Victims’ family members testify at Shongwe’s trial in Secunda Regional Court
Victim’s sister was in tears while testifying.
Gugu Cebisa claims the shock of her sister’s murder in 2017 led to their mother’s untimely death.
Her sister, 16-year-old Cynthia Masilela, is believed to be a victim of suspected serial killer Themba Shongwe who is currently on trial in the Secunda Regional Court.
Shongwe stands accused of raping and killing four girls in eMbalenhle between August 2016 and 2019 and raping another two.
Cebisa testified on June 13 about her sister’s last day before her death.
She said Cynthia was a teenage mother. She returned home from school that day. Her usual routine was to fetch her four-month-old baby from her boyfriend’s home. She later left the infant with her mother to go to initiation celebration.
“She came back late and went to bed.”
Cebisa checked her sister’s room the following morning, but she was not there.
She alerted her mother that Cynthia was not in her room. While worrying about Cynthia’s whereabouts, a friend arrived at the house with the news that a woman’s body was dumped next to the Govan Mbeki municipal offices in Ext 17.
Cebisa was in tears while testifying that her mother became ill. The doctor diagnosed her mother with high blood pressure.
She later died. Cebisa said she only saw Cynthia’s body when pathologists removed it from the scene.
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A security guard, Unathi Nkolisa, who was on duty at the municipal offices when Cynthia’s body was found in the street, also testified.
He came on duty for the night shift and patrolled the municipal yard as usual before he went to the offices. He noticed nothing suspicious.
Nkolisa said while working the night shift, he often heard people making noise while passing the offices, but he heard nothing on that specific night.
He said while waiting for a colleague to relieve him of his post the next morning, he patrolled the yard again. He heard a woman screaming that a girl’s body was in the street near his post.
Nkolisa told the court he followed the woman and because it was in the morning, he found community members with the body next to the road.
The court expects family members of the other victims to take the stand and testify when Shongwe’s trial resumes on June 28.
The bodies of the young girls were dumped within walking distance of his house.
Nokulunga Nkutha (11) was reported missing in August 2016. Her body was dumped in the street.
Cynthia Masilela was raped, murdered and dumped in the street in 2017. Nokulunga’s cousin, Lerato Nkutha (also 11) was raped and murdered in May 2018.
Mihle Singamo (14) was killed in the same manner in November 2018. The FCS police team, led by Sergeant Hezekiel Malapela, investigated the case.
