Grieving family denies accepting ‘pay-out’
The Mbatha family said they could not accept the offering as no money could replace their two loved ones.
PHOTO: Wellington Makwakwa
AN outraged eSikhaleni family who lost two teenage sisters in a hit-and-run incident in eSikhaleni on 19 April, has denied rumours that they accepted money from the family of the accused.
The Mbatha family said they could not accept the offering as no money could replace their two loved ones.
Sister of the two deceased girls, Sindi Mbatha, said they don’t believe the accused’s family had remorse over what happened, because they had not yet apologised to them.
‘They are just flaunting their money at us. They offered my mother R10 000, as if that would compensate for the lives of our loved ones. No money in the world can replace them. I understand that it was an accident and it could happen to anyone, but they have not showed us that they are sorry,’ said Sindi.
She added that her family did not accept the money because they felt insulted.
The situation between the two families has become more strained as the court case continues.
Accused Bongumusa Manyoni’s family told the Zululand Observer they had visited the Mbathas and offered them help with the funeral. A family spokesperson, Nontando Brown, said they gave the family groceries and money to assist them.
‘At first we had a meeting with the police, who advised us not to see the Mbatha family because of their emotional state. The following Wednesday we visited them and offered help. This included food and cash,’ she said. ‘We never came back with the money.’
The misunderstanding over the R10 000 donated to the grieving family was finally put to rest by Ward 16 Councillor Gugu Nkosi yesterday (Wednesday). She admitted that she still had the funds, but did not explain why the accused’s family was not told.
‘I still have the money. The Mbatha family did not take it. One of their family members said I should keep it and give it to the grieving family later if they needed it,’ said Nkosi.
Manyoni appeared briefly in the eSikhaleni Magistrate’s Court on Monday and was denied bail.
The court case will continue tomorrow (Friday).
