In a shocking incident, Ncamisile Sibiya (51), a mother of five, was found dead on Christmas Eve in her Mpophomeni, KZN, home, during the funeral of her niece, Amanda Malaza (37), who had allegedly been killed by her boyfriend the previous weekend.

According to an article published by The Witness, Ncamisile’s sister, Sma Sibiya, says the family discovered her body covered with a blanket in her bedroom after returning from Malaza’s burial.

We went to my niece’s funeral, but Ncamisile wasn’t there. After everything was done, we still hadn’t seen her.

“When we got home, we found her in her room, covered with a blanket,” says Sma.

The family suspects an intruder entered the house and possibly attempted to assault Ncamisile, who they believe may have been strangled during a struggle.

“She had been out drinking the night before. Amanda’s death hit her hard, and she had been drinking a lot over the past few days. The last time I saw her, she was drunk and heading to bed. The next time, she was dead,” says Sma.

The cause of Ncamisile’s death has not been confirmed as the family awaits the results of a postmortem examination.

Describing Ncamisile as a fun-spirited woman who brought laughter to the family, Sma says her sister had no known enemies. “She was a mother to five children but was like a mother to all of our children. December has been devastating for our family.

“We couldn’t celebrate Christmas because we had buried Amanda the day before and now, we’re preparing for Ncamisile’s funeral.”

Sma says this was not the first tragedy to strike their family during December. “A few years ago, we lost a brother in December. This month has become synonymous with death in our family, and it’s hard to imagine celebrating it like other families do,” she adds.

Meanwhile, the alleged killer of Malaza, Mnotho Makhithini, appeared in court on Monday.

Makhithini faces charges of murder and assault after allegedly stabbing Malaza to death and injuring his brother during an argument.

The family is now left grappling with the compounded grief of losing two loved ones within a week.