows that Hillary was killed at the guesthouse owned by accused number 2 (Lukhele). We suspect that the murder happened the next day after the deceased was abducted.”
Lukhele’s lodge, Insika Guest, is in West Acres, about 10km from the Gardee family home in KaMagugu.
“What we know so far is that accused number 1 (Mkhatshwa) left for Nkomazi after Hillary was killed at the lodge. It was after seeing the news that Hillary was missing that he (Mkhatshwa) went to a sangoma in Nkomazi to get cleansed. He told the sangoma what had happened and the sangoma reported the matter to the police,” said the source.
“It’s alleged that police traced [Mkhatshwa] to his house in Schoemansdal and arrested him on May 6, just a day before Hillary’s funeral.
“Once he was confronted by police he then made a confession about the murder but pointed out that he did not know how Lukhele and Gama had disposed of the body.
“He also took the police to the guesthouse where he also pointed the scene of the crime. The carpets in the room had blood, even the shoes and the vehicle of accused number 2 were covered in blood. He then implicated accused number 3 (Gama).
“We also have evidence that Hillary was raped but we are waiting for the DNA to confirm that and we are also waiting for telephone records which will give us an idea about the movements and call logs of the three accused leading to the day Hillary was abducted and after her abduction,” said the source.
Lukhele and Gama were arrested at the guesthouse after the pointing out of the crime scene.
The motive for the murder has not been established yet.
During his daughter’s funeral, Godrich Gardee suggested that Hillary could have been killed at the scene where her body was found because her fingers were clinging to the grass.
Police spokesperson Col Donald Mdhluli said: “It was through the information that the forensics team collected from the scene as well as from the body of the deceased. We also received information from the public who assisted us.
“After collecting all the information which was analysed, it pointed us to a certain direction. We then realised that these people have got a case to answer,” Mdhluli said.
Sowetan has also learnt that Mkhatshwa, who was arrested on Friday, was due to pay lobola for his fiancée the next day, resulting in the ceremony being put on hold. The woman is a teacher in Nkomazi and a neighbour to Mkhatshwa, our informant said.
On Tuesday, the woman's brother said his sister was too distraught and embarrassed to speak. He also confirmed the planned lobola negotiations.
The Mkhatshwa family said they did not know about the lobola negotiations as they had cut ties with Mkhatshwa and got a protection order against him last year following threats and a violent streak against his relatives.
“We only learnt from the media that Sipho [Mkhatshwa] was going to pay lobola,” said family spokesperson Siya Nkosi.
Gardee confirmed to Sowetan on Tuesday that he had reached out to the Mkhatshwa family but did not want to disclose what their conversation was about.
Gardee family spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said they have not been informed by police what the motive for Hillary ’s murder could be. They said they were also shocked to learn that the plan to kill Hillary was hatched as far back as January.
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