Family mourns son
KwaThema – Last Tuesday two young men, Sphiwe Mabena (27) and Melusi Msukwini (26) were found brutally murdered in the early hours of the morning in KwaThema.
The bodies of the two men were found at Ntokozweni Grounds in KwaThema after a passer-by saw them and notified the police.
This incident has ripped apart the Mabena family and has caused so much heartache and disbelief.
According to Mabena’s mother, Miriam Mabena, her son, a well-known tattoo artist in the area, was also a father figure to his four siblings and a support to her.
She says even though she doesn’t know what really transpired that fateful night or morning, her life will never again be the same.
“My son was the breadwinner and he used to take care of all of us. It’s very painful losing a child; no words can explain the way I feel,” says Miriam.
According to Miriam, her son was waiting for Msukwini to arrive from work so they could go to a local tavern together.
Msukwini was dropped off at the corner of Thema Road at around midnight where Mabena was waiting for him.
“I’m not sure whether they were followed from the tavern or they bumped into the robbers as they were walking back home.
“We only knew about the incident on Thursday evening after his girlfriend came to report that she hadn’t heard from him, and his friend Melusi was found dead along with an unidentified person.
“At that point we knew we had to go and check if it was him, and to our surprise it was him,” says the distraught mother.
Mabena was renting in another area in KwaThema, making it hard for his family to assume him missing or dead, as they didn’t see him on a regular basis.
Msukwini was easily identified because the police retrieved his work access card, so they were able to contact his employers so they could notify his family.
“My son had no form of identification on him so there was no way we could be alerted about the incident,” says Miriam.
The Mabena family say at the moment they are still grieving the loss of their son and coming to terms with this horrific ordeal.
“I’m still taken aback by my son’s passing; it feels unreal that I’ll never get to see him again.
“I don’t seek revenge because my son will never come back again. What’s left is for justice to take its course.”
Sphiwe Mabena’s funeral service will be held at 8am, at 50 Kheletsane Street Masimini Section, KwaThema.
The cortège will leave for the Vlakfontein Cemetery at 10am.
