Fresh trauma for family as murder case stalls
Months after Xichavo Ntsanwisi’s fatal stabbing, his family says repeated delays in the case against Ntokoto Mabasa are reopening wounds and deepening their grief.
Almost six months after Xichavo Ntsanwisi was fatally stabbed, his family is still grappling with fresh wounds of grief that refuse to heal, especially with each trip they take to the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court.
The deceased’s aunt, Tinyiko Ntsanwisi, said the repeated postponements of the murder case against her late nephew’s girlfriend, Jo–Ann Ntokoto Mabasa, have left them struggling with renewed grief every time they see her in the dock. “Every time we come and see the [alleged] perpetrator, it is unbearable to us as a family.
Read more: Witness recounts alleged assault before fatal stabbing of Xichavo Ntsanwisi
“That wound is not healing, it is just bleeding every day. We hope that justice can be served.”
While she acknowledged the importance of the state obtaining necessary evidence, she lamented the toll of the drawn–out process. “We don’t feel good, but I believe that justice delayed is not justice denied. We just hope that justice will be served one day.”
Mabasa appeared briefly before Magistrate Rennie Boshoff on Friday, where the case was postponed to May 21. State prosecutor Lufuno Maphiri requested the postponement to allow more time to secure outstanding evidence, including DNA and fingerprint results.
This is not the first delay. At Mabasa’s earlier appearance, in November, Maphiri asked for a postponement to February, citing the need for further investigations and critical evidence, such as the postmortem report. He confirmed that the report has since been obtained, but other forensic results remain pending.
Also read: Family and friends demand justice after murder of Xichavo Ntsanwisi
Mabasa remains out on R10 000 bail. While the court is yet to hear Mabasa’s version of events on the night her boyfriend died, the state has already shared information contained in a witness statement about what transpired between the couple moments before his death.
The witness alleges that the couple was fighting, and that he saw Ntsanwisi physically assaulting Mabasa. However, Ntsanwisi’s family refute any claim that their late son might have acted in that manner.
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