NELSPRUIT – The trial of three suspects accused of brutally hacking a six-year-old girl to death to harvest her body parts for muti, is set to begin today. Yesterday the accused, Ms Thabile Mnisi (29), Ms Stella Sibongile Mnisi (46) and Mr Sifiso Wonder Vilakazi (21), appeared in front of judge
Mr Collin Lamot of the Circuit Pretoria High Court on charges of murder, kidnapping and the business proposition of the selling of children for body parts.
The three are accused of the murder of Dimaksu Shabangu. Initially there were six charged but the state withdrew its case against three.
The horrific crime occurred on April 21, 2009 at Masibekela Trust in the Nkomazi subregion. Shabangu’s mother had left her in Thabile’s care. When the child did not return home, the mother thought she had gone to visit her father.
The next day when the little girl had still not returned, the family notified the cops.
Police then found her body floating in a nearby river. Her left hand had been cut off, her tongue was removed and a cut was found on her body from her navel to the end of her buttocks. Her private parts were removed as well.
The post-mortem stated, “The primary result of death before or after the removal of tissue could not be established during the examination of the body.
There was removal of tissue from an area beneath the naval to the back beneath the buttocks as well as the inside of both legs. The private parts were completely removed.”
Lamot stated in court that the case had been unacceptably delayed. He said the accused should be prepared for the trial to start as it would continue until its conclusion.
He then postponed the case for today. All three accused are out on bail.
