Family plead with police to recover mutilated loved one’s body parts

“We can’t bury her like this. We are talking about a human being.”

October 17, 2020

Lunga Mzangwe 1 minute read

Relatives of the deceased and community leaders who came to support the family.

The family of Sebenzile Maphanga (44), whose mutilated body was found in Dubai informal settlement in the north of Pretoria last week, are pleading with police to recover her missing body parts so that they can bury her.

Maphanga’s body was found by police on Sunday afternoon 11 October 2020 at the informal settlement, according to police spokesperson Brigadier Mathapelo Peters.

The body was burnt and her hands and feet were missing.

“It is alleged that at the time of her disappearance, the deceased went outside her house responding to a telephone call from a suspect who was later arrested.

“This was the last time she was seen. A relative reported her missing on 3 October and police immediately launched a search for her. A preliminary investigation found that the last person possibly in contact with the deceased was the arrested suspect, albeit telephonically.”

The suspect was arrested on Saturday 10 October.

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Peters said the investigation at this stage suggested that the motive for the killing may be muthi-related.

Her sister, Mpumi Maphanga, said that Maphanga’s “insides and private parts” were also missing.

“We plead with the police to help us find my sister’s body parts,” said Mpumi.

A distraught Lucky Khoza, Maphanga’s only child, said he wanted for everyone who had a hand in her death to be held responsible.

“This has cut me deep, I can’t even speak about it; someone should be held responsible,” he said.

Family spokesperson David Nkosi said what saddened the family was that Maphanga was “taken” from her own home.

“It is different from a person who was just taken from a tavern, she was taken from her home to be killed by these people.”

Nkosi said the family wanted her missing body parts to be found so that she could be laid to rest. “We can’t bury her like this. We are talking about a human being.”