Looking back on January, online Middelburg Observer readers ushered in the new year with a gruesome domestic violence murder, while another local family awaited news on possible charges against a former police captain allegedly involved with their daughter’s unnatural death.
The two stories featured under the Middelburg Observer’s top January stories.
The top stories for the month were:

• A twist of fate: Man dies 8 days after allegedly setting ex-girlfriend on fire.
Two weeks after the man attacked his ex-girlfriend, he also died.
The victim, Promise Motubatsi (29), died last Wednesday after succumbing to her injuries; 80% of her body was severely burned during the traumatic ordeal.
Mpumalanga police told the Middelburg Observer that Molake Aubury Moloto was still on the run after fleeing from the crime scene, with a manhunt launched to trace him.
This contradicted what the family told the Observer, saying that when they went to visit Promise in the hospital, they found Moloto in the same hospital room, leaving them angry and concerned.
Moloto was allegedly admitted to the hospital after he drank petrol in a suicide attempt.
According to an eyewitness, they saw Moloto running out of a burning room with his hand on fire, followed by Promise, whose entire body was engulfed in flames.
Workers on the farm rushed Promise to the hospital.

Read more here: https://www.citizen.co.za/middelburg-observer/news/2025/01/30/a-twist-of-fate-man-dies-8-days-after-allegedly-setting-ex-girlfriend-on-fire/

• In another shocking incident, a man allegedly attempted to kill his wife in January.
The story headlined under: ‘Shocking details revealed in Aloe Ridge crime of passion case. Husband back in court for allegedly shooting wife’.
Sifiso Dlamini, the man accused of attempting to kill his wife in full view of their two children, who were 12 and nine years old, made his third court appearance in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court since being released from the hospital. The shooting happened in the couple’s home in the Aloe Ridge Complex and left the community shocked on December 16 at around 21:00.
Dlamini allegedly shot his wife and drove to Rondebosch before heading to Sam Rose, where he reportedly shot himself in the chest. His wife was transported to the hospital by a neighbour.
The husband was found at Sam Rose and transported to Life Midmed Hospital.

Read more here: https://www.citizen.co.za/middelburg-observer/news/2025/01/30/shocking-details-revealed-in-aloe-ridge-crime-of-passion-case/

• Vordering is ook al vroeg die jaar gemaak in ’n ondersoek na beweerde seksmisdade deur 0’n voormalige Middelburgse polisie-kaptein.
Die ondersoek het daartoe gelei dat die oud-kaptein op meer as 30 klagtes, insluitende 11 vir verkragting, teregstaan.
Die Januarie storie se opskrif lyk so: ‘Familie hoop geregtelike ondersoek bring antwoorde na Maryka se dood. Presies ses jaar nadat Maryka Kleinhans (31) in Kranspoort gesterf het, is Awie Geldenhuys, saam met wie sy die nag van haar dood was, weer in die kollig weens die geregtelike ondersoek’.
Winnie Bezuidenhout, Maryka se suster, het bevestig dat hulle by die Middelburg Landdroshof was laat in Desember.
’n Landdros het beslis dat ’n formele geregtelike ondersoek gehou gaan word.
Dit is om te bepaal of iemand verantwoordelik gehou kan word, en of enige handeling die nag van haar dood neerkom op ’n misdryf.
Alhoewel Maryka se familie by die hof was tydens die verrigtinge, was Geldenhuys nie daar nie.
Daar wat verneem dat hy laat weet het dat hy ’n familiekrisis het en nie die verrigtinge kon bywoon nie.“Ons weet glad nie wat dit beteken dat daar ’n geregtelike ondersoek is nie.
Die dossier is die dag vir ons gegee, maar ons het glad nie daarna gekyk nie. Hierdie ruk weer al die ou wonde oop.”Sy het egter gesê dat hulle hoop dat die GO hulle nou geleentheid sal gee om antwoorde te kry oor Maryka se dood. “Ons het geweet daar is ’n ondersoek en dat hy nie vervolg gaan word nie, maar die presiese detail is nooit met ons gedeel oor wát gebeur het nie.”

Lees meer hier: https://www.citizen.co.za/middelburg-observer/news/2025/01/29/familie-hoop-geregtelike-ondersoek-bring-antwoorde-na-maryka-se-dood/