Family want answers as murdered domestic worker buried
"We celebrated her life on Sunday for the person she was."
Maria Sithole (47), the domestic worker killed in a recent Moot home invasion, was laid to rest at her home in Boekenhouthoek in Nkangala, Mpumalanga on Sunday.
Sithole was murdered in her employer’s home on the corner of 28th Avenue and Louis Trichardt Street in Rietfontein in the Moot last week Wednesday.
Homeowner Daniel Wyser (60) has been in a medically induced coma since the incident.
Both Wyser and Sithole were shot in the head by two unknown men who gained access to the house through the gate.
Wyser’s sister, Marianne Balmelli, said he underwent surgery on Thursday, in which shrapnel was removed.
“The doctors keep me informed of his progress regularly.
“It seems that he will be in an induced coma for quite a few more days,” said Balmelli.
Sithole’s eldest sister, Mali Mathibela, said the family was severely traumatised after the incident.
READ MORE: Murdered Moot domestic worker remembered as a ‘caring soul’
“We celebrated her life on Sunday for the person she was.
“She would not have wanted us to shed tears at all. Maria basically raised me because our mother was absent a lot during our growing up years.”
Mathibela said the family was notified of the incident on the night of Sithole’s murder.
“We were so worried because Maria did not show up at home after work as usual. We are a close family, and we support each other tremendously through this period.
“I do not know if we will ever get to continue with life as normal without her. We want to see justice done and we are looking for answers regarding her murder,” said Mathibela.
Sithole is survived by her husband, Jacob, and her three children.
Two suspects gained access to the home on Wednesday morning.
Wyser was tied up in the bathroom and was shot behind his ear.
Sithole was shot in the head in one of the rooms where she was declared dead at the scene.
The 60-year-old was airlifted to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg.
Villieria police spokesperson Warrant Officer Marinda Austin said it could not be determined whether the men responsible arrived at the scene with firearms.
“However, they left with Wyser’s vehicle, a brown Touareg, as well as two firearms from the safe.
“A case of house robbery, murder as well as attempted murder has been opened,” Austin said.
No arrests have been made.
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